


Savage

by dragonchallenge



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abduction, Action/Adventure, Bullying, Character Death, Childhood Friends, Crime Fighting, Eventual Romance, F/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Martial Arts, Mild Language, Mutants, Old-Fashioned, Physical Abuse, Rescue, Torture, Tragedy, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 636,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonchallenge/pseuds/dragonchallenge
Summary: She was everything that people feared. A mutant. A strong woman in the 1940's. She didn't want marriage. She didn't want a lover. She didn't want to be the woman that sat in the background and waited for others to do her bidding. She wanted to defend the world. But even more, she wanted revenge on those who had wrecked hers. The ones who had stolen her from the only two men to ever look past what she was. James Buchanan Barnes and Steven Rogers. But she left Bucky and Steve without a word. And now she's returned. While Steve hopes to bring back the woman that he's always viewed as a sister, Bucky hopes to thaw the ice that has built around her heart. The heart that he always believed was his.





	1. Chapter One

Brooklyn, New York  
December 24th, 1928

She was running faster than anyone would have thought that an eight-year-old girl was capable of. She was running faster than she had thought that she was capable of. As she ran tears went streaming down her face. They fell onto the top of her shirt and ruined the new lace that was stitched into the top. She didn't bother stopping them though. Tear-stained lace was the least of her concerns. They were supposed to love her. They were supposed to protect her. That was the promise that they had made to her. They were her family. They should have always stood by her side. They should have always loved her like the way that they had said that they did.

She wanted to kick herself. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have thought that they really loved her? She was a freak. Just the way that they had told her before everything had happened. Her computer-like brain tried to convince her that it was just minute differences in the coding of her DNA, but her parents would have never thought of it that way. They saw her the way that the rest of the world would. A monster. The villains out of the stories that her parents had once told her would come after her to get her to behave.

The tears still weren't slowing down as she bolted through the back alleyways of buildings that were surrounding her. She couldn't tell where she was. She had never been here before. She had never been this far north in Brooklyn before. Her parents had always kept mostly to the woods. This was strange to her. The buildings that she was passing were all apartments that rose high into the sky. She couldn't quite tell where exactly they were considering the tears were blurring her vision. The only good thing was that she didn't need her sight to hear where the sirens from police cars and alarms of the fire trucks were. She just knew that they were headed away from here. She had made sure of that.

As she ran she shivered at the icy blasts of cold air that ripped over the bare pieces of skin on her. Not that there was much. But New York was freezing during Christmas. She had never been comfortable with being cold. She would have grabbed her coat had she known that she would be leaving tonight. Had she been given more time. Her pink and white pajamas were doing almost nothing to keep her warm. They were only designed to keep her decent as she slept. But she was sure that there would be no sleeping tonight. Not with everything that had happened. Not with the garish green reminders of what had happened splattered all over her pink shirt, making ugly stains.

Despite the fact that she was only eight she knew what she had to do. She was no moron. She was smarter than most men five times her age. Of course, men were not quite as smart as they liked to think that they were. As she ran she realized that she should have known that this was going to happen. This always happened to people like her. Not that there were many, but she had heard whispers of a few. She knew that people like her were different and she knew that anyone who was different was terrifying. People feared and hated that which they didn't understand. She wished that she wasn't different. She didn't want to be different.

She wanted to be able to wear dresses, and play with dolls, and have her mother teach her to be the proper lady. But that was a lost cause now. She knew that that life had already passed her by. She wished that there was something that she could do to change herself. She wished that there was some way that her parents would love her. She wanted them to not be afraid of her. But they always would be. They always were. She was just a fool that had never seen it. Most of all she wanted a place to go. She hadn't ever even spent a night at a friends' house. And now she was alone. She had no family left and no one that would care anything about her.

As she began to wind through the buildings, hoping to throw off any traces of herself, she walked through some old buildings that looked like they might have been abandoned. She needed to stay away from people right now. There were too many people looking for her. She was sure that her picture would be up on the televisions by tonight, missing children reports all over the news. As she walked in between two beige buildings she realized that this was the best place for her to stay for the night. The building on the right was so far dilapidated that she was sure that it might collapse at any given moment. The one on the left was slightly less decrepit but no less disgusting. The paint was peeling and some of the floors seemed to be sinking in.

No one would ever expect that a little girl like herself was brave enough to try and sleep in a building like this. They would be expecting her to go to a friends house. Or maybe a little shop that had unlocked doors. They would never be looking for her in a rundown apartment on the north side of Brooklyn. Maybe she would be able to find an orphanage soon. It would give her a few years to think things out. And she was going to need to buy herself some time once the night was over. For right now she needed a place to rest and relax for the night. She needed to stay out of the public eye. They were looking for her all over New York right now. But they couldn't find her. They could never find her.

The young girl turned towards the right apartment complex and went to face it. It was in the back of an alleyway and it was clear that the place hadn't had a good cleaning in years. Maybe it had never had a good cleaning. The apartments on this side of Brooklyn were all older, built in the eighteen-hundreds, but this was even more pathetic than the rest of them. It was perfect. And it made an almost guarantee that at least one of the apartments was going to be empty. As she walked around the back of the building she noticed that there was a ladder hanging over the edge of the building. It was the one way to the top of the building. Apartment complexes like this always had a lock on the front gates. And the last thing that she wanted was to show just how different she really was out here in the open.

So she walked over to the ladder and gave a strong jump, trying to reach the top of the ladder. Her peeling fingertips barely brushed the bottom rung and she let out a breath of air as she stared up at it. She was going to have a hard time reaching it, seeing that she was just barely over four feet tall. She took a few steps backwards before going into a running leap and catching the bottom rung. She gave a soft cry as skin ripped off of her palms but she didn't let go. The ladder remained stuck in its position for a moment before giving a low groan and dropping to the ground. She let go as the ladder came back towards the ground and shook out her hands. The pain had already faded. She let out a deep breath before grabbing the fourth rung on the ladder and beginning her ascent towards the top of the building.

Even if she were to accidentally walk into an apartment with someone else occupying it she knew that she could always just jump out the window. Even if she was ten stories up the fall wouldn't hurt her. She had fallen enough to know that nothing could hurt her. Not after what had just happened. Not after everything that she had seen. Things that no eight-year-old should have to see. And if nothing else she could always just attack the person in the apartment. It was late. Well after one in the morning. Most people would already be asleep. If someone were to wake up and see her in the apartment they would be too groggy to do anything else.

As she hit the top rung of the ladder she jumped off and hit the edge of one of the walkways. It was the highest up and she felt a tiny bit dizzy as she looked over the edge. Even though she could survive a fall to the bottom of the apartment complex and fix anything wrong with her it didn't mean that she wouldn't feel it. And she was not fond of pain. Any type of pain. She had already been through too much pain. She intended for today to be the last day that she ever felt pain like this.

Shaking her arms out from the climb she looked around the top level. It seemed to be smaller than the ones on the lower floors. That was good though. Less people to see her. Less people to wonder where a little girl that looked like she had just crawled out of the woods had come from. There were only three or four apartments on this level. One had the lights on but the others were dimmed. The one on the far left of the level had the lights on and it was easy to hear the couple inside chatting. In the third apartment she could hear the sheets rustling in the background. Presumably the bedroom. She blushed and looked towards the last. It seemed to be the only apartment that was unoccupied at the moment. She took a deep breath and began to walk closer to the apartment, making sure that her movements were silent. Thankfully she'd had plenty of practice with that from the nights where she had wanted to sneak around to hear her parents discussions about her.

As she walked closer to the front door she risked a glance at herself in the window. She shivered and shook her head. She looked horrible. She looked nothing like she had this morning at her church. She had never understood why they'd dressed her up so nice just to hide her in the back of the pews. She knew now. They were trying to hide the truth of what she was.

Her soft blonde hair looked nothing like it normally did. It was always her mother's greatest pride about her only child. Her stunning hair. It seemed to light up the darkest of rooms, considering that it was so close to white. It looked nothing like that now. It was tangled in knots and matted completely on the top of her head. The hair that normally ran in soft waves past her shoulders and onto her mid-back was now in a mess that sat on the top of her head. It looked like a rats nest. It was barely reaching down to her shoulders right now and it was so caked with mud that it almost looked brown. It matched the streaks of dirt that went across her face and down her neck. Her eyes were red and blurry. They seemed a little puffy to her too but she couldn't quite tell. She rarely cried.

Although the odd coloring that was in the whites of her eyes was going down quickly. It still detracted from the normally brilliant yellow eyes that she possessed. Right now they seemed a little dull, making her look almost sickly. Her tanned face was slightly pale and her cheeks were flushed from running in the icy air. Her bright pink shirt was dulled slightly and stained with green, mostly down her chest and stomach. There were a few streaks on her back too. The green looked like the sort of sludge that sometimes came out of the sewers. Her white pants were stained with dirt and torn at the bottom, seeing as they were too long on her. But that was the way that she had liked them. Her bare feet were scratched up but they weren't bleeding. She rarely bled.

Using her fingers, she tried to brush the hair on top of her head a little straighter but it didn't work. The only thing that it did was cause unnecessary pains at the roots of her hair. So instead she took a deep breath and silently crept along the edge of the railing. She would find a brush later. Her priority was shelter right now. The sirens were getting slightly closer and she needed to get some cover. She jumped over the last railing and walked over to the second to the last apartment.

The door was bolted shut but she was no fool. Her parents had done the same thing. Everyone did the same thing. It was a miracle that there weren't more break-ins in New York. The key, just as expected, was underneath the mat and she grabbed it. She slipped it into the lock and waited to hear the tell-all click. It sounded a moment later and she pushed the door open slowly. The door was old but it thankfully didn't make a creaking noise. As she closed the door behind her she pushed the key into her pocket and walked forward slightly. She didn't bother to re-lock it, just in case.

Her yellow eyes gazed over the apartment and took the old thing in slowly. It only took her a fraction of a moment to realize that the apartment wasn't abandoned like she had originally thought that it was. People did live here. A rather large family too. Clearly with kids, judging by the Christmas tree with presents underneath the colorful tree. It seemed so out of place. Or maybe she was the one that was out of place here. Even if there hadn't been the tree she could still tell. Toys and books and papers were laid out everywhere, unpaid bills on the kitchen counter. Some dirty dishes were out and the television remote was scratched up. Kids lived here. Kids that fought over the remote. Even though she couldn't see the family she could hear them. She could hear the faint rustle of sheets in the back bedrooms. She could hear the dreams that flooded their minds. She could hear the gentle grinding of their jaws. She could hear everything.

And no matter how hard she tried to tune it out, she couldn't. She never could. It was the one reason that she was grateful that her parents had home-schooled her. But in the meantime she had learned to deal with it. It still drove her insane at the times that she couldn't control it but for now it was no big deal. The thoughts were quiet. She could hear the thoughts of the parents in the bedroom in the back of the apartment. The woman was dreaming of the chores that she already had to do in the morning. The father was dreaming of his day to come in the warehouse. There were a few kids in the apartment too. A young girl, who was dreaming of a new dress. A slightly older girl who was dreaming that a boy in her class was giving her a rose. There was a young boy dreaming of the Stark Expo coming up in a few months. It all made her smile.

They weren't the only ones in the home though. There were two more that she could hear. But these two weren't just thoughts. They were actually speaking to each other. Whoever it was was actually speaking to each other. She hadn't been expecting anyone to be awake. She panicked slightly before ducking out of the pain view and running into the kitchen. She didn't want them to see her. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't want to hurt herself. Enough people, herself included, had been hurt tonight. No more. She could hear the two boys talking and she took a deep breath. If she was silent they wouldn't say anything to her. They wouldn't hear her. No one would ever even know that she was ever in the apartment.

She slipped into the kitchen silently and was careful to step over the toys on the floor. She assumed that there were some younger kids in the house considering some of the toys were the same ones that she's played with years prior. She scowled at the large collection of princess dolls. There was no such thing as fairy tales. There were no happy endings. She had already found that out. The young girl popped open the refrigerator and stared at it blankly. There wasn't much in there but she knew that she would be bale to make a sandwich or something. Her mother had never gotten around to teaching her how to cook.

All she knew was that she wanted food. She was starving. She was pretty sure that she hadn't eaten in well over a day. The past twenty-four hours had left little room for trivial things such as food. She never thought that she could have used as much energy as she did tonight. Especially on so little food. And she was still just a young child. She could never forget that. No matter what had happened tonight, she was still a young child. She didn't deserve to have her youth stolen from her. She grabbed the bread out of the refrigerator along with some turkey meat and cheese before pushing the door back closed.

Her happiness at the potential meal only lasted a few moments. Panic settled into her chest when she heard the scuffing of shoes on the floor and turned back to run from the apartment. She wasn't going to be caught. But she had no choice. It was too late. The two boys that she had heard talking in the first bedroom were standing right behind her, keeping a few feet distance between themselves and her. One of them was holding up a baseball bat and the other was holding what looked like a steeled-toe boot in his hand. Both seemed to relax the moment that they realized that it was just a small girl in their home. She merely stared at them. It had been a long time since she had seen someone her age so close.

And they really were about her age. The only other person that she had seen around her age was her parent's friend Christine, and she was in her mid-twenties. The boy in the back was the first one to catch her eye. Not because he was outrageously stunning or anything of the sort, she had just never seen anyone quite like him before. She was a little concerned just looking at him. He was incredibly thin and pasty looking. It seemed like he hadn't had a good meal in a few weeks and he hadn't been sleeping well. She could tell that he was sickly with just one look at him. He was short too. He might have been shorter than her. And that was saying something. He was the one that was holding the shoe.

The other was the one that she found herself scrutinizing a little closer. Perhaps that it was because out of the two boys she knew that he was the one that she needed to worry about. If she was going to run he was going to be the one that would try to stop her. He had dark hair and a piercing stare. His blue eyes seemed to be the one thing that was lighting up the room. She wondered if he thought the same thing about her yellow eyes. His hair was slicked back with some type of grease and he towered over her. He was five, maybe six, inches taller than her. It seemed that he was about three or so years older than her. Maybe he was eleven or so. And his friend... She couldn't quite tell. He looked like he might be her age, or maybe a little older.

The boy with brown hair shifted slightly and her attention quickly diverted back to him. She relaxed though as he dropped the baseball bat to his side. She was extremely curious just what he was thinking. So she sent her gaze to the ground and let her mind wander. I can't hit her. She's a girl. How did she even get in here? It was easy to hear him thinking to himself. He was a child. He hadn't learned how to control his mind yet. Maybe he wouldn't ever learn how to control his mind. Most men didn't. And she wasn't surprised what he was thinking about her. They all seemed to react that way to her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" He asked.

His voice was slightly deeper than she had been expecting. She didn't bother to say anything. She wasn't quite sure what she could say. She hadn't spoken to anyone her age in three years. She hadn't spoken to anyone that wasn't her parents in over a year. It was what happened when she spent all of her time in her house. Besides she had no friends in her neighborhood. She had no siblings and no one else even close to her age in the family. Not that her parents ever let her see anyone else. She had thought for years that she wanted to speak with someone, anyone, other than her parents. But now here she was with someone else and she had no clue what to say, or whether or not she wanted to speak.

Well done, Buck, scare the poor girl even more. She nearly smiled at the blonde's words. He seemed like the type to reason things out and figure things out slowly. The brunette seemed like the type to act first. She supposed that they were good for mellowing each other out. And she was a little impressed. The boy was right. He turned to look at her and this time the words were out loud. "Are you hungry? We can make you something," he offered.

She was starving. It felt like her stomach was about to eat itself, or maybe cave in on herself. She wasn't quite sure. The two boys were waiting on her to say something so she finally nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She hadn't spoken in hours and she wasn't ready to speak yet. She wasn't even sure if her vocal chords had recovered yet. It seemed that the boys were waiting for her to say something to them but she kept her mouth shut. Just in case someone found out that she had been here she wanted these boys to know as little about her as possible. For her sake and theirs.

The trio stared at each other for a few minutes before the blonde finally gave her a soft smile and turned away from the other two. The brunette continued to stare at the small girl before shifting and dropping the baseball bat. He had noticed her gaze resting on it harshly. "You're gonna have to talk to us eventually," he stated. She didn't waver in the slightest. Her gaze simply turned to the blonde in the kitchen making a rather large sandwich. "But if you don't want to tell us your name or anything like that, you could at least tell us something." She simply turned her gaze back to him and stared. What is that all over her shirt? It's green.

His gaze had dropped down to her shirt and she nearly laughed. She wanted to laugh. Of course it was green. Of course he had no clue why it was green. No one knew why it was green save her parents and a few government officials. And that was the way that it needed to stay. He didn't need to know what she was. It wasn't important. Not to him. Not to anyone. Not even to her anymore. Once this was all over she was going to leave and ensure that she was never found again. "Buck, leave her alone," the blonde in the kitchen called. She turned back to him with a curious gaze. Buck was an odd name. "She's starving. You're hungry, aren't you?" He asked, turning back to her. She nodded hesitantly. "We'll make you something," he told her.

She nodded weakly and watched as the brunette boy walked into the kitchen with his blonde friend. The pair stood together and she grinned softly when she saw that they put the boot and bat together on the corner of the counter. She didn't miss that they had made sure to put themselves in between her and the makeshift weapons. They would never know that she didn't need a weapon to get away from them. She watched with hawk-like eyes as the two boys moved back and forth in the kitchen. They worked like an effective team and it made some sense of nostalgia build in her heart. She had once acted like that with her mother. Before she had realized what her daughter was. The two boys laughed and teased each other as they went and she grinned.

These two were surprising her more and more every second that she was in the run-down apartment. She was shocked that they hadn't attacked her. Of course she was a child and so were they. And she was a woman. No one ever believed that it was right to strike a woman. Under any circumstances. Of course, most women would never put themselves in a position like that. She was also shocked that the parents hadn't woken up yet. But maybe they were used to the boys making noise like this. Especially since there seemed to be quite a few kids in the household. Or maybe they just weren't concerned with the boys. Interrupting her train of thoughts she turned back to the boys and let herself intrude their minds, probably going deeper than they would have cared for.

She tried for the brunette first. He was a little harder to work at. I have to figure out who she is. Mom and Dad are going to kill me if they wake up and see some random girl in my bedroom. Or in the living room. Maybe that's a better idea. Who am I kidding? She can't stay here! I don't know her. She won't even tell us her name. She broke in here! How did she break in here? She smiled at his thoughts. He would never figure out who she was. Not really. No matter what she would tell him she would never tell him the entire truth. If she ever told him anything. And it had confirmed that this was his house, the blonde must have been a friend. She was not staying here either. She couldn't now. And the key under the mat was easy.

She tried for the blonde next. His thoughts were more straightforward and his mind was easy to invade. Perhaps it was the innocent air that surrounded him. Something has to be done about the poor girl. She looks half starved to death. She looks exhausted. If I didn't know any better I'd say that she was about to drop dead. I guess food is a good way to start. Maybe she'd be able to stay somewhere in my house. My parents always wanted a daughter. And she seems like the type to need help. We have to help her. All she wanted was some food. He was a smart boy. And he was definitely a friend. A friend to everyone. Even to her. Whose name she didn't even know. He was already thinking of a place for her to go. Technically they both were. They seemed good enough to her.

She stared at the two boys for a while longer as they finished off the sandwich and put the bread on the top of it. It looked better than anything that she had seen in weeks. Her parents had always just left her old meals, leftovers from whatever they would have while they remained locked away in their lab. They both turned to her and she stared at them. They each gave her a small nod as they laid the plate down in front of her. They led her over to a large table and she didn't wait for their approval. She grabbed the large sandwich and instantly took a large bite out of it. The brunette boy laughed at her with an impressed smile and she gave him a sharp glare. His laughed subsided but he continued to stare at her with a strange smile. She turned to the blonde haired boy who was giving her a soft smile with worry concealed deep in his eyes.

It took her less than two minutes to eat the entire sandwich. A sandwich that would have taken a normal kid at least ten to get through. The boys didn't look away from her once. At least the brunette didn't. He kept an amused stare on her the entire time. The blonde tried to look away to give her somewhat of a sense of privacy. Not that it really worked but she appreciated the effort. As she took in the last bite she swallowed and turned to them to give them what she hoped was a smile. It might have been a sneer. They didn't really look happy but they didn't look afraid of her either. It was more than she had gotten in a long time. "Thank you," she muttered.

Her voice was a little scratchier and rougher than it had been the last time that she had used it. She was glad that neither one of them commented on her clearly unused voice. "She speaks!" The brunette yelled with a smile. The blonde boy turned to glare at his friend and she turned a glare on him as well, not faltering on the deep glare that she intended to use on him. He didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it and she groaned. She couldn't help but to wonder why his parents hadn't come out to see him yet. She knew that they had to have heard him.

The blonde nudged his friend, who merely smirked when his friend nudged him. The nudge had done almost nothing to move the brunette. "Sorry about him. He's had a little too much sugar tonight," the blonde told her. She laughed softly and shook her head as the brunette smacked him over the back of the head. Despite the fact that they clearly weren't physically related she could tell that they were almost like brothers. They were like brothers. Ow. I guess I deserved that. She laughed softly once more. He did. She wished that she could have been like this with someone. "My name is Steve. Steven. Uh... Steven Rogers, but you can call me Steve," he stuttered. His face was slightly red and he averted his eyes from her. She merely gave him the tiniest of smiles. That was pathetic.

She had actually found it rather endearing. It reminded her of the way that she was right now. Trying to make new friends and failing miserably. And he was still doing better than her. She had only said two words since walking into their apartment. Since breaking into their apartment. But they had been good about it. Better than most other people would have been about it. "Don't mind Steve here, he hasn't had enough sugar tonight," the brunette told her. Once more she laughed. They were obviously the best of friends. Brothers. It was sweet. She wished that she could have stayed with them longer. "My name is James. James Buchanan Barnes. You can call me Bucky," he told her with a sharp grin. He held out his hand but she didn't grab it. She didn't want to hurt him. Although at least she now knew their names. He stared at her for a moment before slowly letting his hand fall back to his side. His smile hadn't faded once since telling her his name. "We'll work on it," he teased.

Despite the fact that she kept an even look on her face she was smiling on the inside. He was a charmer. Her mother had once told her that they were the most dangerous types of people. Men and women alike. So she merely shifted to hand him back the plate and Bucky took it, walking it over to the sink. He dropped it in before turning to walk back to them once more. "You know, there are some old shirts that Bucky's sister has in his room. It's extra storage too. We can get you one if you'd like?" Steve asked her. She was a little shocked by the offer and stared at the boy in curiosity. "That one is a little messed up," he motioned politely.

She nodded slowly, not wanting to intrude on the pair. It seemed that she had already ruined a fair amount of people's nights. She didn't want to ruin theirs too. But they didn't say anything about it. They just smiled. Bucky walked away without another word and disappeared into the back hallway that she was pretty sure led to the other bedrooms. She turned to stare at Steve, who was trying hard not to stare back at her. She knew that he was being polite. She also knew that she must look extremely strange to them.

Women were supposed to wear dresses and skirts, and makeup and heels, and have curled hair with pins in it neatly. Women were supposed to smile and laugh and always answer a question when asked. She had barely said anything, rarely smiled and laughed, and looked like she had been starved and crawled out of a sewer. They both were properly fed and had clearly taken baths in the past day or so. She couldn't believe that they were actually letting her hang around and being nice to her. Even her own parents didn't bother with her this much. They had done more for her in the ten minutes of knowing them then her parents had done in the past three years.

A few minutes later she saw Bucky come back into the room with a handful of things that were all wrapped in a dark blue towel. The towel was large and she could tell that he had gotten her everything that he could imagine a little girl would need. The only things that she could see were a pair of pants and a shirt that were falling out of the corners of the towel. There seemed to be a few hygiene products in there as well. Either way, it was a million times more than anything that she needed or deserved. "Here you go. Figured these might fit you. You're about my sister's size. And these are better than nothing," Bucky told her as he handed her the towel. She took it silently. "The bathroom is right around the corner. Take as long as you need. There's soap in there too," he told her.

She nodded and followed his directions to the bathroom. Just like he had said the bathroom was at the end of the corridor and right around the corner. She pushed open the door and shut it behind her before turning on the lights. She squinted and dropped the clothing and other products on the floor. She hadn't seen the light in a few hours and the fluorescent lighting in the bathroom was irritating beyond belief. Once her eyesight adjusted she looked around at it. The bathroom was dirty white and tiny with some wooden paneling. It was nothing compared to the marble white floors and crystal cleat mirrors in her home. Her old home.

Giving a quick look into the mirror she saw that her eyes had finally come back to their normal color. They were the same brilliant yellow that they had always been. She could see that they were beginning to dull to a deep gray though. Depressed. She should have been expecting it. She shook her head and turned away from the mirror, slipping her pink shirt over her head and tossing it onto the floor of the bathroom. She grabbed the white shirt from off of the pile and pulled it over her small torso. All of the bruises and scratches from earlier were gone. She looked normal once more. Well, as normal as she could get. She pulled off the tattered pants as well and pulled on the pair of pale blue pants that were slightly loose on her waist.

She unrolled the towel that held all of the hygiene products once she had straightened the new clothing out and looked over the contents. There was a toothbrush at the top and she grabbed it first, unabashedly brushing her teeth. She hated the feeling of unclean teeth. She gargled a little bit of the dirty water in the sink before spitting it out and washing out her mouth. Once she was done she tossed the toothbrush and toothpaste back onto the towel. She grabbed the brush that was in the package as well and ran it through her hair. It took her nearly twenty minutes to get all of the knots out and by the time that she was done there were giant knots of her hair in the sink.

It had taken her nearly twenty minutes to get her hair back to the silky feel that it normally had. And afterwards she had spent another half an hour trying to get all of the clumps of dirt and mud out. Once she was done she smiled at the sight of it returning to it's near-white state once more. She grabbed a ponytail holder off of the counter and wrapped her hair in a tight up-do. After scrubbing the dirt off of her feet and hands she pulled up the rest of her things and walked out into the hallway once more. Like she had expected, Bucky and Steve were waiting for her in the living room.

They were standing side-by-side and she walked over to them slowly. She placed the things that she had used on the table and tossed her old clothes in the trash that Bucky pointed her to. Once she had tossed them in she turned to look at them awkwardly. Both boys were staring at her, looking much less unnerved by her now. "Look, you can stay here tonight," Bucky told her and her mouth nearly dropped. "My parents won't mind. They hardly pay attention anyways. They didn't even notice when Steve lived with us for a month. There's a spare bedroom in the back of the apartment. You can stay back there tonight," he told her.

No one had ever done anything like that before for her. She couldn't believe it. She almost didn't want to believe it. "Thank you," she said quickly before she could forget her manners.

If there was one thing that her mother and father taught her it was how to use manners when they were required. And this seemed to be one of the times where she needed to use her manners. She gave a quick nod to both boys before walking off to head to the back of the apartment. But before she could get a few steps Bucky took a wide stance in front of her. She backed off quickly, not wanting to touch him. She could feel the buzz of energy surge through her veins and she forced herself to calm down. "I'm sorry. Sorry," Bucky said quickly, knowing that he had overstepped a boundary. "There's just a few things that you need to tell me. Tell us. We have to know some things about you. Just start with how you got here," he half-asked and half-instructed her.

She stared at him for a moment, debating on what exactly she should say. She wasn't sure how much she could tell them. She didn't want to put them in danger and she didn't want these potential friends to run from her in fear the moment that they found out what she was. "My parents. They told me that I had to leave. So I left. This was the first place that I saw. I just wanted some food, I swear. I was going to get the food and then leave and figure things out from there. I never intended to get caught," she said softly. That was the truth, just with some things left out.

Both Bucky and Steve nodded at her, clearly taking a moment to process the story. It wasn't something that either one of them had been expecting. They had thought that she was either a foster child, someone from an orphanage, or just some kid trying to prove that they were tough to their parents. "How old are you?" Steve asked her.

She was a little surprised. She had thought that Bucky was going to do all of the talking. He seemed like the one of them to take charge in the discussion. "Eight," she answered slowly.

There was an indignant scoff over to her side and she glanced over to see that Bucky was giving her a sour look. She cocked her head at him and he quickly wiped the look from his face before giving her one that was something akin to sorrow. "Your parents told you to get out of your own house when you were eight?" Bucky asked. She nodded softly and wanted nothing more than to go to that room that Bucky had told her about. She didn't to relive the last twenty-four hours of her life. Not today and not ever, "Well, like I said. You're welcome to stay here for the night. For a few days if you need," he told her and she smiled. That was enough for her. In a few days she could work out a plan. She might only need one. "We're in the next room over if you need us. Just knock on the door. Or we can leave it open if you're afraid," he told her.

"I'm not afraid," she snapped indignantly. Her mother's voice flooded into her mind telling her that it wasn't right to be rude to a man in general, and certainly not a man that was trying to help her. Steve looked a little thrown by her words but something was shining in Bucky's eyes. Something that she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was glee. She wasn't quite sure. And for once she didn't want to go digging and find out what either one of them thought about her right now. She didn't need to know. She didn't need to be the monster that they all thought that she was. "I'll be alright. Thank you. For everything," she said politely.

She turned to leave once more and wrung her fingers together. She would be out of here in a few days and back on the street but for right now she could be happy and pretend that she was friends with these two boys. She had barely made it two steps before Bucky came to step in front of her once more. She took a step back just like she did before and stared at him for a moment. "Just one more thing before you go," Bucky told her and she nodded. "What's your name?" He asked her.

She nearly laughed at his words. The one thing that she hadn't even bothered to think about telling these two boys was her name. For whatever reason she evidently hadn't thought to introduce herself. Maybe it was because she hadn't introduced herself to someone in years. This was a good first time. "Victoria," she answered with a small smile. "Victoria Davies," she added, remembering that they had both given her their last names too.

The smile spread over Bucky's face and she even noticed that Steve was smiling slightly. Perhaps they hadn't thought that she was going to actually tell them her name. Bucky had a broad grin on his face and she couldn't help but to smile back at. She hadn't seem someone smile at her like that... ever. Even her own family had never smiled at her like that. "Well, it's nice to meet you!" Bucky yelled. Victoria flinched at the raise in volume but smiled anyways. "We've been trying to get rid of that bread forever," he said, motioning back to the refrigerator. She laughed softly and shook her head. She had never had anyone joke around with her like that before. "Welcome to the family, Vicky," he told her softly.

It was only for a night. She had to keep reminding herself of that. She had to keep reminding herself that they were not permanent in her life. But that didn't matter. They had treated her better today than anyone had in years. "Uh.. Victoria?" Steve called to her before she could turn to leave. She looked back on him with an even stare. "Merry Christmas," he told her. She smiled softly as Bucky repeated the words to her. A warming feeling settled in her stomach before she smiled and nodded back at them, walking towards the back bedroom. It's only for a night. But it would be the best night of her entire life.


	2. Chapter Two

6 Years Later...

"Victoria, dear, can you pass the jam?" Steve's mother called to me. I nodded at her, unable to speak with my mouthful of eggs, and shoved the jam down the length of the table. I wasn't paying enough attention though. The jam went flying down the table before slipping past Steve's mother and off of the table, smashing into the white wall behind us and shattering.

My hand flew to my mouth as the entire family turned to stare at the now broken jam bottle. Rebecca, Bucky's younger sister, had finally looked up from her book to stare at the jam splatter curiously. Jessica, the second eldest Barnes daughter was nowhere to be found. She normally ate breakfast at her boyfriend's house. He was doing well courting her. The entire family loved him. Save Bucky. Bucky's younger brother, Justin, was staring at me like I had grown a third head. His mother, Winifred, looked shocked. His father, George, still hadn't looked up from the morning paper.

Steve's family was here as well. Not that there were that many extra people here. It was only Steve, his mother, and his father. Steve's mother, Sarah, was staring at me with her mouth hanging open. On realizing that I was staring at her she shut her mouth quickly and gave me a nervous smile. Steve's father, Joseph, was grinning softly at me. He gave me a little wink before going back to his meal. Steve was watching me with close eyes, giving me a reassuring smile. Bucky was still staring at the jam splattered across the wall.

Naturally it was Bucky that broke the silence first. He began laughing loudly, his entire family following shortly afterwards. I couldn't help it. With everyone laughing I broke a small smile as well and began to laugh with the rest of them. The nine of us settled down quickly and I gave a bashful smile at Mrs. Barnes. "I'm so sorry about the jam bottle. I'll buy a new one on my way back from school," I promised her.

Mrs. Barnes shook her head at me and stood, starting to clean the mess that was all over the wall. Thankfully she had always been good about the kids and making messes. Lord knows that Bucky and Steve made enough messes for the entire families for a year, each. "Not to worry, dear. I needed to make a trip to the store anyways. I suppose this gives me the motivation!" She exclaimed with a little laugh.

It wasn't an unfamiliar sight. Me doing something that caused the rest of the Barnes and Rogers's family to look at me strangely. Making the fire in the living room rage whenever I was angry, or the lights flickering when I was depressed. Never bleeding or having broken any bones, no matter how bad the injury was. Picking up cases that would weigh down a full-grown man with ease. Hearing something that wasn't meant for me to hear. Knowledge far beyond the years of any normal fourteen-year-old girl. The ability to know what people were going to say before they said it. It was all enough to make anyone question who I was.

But they never said anything. And they would never know how much it meant to me. They had taken me in the morning after Bucky and Steve had saved me. The Rogers and Barnes families split me between themselves. Steve's family took me most of the time since they were less busy. They also had a spare room. When I stayed with Bucky I had to sleep with Jessica in her room. Only once had their families bothered to ask me where I was from and how I had gotten to Brooklyn. My answer had been simple. My parents had been killed in an air raid and I'd been lucky enough to escape relatively unscathed. I'd told them that I had no other family and nowhere to go. With Steve and Bucky vouching for me, good behavior, and excellent grades, they'd had no reason to tell me to leave.

It had originally only been a temporary situation. They had promised to keep me for a few weeks while we determined where I needed to go. Whether a shelter was the best place, or even an orphanage. I had been up for anything. But I would have never told them that I was not planning on staying in an orphanage. If they had left me there I would have been gone by the morning. Wherever I went I had to make sure that I would stay away from anyone that might recognize me.

The temporary situation had simply been extended time after time. Each time the families would tell me that I could stay for another few weeks while they worked out somewhere for me to go. And each time I had told them that I would leave. That I could figure something out. But they had never agreed to let me go. They wouldn't let me leave without them knowing that I would be safe. It had taken them an entire year to figure out that they were never actually going to let me leave. I had quickly become attached to Bucky and Steve and their parents had become the parents that mine never were. I had even started their school, which was far too easy. I could have done the entire semester in a day. But I would never tell them that. They thought I was odd enough.

So the day had come about four years ago that Steve's parents had officially adopted me. Well, not officially. I had made sure that they thought that my birth certificate and other records were all sealed, which I was sure that they were. The government probably had them on lock-down. But that meant that my school records all went by the name Victoria Rogers. It was good that I looked a little but like him though. No one at school ever question who I was or whether or not I was related to Steve. As far as they were concerned, I had simply changed schools to where Steve and Bucky both went after a long deliberation with "our" parents.

It didn't really matter either way. Most people stayed far away from me. It wasn't because I was annoying or unpopular. As far as it went, I really was popular. Or at least I was suckered into hanging out with the popular crowd most of the time. Bucky was one of the most popular kids at our school. However, seeing that he was three years older than me, none of the people my age ever talked to him. And I couldn't beg Steve to help me for friends either. He was a year ahead of me and really didn't have many friends himself.

It also didn't help that I was far more intelligent than most of the people in our entire school combined. The kind of society that we lived in was the type that thought that women were only be housekeepers. They should only stay home and take care of their kids and husbands. We weren't treated as independent people but more of property to the men that tried to court us. I had gotten off rather lucky. Most boys stayed away from me. They didn't like a girl that could recite the periodic table from memory, know all of the Chinese emperor's since the Xia Dynasty, and do a calculus problem that half of the world's mathematicians would have problems doing.

Mrs. Barnes had once mistaken my depression at the anniversary of my fleeing home as a depression that I wasn't out and about. Steve had gone out with a few of his friends from the chess team, Jessica was out with her boyfriend, Rebecca had been out with her friends, Justin had gone to the cinema with some friends, and Bucky was out on a date with some pretty girl. I had been the only one home. Mrs. Barnes had told me that someday someone would come into my life and they would be smart enough to never let me go. I had appreciated the advice but it didn't concern me. I wasn't worried about boys or dating.

There were real problems in this world. And being with someone meant having to show them all of yourself. And I had long ago sworn to myself to never let someone see all of me. For my own benefit and theirs. No one had ever told me that I was beautiful and that was just fine by me. I didn't show anything off. I didn't care to. I had to keep a low profile. My nearly silver blonde hair was always tied up in a tight bun and I never wore any makeup. I always wore the school uniform exactly the way that it was supposed to be. Any curves that I had that were more than the average girl in my school were covered by bulkier clothing. I was teased enough. I didn't need the terms Split or Roundheels added to the many that had already been thrown at me.

The only thing that ever made me different from the average girl in my school, visibly at least, were my eyes. They had earned me some very annoying nicknames. My eyes were a brilliant yellow, brighter than the sun, brighter than anything. They always startled new people and for a long time Justin had avoided me when he saw me. He probably thought that I was some type of Devil when he had first met me. Not that I had been surprised. Even after cleaning up that night I had looked awful. But six years had made a drastic change. Other than being slightly socially deprived, I now acted like a normal Brooklyn teenager.

And unfortunately being a teenager meant that I had to go to school. I was a freshman in high school this year. This was my first day of school and it was an understatement to say that I was dreading it. Steve was a junior and Bucky was a senior. One more year and a third of our close-knit friendship would be gone. I was no fool. I knew that Bucky was going to enlist the moment that he got out of school. And I knew that Steve would lie on his enlistment form to make sure that he could go in with his friends. That was the boys for you. One would not go anywhere without the other. And they both swore to me that they would come back for me, that they were fighting for my safety, and that they were strong enough to protect me.

It was all sweet and I loved hearing it. I loved that someone would be willing to lay down their life to ensure that I could live mine. The only thing that they didn't understand was that if anyone could protect us, it was me. Things that would kill the two of them wouldn't leave a scratch on me. But I could never tell them that. I was a weak little girl. I had to stay at home and make sure that I had a man to look after me. I had to have children and make sure that my boys would be another generation of noble fighters and my girls would be another generation of loyal homemakers and caretakers. That was the way that things worked. And that was probably the reason that I was going to end up alone.

Steve, he would be alright. Sure he was a little skinny and weak... Well a lot skinny and extremely weak. But he had a heart of gold. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be a soldier but there was no doubt in my mind that he was a good boy that would become a great man. He would be alright in this world. I knew that he would. And Bucky... What was there to say about him? He was the best. He was extremely funny and more charming than anyone else that I knew. He had a wonderful personality and was just as brave as Steve. Maybe he wasn't the smartest person in the world but he made up for it with quick thinking and a protective nature. He was a charmer for sure, he always had another girl willing to hang on his arm.

Of course he always told me that I would be his number one girl. But I knew what he meant by that. I was like his sister. He treated me the same way that he treated Rebecca and Jessica. I was no different to him than they were. And that was okay with me. I didn't need a guy in my life. It was better that I didn't have a guy like that in my life. I had dragged Steve and Bucky far enough into my mess of a life. I didn't need to drag them down even further. I wanted Bucky to find himself a woman that would support him in the coming war and I wanted Steve to realize that no matter what someone said he was able to do, it only mattered what he knew that he could do.

"Earth to Vika!" Bucky yelled in my ear. Normally I would have been prepared for him to do something like that but I had been completely entranced in my own thoughts. I let out a little yelp and as I jumped away from him, refraining from letting a burst of heat through my fingertips, landing on the floor of the kitchen with a little oof. Bucky laughed loudly for a moment before reaching down to help me.

Everyone was already out and about, ready to start their days. Steve was merely waiting at the door for us to get ready and Mrs. Barnes was in the kitchen doing the dishes. "James Buchanan Barnes! You apologize to Victoria right this instant!" Mrs. Barnes shouted at her eldest child.

A pale flush fell over Bucky's face and I smirked. The one person that could really scare Bucky was his mother. He turned to me as I brushed the dirt off of my uniform required skirt. "Sorry Vika. But it's time to go, come on," Bucky told me. I smiled, letting a few stay hairs fall over my eyes. Vika was the name that was solely reserved for Bucky. It was a nickname that he had started using once we had all agreed that we were truly friends. Steve tended to go with Vicky and their parents for the most part stuck with my full name.

Bucky walked over to the door and grabbed my bag, handing it over to me. A few books fell out and I watched as Bucky leaned over to grab it. "Vika, what are all of these? How are you taking these classes? Steve! Did you even know that our school taught Calculus II? What's molecular biology? DNA sequencing? Jeez Vika, I thought you wanted to have friends in high school!" Bucky teased me.

In truth they were all classes that I had tested into. I had had to deliberately answer some of the questions wrong on the mathematics exam that I'd taken before enrolling in classes. The teachers had already been shocked and most of them had suggested that I was cheating. They clearly didn't like that my scores were as high as they were. They didn't like that a girl could answer problems that even the teachers couldn't. As for molecular biology, it was one of the sciences that I had a feeling might be able to help me figure out what I was. The same things with DNA sequencing.

"The only normal class that you're taking is home education," Steve said. He was holding my schedule and reading over it with wide eyes. I snatched it back from him and stuffed it into my bag, along with the books that Bucky was trying to read through with a stupefied stare.

The only reason that I was even taking home education was because it was the only elective allowed for girls to take. I had wanted to try and take gym, but of course, it was only open to boys. I knew that Bucky was in it for the fourth year and I was pretty sure that Steve was going to try and take it this year too. I was sure that he was going to try and build up his strength so that he wouldn't be turned down for the Army. Once I had gotten all of my books back into my bag I slipped it over my shoulders and shoved the two boys out of the apartment.

We all called back goodbyes to Mrs. Barnes before letting the door slip shut. As we walked I smoothed down the neatly pleated white skirt that I was wearing. I hated it. I wanted to be back in the waist-high beige pants that I normally wore. But the school thought that pants were inappropriate for young ladies to be wearing. So I was stuck with the skirt that came up to right underneath my knees. My white button-down shirt was tucked into the waistband of my skirt and my blue jacket with white stripes was thrown over the shirt. My black Mary-Jane's were tightened around my feet and my silver hair was pulled up tight. The only thing that I wished that I could do was somehow hide my eyes. Just like last year, I knew that people would start pointing and whispering the moment that they saw me. Just this time, it would be students new to the school. There were always new ones.

"Vika?" Steve called to me. I glanced over at him and nodded. I knew that I had been a little quieter today and I couldn't help it. It was always like this on the first day of school. I knew that people would start to pick on me once more and I knew that I would once more be the center of attention, in a negative way. I had always hated the first day of school. "You want to come sit with us at lunch today?" He asked me.

I smiled at Steve and shook my head. I couldn't just look like the type of person that relied on her brother and his best friend to make sure that she didn't eat lunch alone. "I'm alright. Besides, I don't think that we even have the same lunch break." As I grabbed Bucky and Steve's schedules I nodded to myself. I was right. They had the first lunch and I had the second. That sucked. I knew that I didn't have any friends in my own year. They all hated that I was friends with Bucky and it was considered odd that my only two friends were boys, one of whom was my "brother". Needless to say, I had a poor reputation at school.

Most of the walk to school was the same as usual. I whined about having to see Johnathan, one of my least favorite students at school. Mostly because of his horrible nicknames for me. Bucky had sworn to beat him into the ground if he said anything to me today. Judging by his thoughts I was sure that he wasn't exaggerating. Bucky talked about everything that he was going to do once this year was over; he had become increasingly excited about the Army now that it was his last year in school. Steve and I spoke softly about the coursework that could be expected in the coming year. I was sure that Bucky was going to fall asleep as we talked. Bucky and Steve had both blabbered on about the Stark Expo, one of their favorite things to go see every year.

They had taken me for the first time six years ago, a few months after we'd met and it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. Every year afterwards the boys had sworn to take me. And they had, each year giving me a guided tour filled with Steve's surprising knowledge of all of the exhibits and Bucky buying me food that I insisted looked awful. And of course, our traditional photo in front of that year's main event. Last year it had been a refrigerator that would give you suggestions of food based on your mood. Bucky and Steve had loved that one.

As we walked into the entrance of James Madison High School I glanced around to see mostly familiar faces but a few that I didn't know. I tried smiling at Jane Hallows, who I knew from the year prior, but she merely scowled and looked away. Freak. Where does she get away with looking at me like that? She clearly was not going to be my friend this year. As I tried to tune out the other voices, more seeped in. Why is she with Bucky? Why does he even want to be seen with her? He's so much better than she is. Ruth Barren. She looks even worse this year than she did last year. Maybe she spent the summer in a mental asylum. Christina Winters. I've never even seen her in my church. Maybe she'd burst into flames the second she stepped over the threshold. Agatha Martin. The comments only got worse and worse and I had to fight to ignore them.

Dropping my eyes to the ground I headed straight for my lockers, ignoring the calls of Steve and Bucky from behind me. I shoved my books in, rolling my eyes as I dented the back of the metal locked from the force. I had to get my act together. Grabbing my Calculus II, DNA Sequencing, and Pathology books, I thrust them into my hands and turned on my heels, shutting the locker door extremely carefully. Just before I could get to the staircase that was so conveniently placed next to my locker Bucky and Steve appeared, each looking concerned.

"What happened with you back there, Vika? One second you were fine and the next you were rushing to get into school. Thought you hated it here," Bucky told me with his merciless smile. It was the same smile that he had used to get himself out of trouble with me a million times before. Or the smile to get me to tell him something that I wanted to keep to myself.

Smiling softly at the two boys, I wrapped my arm around Steve and bumped Bucky's shoulder. It was without almost any force so naturally it did nothing. Although Bucky found my apparent weakness funny. "Sorry about that guys, just was afraid that I had forgotten one of my books. I didn't," I lied weakly. Neither one seemed to believe me but both nodded anyways. As we walked upstairs I grinned to both boys and shooed them off. Steve was heading to Algebra first. He was awful at math and like every other year I had offered to help him.

I walked with Bucky over to his first class, Chemistry. He had always hated science but normally kept his mouth closed because of my love for it. Bucky threw an arm over my shoulder and grinned at me sweetly. "Try not to get in any fights today, okay Vika?" Bucky teased. The first day of school a few years ago I had hit a boy for calling Steve a girl during a lacrosse game. I had been suspended for a week. Steve's parents had bought me a cake for it. I shoved Bucky away from him and rolled my eyes at the nasty thoughts that were seeping into my mind from the other girls in the hallway. They always hated when they saw me with Bucky.

We both smiled at each other and I turned once Bucky had disappeared through the door. I heard it click shut behind me as I headed over to my first class. DNA Sequencing. Of course I could never get too far without any trouble. Trouble was my middle name. And trouble had already found me. Trouble by the name of Johnathan Harper. He was a tall football player. Blonde hair that was greased back with dark brown eyes. He was about as popular as Bucky was but he was nowhere near as brave. It was one of the reasons that he hated Bucky and vice versa. The other reason being that Johnathan had always hated me for whatever reason.

"Yellow Eyes," he greeted coyly. Clever. He was always coming up with a new name for me, each one less creative than the last. But Yellow Eyes was the one that had always stuck. It was the one that most other people in our school used for me too since Victoria was evidently too complicated for them to process.

"Move Johnathan, I have class and you are not going to make me late on the first day," I demanded politely but with enough force to let him know that I meant it. He had made me late before. It seemed that his ritual was to make me late on the first day of every new semester, even if it meant being late himself. He was a football player. He never got in trouble. But me? I was Yellow Eyes. The freak that looked like an alien and was as smart as one too. If only they all knew what I really was. They'd run screaming.

He merely grinned at me, slicking back his blonde hair once more. My eyes threatened to flash their normal color but I forced the temptation back. I was sure that they would call in a priest to perform an exorcism if I let my true eye color come through. "Come on, Yellow Eyes. I just wanted to ask you how your summer was," Johnathan told me, flashing me the same sweet smile that Bucky had used on me a thousand times already. The only difference was that it worked when Bucky did it.

So I shook my head and went to move past him. "You can ask me at lunch. We should have it at the same time. Now if you'll excuse me I hear Mr. Hanover is not fond of late pupils," I told Johnathan as simply as I could. The last thing that I wanted was to get myself into trouble on the first day of school. I didn't want to have Mrs. Rogers interrupt her day to come deal with me.

But as fast as I could be, I had to be deliberately slower. And Johnathan was faster than me at the moment. He took a step in front of me and stole the book out of my arms. A little flash of anger shot through me and I wanted nothing more than to rip his arms off of his torso. I shoved those thoughts down though and forced myself to calm down. I tried to grab the book back from him but he merely took a step back from me with a smirk, holding the books out of my reach. "Oh come on, Yellow Eyes. I want us to be friends. Now why don't you tell me how your summer was? How's your brother? Still a twig? And Barnes? Oh man, it's sad the way that you follow him around like a lost puppy," Johnathan laughed.

"I'm glad that you're had your laugh," I told Johnathan, who was laughing. He wasn't even bothering to hide it as a small group of his friends stepped into the hall, a few feet behind where we were standing. They were all sniggering at our conversation. I could kill you all. I shook my head and stomped the thought out quickly. "Please, the books. I need to go," I told him, reaching the end of my patience. It had never been that good to start with and Johnathan was stretching it as far as I would allow it to go.

He nodded at me and held the books down so that I could grab them. I thanked him softly and went to reach for them, only to look like a fool when he snatched them out of the way at the last second. His friends began to laugh loudly. "She's so cute, isn't she?" Johnathan asked his friends with a laugh. "Come on Yellow Eyes, it was just a joke." Shaking my head at him I turned away from Johnathan, determined to make sure that he was not going to make me out to be a bigger fool than he already thought that I was. I would just go to class and let Mr. Hanover know what had happened. I was not going to get into an argument with Johnathan and have to inconvenience Mrs. Barnes to come all the way down here and sort out what the school called my 'behavioral problems.'

I turned on my heels to walk away from Johnathan and his little cronies, sick of being the butt of his joke. If he wanted to have a go at me it would have to be without me. But just before I could make it a few steps away I heard Johnathan speak up once more. "God she's such a Curve," he said. His friends all laughed as I stopped dead in my tracks.

In the reflection of the glass that was in the window I was passing I could see my eyes briefly light up a brilliant red. I managed to quickly blink the color away, letting it fade back to the normal yellow. His friends were all laughing and I had to stop the electrical currents that were buzzing through my body. I could feel the temperature rising and I had to push down the urge to burn the building to the ground as his friends all laughed and pointed back to me. I could kill you all. I shook that thought out from my mind almost as quickly as it came in and I turned back to the others in the hallway. Johnathan was watching me with a proud grin.

"What did you just call me?" I asked him as I took a few steps forward. The laughter died suddenly as my teeth ground together and the lights in the hallway flickered. I calmed my temper just long enough to stop the flickering. A few of Johnathan's friends, mostly the girls, fled the hallway at the sudden change in mood and the ones that did stay backed away from the two of us. Only Johnathan had the gall to continue smirking at me like he had won some sort of prize.

He took a few steps closer to me and I had to press down the urge to show him just how dangerous I really was. "You heard me, Yellow Eyes," he told me, a dangerous glint in his eyes. But it was nothing compared to mine. "You're a Curve. Come on, you have to rely on Steve Rogers to protect you. Steve! The guy is a twig. I could snap him in half." And I could snap you in half. "He's one of only two people that you talk to and he's your brother. The other is Barnes. I mean I hate the guy and I know that he could do better than you." Alright, that one hurt a little bit. "You're a freak. You belong in a circus, not a school." That's what my parents thought too. "Mommy and daddy, they must hate you. I can't imagine how they even stand to look at you." And that was what broke me. He had no clue who my parents were, the types of people that they really were. And I was not going to let him stand here and tell me what he didn't know.

His friends seemed to have realized that nothing good was coming. They had all backed away towards the wall and I stood still as a calm smile fell over my face. I took a few steps towards him and smiled sweetly. He looked a little confused and before he could question me I reared back and threw my fist into his face. Unfortunately I hadn't thought about the fact that I needed to hold back. As my fist went into his nose I felt it completely crush, the bones breaking down to near particles, and I felt most of the cartilage shift four and a half centimeters to the right. Some skin was torn off and I felt his blood slick over my fingers.

Johnathan let out a high pitched yell as his hand flew up to cover his nose. That was not what he should have protected though. I wasn't done with him yet. As all the remaining girls in the hall fled and the boys all debated on what to do Johnathan aimed another hit at me. Before it could land I dropped down to one knee and wrapped my small hands around the joint that his knee was in. I grabbed it roughly and yanked it to the side with all of my might. The knee tore completely out of the socket and Johnathan went falling to the ground.

I wasn't even close to being done with him. I grabbed the knee and began to twist, ignoring Johnathan's cries of pain. I started to twist the joint around, completely intent on rotating it out of the socket. But just as I began to feel the tendons tear under the pressure I heard a loud call. "Victoria Rogers!" I heard Ms. Hoffman call. My grip on Johnathan loosened so that I wasn't touching him and all of his friends went scattering, leaving only Johnathan, myself, Ms. Hoffman, and a few other curious students. "What in Heavens name do you think that you're doing? To the Principal's office, now!" She howled. I opened my mouth to try and tell her that I was just defending myself, but she didn't allow me to speak. "No! Now!" She shouted.

Well done, Victoria.

A few hours later I found myself sitting in the waiting area outside of the Principal's office while Mrs. Rogers spoke to him about my behavior. I could hear yelling from both parties inside the office. As far as I knew Johnathan had sat in the halls searching for pity for an hour or so after I had been taken away while he waited for an ambulance. I was pretty sure that he was gone by now. I sat awkwardly in the chair, trying to brush off the flakes of Johnathan's dried blood from my fingers.

The door sprung open and I jumped as Principal Sanders stood in the doorway. "Miss Rogers. Come in please," he told me. I nodded at him and walked in so that I could take a seat in the chair that was available next to Mrs. Rogers. She was sitting with a stern look on her face and I knew that I was going to get a talking to later. I sat down next to her and turned to face my stern-faced principal who looked less than thrilled with me. "I have never seen a young lady exhibit behavior such as yours this morning. Would you care to tell us why you acted the way that you did?" Principal Sanders asked me.

I took a deep breath and shifted in the chair once more, letting my own mind slip into his. A month's detention, minimum. I should expel her from school. I frowned at his thoughts and shook my head. "Johnathan interrupted me on my way to class. I tried to get past him but he was determined to keep me in the hallway. I was going to be late for class on my first day. He stole my book too and wouldn't give it back," I tried to explain.

"So you deemed it fit to attack him?" Sanders asked me with a haughty tone.

"No," I snapped back faster than I had meant to. "That wasn't it. He brought all of his friends out and they started teasing me. They kept calling me names and making fun of me and my friends. He called me a Curve!" His face twisted in anger slightly but he nodded for me to continue speaking. "He keeps calling me the same name too. Yellow Eyes," I muttered the last part under my breath.

Principal Sanders sat for a moment, processing the information that I had just given him. "Correction to my earlier statement. You deemed it fit to attack him for calling you something that is completely true?" My jaw dropped at Principal Sanders' words as did Mrs. Rogers's. Neither one of us had been expecting him to say anything like that. Principals were supposed to stick up for the little guy!

It looked like Principal Sanders was about to speak but Mrs. Rogers cut me off before I could say anything to him. "Regardless of whether or not the nickname Yellow Eyes is true, it is cruel! These children are torturing my daughter and I expect to see something done about this. This is an institution of learning and these children are clearly not learning anything useful from your teachers other than insulting my daughter. She gets laughed at because she excels in her studies! I want to see no more of this and I intend to never be in your office again for something as frivolous as this. Do not call me unless of an emergency. The only other thing I want to hear out of your mouth is whether or not there will be any punishment for Victoria," Mrs. Rogers snapped.

I had never heard her say things like that so my mouth dropped open on instinct. Her thoughts were even worse than what had come out of her mouth. Principal Sanders was thrown too. Before he could open his mouth to either suggest we expel me or give me a month's detention I invaded his thoughts. I rarely did it, but this was about my schooling. I wasn't going to let it be destroyed by a jerk like Johnathan. You do not believe that what Victoria did was that bad. It was in self-defense. Her mother makes a good point. She will not receive a bad punishment. Lunch detention for a week.

Principal Sanders's eyes had glazed over for a moment but once I let his mind go he righted himself, seemingly his usual, pompous self. "Upon reflection of both your and Victoria's testimonies about the incident I have decided that one week of lunch detention should be an effective punishment." Mrs. Rogers looked shocked but she nodded with glee, probably happy it hadn't been worse. "I do not want to see any more incidents like this," he warned me.

"Yes, sir," I bit out slightly harsher than I had intended to. But he never noticed it, or if he did Mrs. Rogers pushed me out of the office before he could say anything back to me.

Once we had left the office and wandered back into the halls I noticed that most of the classes were getting ready to release for the day. It made sense, it was almost three o'clock. As we headed towards the exit of the school Mrs. Rogers stopped me and leaned down to my height. "Now you listen to me. Be damned what they say about being a proper lady. You can do whatever it is that you think you can do. If you want to be a scientist you be a scientist. Or whatever it is that you want to do. You are a strong woman and you shouldn't ever have to take things like that from any man. Especially not a silly little boy like Johnathan. Do you understand me?" She asked me.

A smile had long since replaced the frown that had been marring my features. "Yes Mrs. Rog-" I stopped myself, remembering that in public I couldn't call her that. "Yes Mom," I told her softly. She smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug. Mrs. Rogers wasn't an overly affectionate woman so to see her like this meant that she really was on my side. I should have known she would be. She was tough as nails and believed women were just as strong, if not stronger, than men.

"That's my girl," she told me and I smiled. It was times like this that I felt like I was really part of the family. "Now I need to head to the supermarket. Go find Bucky and Steve and have them walk you home. I don't trust these kids after everything that's happened today. I'll see you when I get home. And I'll pick up your favorite, fried chicken and mashed potatoes," she told me with a grin. She knew that I was a Southerner at heart.

As Mrs. Rogers walked out of the building I waved goodbye to her and hung around the doors. A few people that I knew passed me but none of them said anything to me. They all seemed to be steering clear of me with a few boys making cruel comments about what was really underneath my skirt. It was even worse that Ms. Hoffman didn't stop them from the things that they were saying. She's such a freak. She has to be a man to do that to Johnathan. He's never going to be the same. She deserves for someone to hit her back. We should all teach her a lesson. They were coming from all over the hall, each person's comment worse than the next. Once more a little wave of fury flooded over me. One little movement and I could demolish this entire building, suffocate all of you, and watch the life leave your eyes.

And once more I forced those thought out of my head. I was not the monster that these kids thought that I was. I was not the creature that my parents thought that I was. I could handle myself. A moment after my little outburst I caught sight of Bucky and Steve walking up to me. Bucky had an arm around a girl that I had seen in the halls today. She was new. And I had a tiny stirring feeling in my gut that told me to rip his arm off and beat her over the head with it to get her away from him. Steve was walking with the pair, keeping a little bit of distance in between the two of them.

The boys walked up to me quickly and I watched with glee as Bucky sent the girl on her way. She sent him a toothy smile before turning to me with a nasty sneer. She walked by me, gently bumping me on the shoulder before heading out the door. Steve walked up to me first and laughed, giving me a small shake of the head. "You shouldn't have done that. Rumors are flying everywhere that you were going to try and kill him! I mean, you, of all people. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met," Steve exclaimed worriedly.

I smiled and grabbed him into me. Steve was only a little taller than me, but he must have weighed at least ten pounds less than me. "I wasn't trying to kill him but he called me a Curve. And he wouldn't stop with the whole Yellow Eyes thing and trying to make me late for class. I didn't mean to. I just got mad," I told Steve. He shook his head with a disapproving frown but I still managed to see the smile in his eyes.

"Ah Steve, lay off her," I heard Bucky call. He pushed me gently out of the building and as we headed out of the building I turned to look back at him. "I'm proud of you. Should have given him a few shiners to match that job you did on his nose," Bucky told me with a laugh. I shook my head and glanced over at him. He looked completely normal with the exception that he had a dark black eye. One that I was absolutely certain he hadn't had this morning. What had happened to him in just seven hours?

I stopped the two boys dead in their tracks before grabbing Bucky and shoving him back against a fence on the first house near the school. I had shoved him slightly harder than I meant to and I felt bad as Bucky winced. I had always been so good about my strength. I had to calm down slightly. My hand traveled up to Bucky's face as Steve watched nervously. "What did you do?" I asked Bucky, an irritated tone under my calm demeanor.

He merely gave me a toothy grin, the same kind of one that he had given me this morning. "After your little episode with Johnathan he was out in the halls talking about you. Him and his little buddies. They kept calling you all sorts of names so I went over to tell them to knock it off. Johnathan wouldn't stop so I decided to sort himself out myself. He had to get his friend to step in of course. Clocked me while I wasn't looking," Bucky explained.

"So you were defending my honor?" I asked Bucky as I released him. We started walking once more as Bucky slung his arm over my shoulder. He nodded at me and I rolled my eyes. As much as I wanted to tell him that I could defend myself I couldn't help the little stirring feeling in my gut made me slightly happy to hear that Bucky was willing to get beaten up just so that some kids wouldn't make fun of me.

Steve walked to my right as Bucky stood at my left and I could see him shaking his head at the situation. Of course, he had no room to talk. Steve was always getting himself into some trouble. "'Course!" Bucky shouted, making me jump slightly. It was like that boy was always on a sugar high. "You're our girl," he teased, holding me a little tighter to him. A little flutter rose in my chest and I stomped it down quickly. He didn't mean anything by that. I was his best friend, like a sister, just the same way that I was to Steve. He was only defending me the way that a brother would.

Still, as we came up on the apartment building I stopped the two boys. I knew that they were going to goof around for a few hours and I wanted to join them but I already had homework to do. Well, classwork, considering that I had missed the first classes. And I couldn't do work around them. They never got any work done. So I raised my hand to Bucky's cheek and sighed when he flinched under my touch. He was a good bit taller than me and I smiled up at him as he gazed down at me. "You're a fool. I can handle these things on my own. But thank you," I told him softly.

He grinned back at me and grabbed me in for a hug. He smelled like his father's aftershave and I smiled into his shirt. As he let go of me we turned around and headed over to the stairs. I laughed softly as we began to ascend the stairs back up to the two apartments, Steve's arm hung lightly behind my back. We stopped in front of both of the doors and as Bucky and Steve went to head into the Barnes' apartment I headed towards the Rogers'.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked me when I turned away from them.

Smiling, I propped the door open and tossed my bag into the living room. No one was home yet as Mr. Rogers was still at work and Mrs. Rogers was still at the supermarket. I'd be alone for at least another hour. "I have homework to do," I told the two boys.

The look of horror on both Steve and Bucky's faces were enough to make me burst out with laughter. They looked horrified that I would even suggest that I had something like that to do. "You have homework?" Bucky asked me. I nodded at him and leaned against the door frame. "It's the first day!" He yelled in horror.

"Yes it is Bucky, and I spent most of the day in the Principal's office in case you forgot. I have stuff to do. I gotta catch up on my schoolwork," I told the boys as I turned to leave. Both boys tried to protest me but I shook my head quickly, cutting them both off. "Zip it. I have homework, all right? I'll see you both tomorrow morning for breakfast. Love you boys," I told them, grabbing them both in for hugs. Steve's was quick and sweet, his touch gentle. Bucky's was tighter, his arms squeezing across my midsection for a moment before releasing me. "Behave!" I yelled to them as I walked through the door of the apartment.

"No!" Both boys yelled at me. I laughed softly and shook my head. Those stupid boys. I loved them both to death and would do anything for them, but that didn't mean that they didn't drive me nuts. But I supposed that was exactly what true friendship was. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Bucky's P.O.V.

The two boys sat in Bucky's living room, listening to Bing Crosby while tossing a baseball back and forth between the two of them. This was one of the few times that they could do this without getting chewed out by Bucky's mother. Of course, they had broken a window the last time that they had played baseball in the house. On more than one occasion Steve missed the ball by a long-shot and Bucky grinned widely. Although people liked to make fun of him for being friends with Steve, saying that he was just his charity case, Bucky loved Steve more than anything.

They were best friends and they were brothers. They meant more to each other than anything else ever could. The only exception that there was to that rule was her. Victoria. They had barely known each other when the boys had invited her in for a night. They hadn't even known who she was. They just knew that they were glad to have her in their lives now. She meant the world to both boys. For Steve, she was the sister that he's never had. She was everything that he wanted to be. Tough and smart. Funny and kind. But more than anything else, brave.

Bucky wasn't quite sure what he felt about her. He knew that he loved her. He knew that he didn't look at her the same way that Steve did. Steve saw her as a sister. And in some ways, Bucky did too. He looked after her the same way that he did his sisters. But that didn't mean that she was like a sister to him. He always watched her closely, more closely than his own sisters. He cared for her in ways that he knew brothers would never care about their sisters. He just knew that he needed time to work on her. He loved her and he wanted her to know it. But she was tough. She always played off feelings like they were jokes. She never let him get too heartfelt around her. But he could change that. He knew he could.

More than anything Bucky wanted to walk over to Vika's place and try to get her to leave her homework but he knew all that that would get him was a good few comments that no proper lady would ever say and a book or two chucked at his head. He had learned that the hard way. Vika was serious about her studies and she didn't want anyone getting in her way. "I can't believe Vika is doing homework," Bucky complained as Steve tossed him the ball.

It sailed slightly to the right but Bucky was fast enough to catch the ball before it could knock over his mother's prized vase. "She's serious about her schoolwork. You know that. We could barely get her to go to the Stark Expo last year because she wanted to do that science project. The only way we even got her to go was because we told her that we would help her with it when we got back. That was the worst night of my life," Steve said.

Bucky laughed loudly. He remembered that night well. She was working on some project about mutations in the DNA strand. All that Bucky could remember her telling him about it was that he had a mutation. His blue eyes were a mutation. She had mentioned that her yellow eyes were a mutation as well. He remembered telling her that her mutation was perfect, not strange. He had almost kissed her that night. He still wished that he had. He probably would have if Steve hadn't been sleeping on the couch right next to them. He hadn't lasted more than five minutes into the project.

Of course just a few minutes after their odd staring contest they had started playing pranks on a sleeping Steve and had never spoken of that night again. And he had never made another move like that with her again. "Nah, that was the best night of my life." Steve rolled his eyes at Bucky's admonition and sighed. He knew that Bucky had feelings for Victoria. He didn't blame him. She was perfect. He just thought of her as a sister. Just the way that he thought of her like a sister. "Steve?" Bucky called. Steve hummed a response as he tossed the ball back to Bucky. "I'm gonna marry that girl one day," Bucky said.

Steve sat upright and was met with a starry-eyed Bucky. Steve sighed but let a small smile pass over his face. "I know," he told Bucky. And he did know. No one would ever mean to Bucky what Victoria did. The only thing was, someone was going to have to push her towards him. She was too stubborn to go to him on her own. And Steve knew just the way to do it.


	3. Chapter Three

"Vika, wake up!" A voice shouted. Shocked out of my sleep I flipped headfirst out of my bed. As I landed on the floor I groaned and rolled over myself. What was that? As I sat up on the floor of my room I saw that Bucky was standing over me, laughing loudly. Steve was in the doorway with a disapproving shake of the head. Although I noticed that the corners of his lips were turned up, trying to hide a smile.

My sheets were thrown around my waist and my pillows were scattered on the ground. Bucky was currently perched up on the bed, smirking down at me. Somehow I knew that I should have seen it coming. Usually if I wasn't awake by seven I got a wake-up call like this. Sometimes from Steve, mostly from Bucky. "You absolute twit!" I yelled, chucking a shoe on the floor up at Bucky. I missed as he dodged and we both watched as a dent formed in the wall behind his head. Alright, so maybe I was a little glad I had missed him.

Bucky and Steve both looked back at the dented wall before bursting out in laughter. The small heel that was on the back of the shoes was planted in the wall and showing no signs of falling out anytime soon. Rolling my eyes at the two boys I stood up and walked over to Steve, shoving him out of the room. He laughed and headed back into his own room, closing the door behind him, presumably to get changed for the day. Bucky was still perched up on my bed, twisting one of my hair ties in his hand, smiling down at me.

Grabbing my school uniform and tossing it towards the attached bathroom I also grabbed my bathrobe, slipping it over my shoulders. I hadn't gone to sleep in the most modest of clothing. My blue high waisted pants were normal but my shirt had a few more buttons undone than I would have liked. Although Bucky was respectful. He kept his gaze on my face the entire time. As I tied off the lounging robe I turned back to Bucky with a little glare. "Get out, Buck," I snapped at him.

He jumped off of my bed, flashing me one of his award-winning smiles. I wanted to knock his perfect teeth out. He walked over to me and bumped my shoulder as he walked past. "Come on, Vika. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't late for school today. I know how serious you are about your studies," he teased.

"Oh?" I questioned. He nodded at me and I rolled my eyes once more. I could see a little hint of amusement shining in his. "So you couldn't have knocked on the door or shaken my shoulder. You had to yell in my ear?" I asked him. He merely grinned at me and walked back over so that he could tug at my hair. He was standing slightly closer than he normally did and I felt my heart rate speed up.

"I just know how heavy of a sleeper you are. I'd hate for you to miss another day of classes." Despite the fact that his smile was genuine I knew that he was teasing me. Rolling my eyes at him I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him out of my room. He stood in the hallway as I stood in the doorway, my hands wrapped around the edge of the door. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'll wake you up nicer next time. How about reenacting The Sleeping Beauty?" Bucky teased. A few years ago I had dragged him and Steve to the play at the local theater. They had both hated it but it was always one of my favorites. And he knew that.

I knew what he meant. He meant in the second act, when the Prince kisses Aurora to wake her up. Lord I hated when he did that. Said things that he knew would get to me. I grabbed the door and shoved it closed, slamming it in Bucky's face. I heard his laughter and I rolled my eyes. Steve's voice called out a few seconds later asking what had happened. Bucky merely laughed once more and told him that he hadn't done anything, only apologized. I was glad to hear that Steve didn't believe him for a minute.

As the boys shifted into Steve's room to finish getting ready for the school day ahead of us I walked into the bathroom. My school clothes were already laid out for me from last night and I slipped them on. My skirt still had a small tear in it from yesterday and I knew that I would have to avoid any of the older staff members. The last thing that I needed was a dress code violation on top of my week of lunch detention. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my shoulders, making sure that it was buttoned all the way to the top. Once I had it tucked neatly into my skirt I grabbed the jacket with the school emblem on it and buttoned the bottom two buttons.

Looking myself over in the mirror I sighed. The nearly white color of my hair contrasted oddly with my yellow eyes, making them stand out horribly. I looked like an alien. It was no wonder that all of the other kids in school liked to make fun of me. I stared at myself in the mirror as I grabbed my hair tie and looped my hair together, pulling it into a tight knot on the top of my head. I looked all the part of a responsible schoolgirl. But I knew that I would never feel like one. I would always feel like I belonged elsewhere. Maybe in a zoo. Or the circus.

A loud bang emitted from the other side of the wall and I jumped, knowing that Bucky or Steve had done something in the other room. They'd probably broken something too. I could hear Mrs. Rogers's shouts from the other room and I snorted under my breath. Finally, someone was in trouble other than me. I yawned softly once more and turned from the bathroom. Most of the other girls in the school wore makeup but I never saw the point. Nothing was going to hide my yellow eyes or silver hair. I'd tried to wear red lipstick before but it just looked ridiculous and had earned me a good bout of insults.

As I turned out of the room I grabbed my Mary-Jane's and strutted slowly from the room. My bag was on the table next to the door and I grabbed it, slipping in the books that I would need for the day. Among them; Calculus II, Modern Physics, Pathology, DNA Sequencing, Molecular Biology, Latin, and the dreaded Home Economics.

I quite enjoyed my course load this year. I'd finished all of the coursework that I needed to graduate high school with by the time that I was in the sixth grade. But Mrs. Rogers had made it clear that she was not raising a high school dropout, no matter how smart that dropout was. And I wanted to be the first woman admitted into Princeton University. Or maybe Harvard. Or even Columbia. I hadn't decided yet. But I knew that these classes would make me stick out from the average woman applicant. With the exception of Home Economics. I hoped that the colleges would overlook that.

Each one of my classes were some of the least populated classes that were offered at the school. Out of the few hundred people that went to school with me, only twenty-seven students were enrolled in Calculus II. Bucky and Steve had both told me that it looked like French to them. I had had to suppress the urge to tell them that it was really Greek. Modern Physics wasn't really a class that I genuinely enjoyed but it was good enough. And it was better than the Earth Science class where we were taught mostly about God, and nothing about evolution of Darwinism. Pathology was mostly so that I could figure out if it was an illness that ailed me. I had a feeling that it wasn't though. And that was what lead me to take DNA Sequencing and Molecular Biology. If it wasn't an illness that was responsible for what I was, maybe it was something about my DNA. It was what I hoped to specialize in during college. A foreign language was required and I figured that if I was going to take a class I might as well take a language I didn't know yet. I was already fluent in Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, and Russian.

The boys didn't understand why I was taking a dead language but I insisted that it would be fun. And it was better than Italian, which I wasn't fond of. Then came the dreaded Home Economics. It was the only class that most girls in the school looked forward to. However, I dreaded it. I was just glad that it was the last period of the day. It meant that I might be able to occasionally skip it. Maybe I could get Bucky to leave early with me. After all, he only had a study hall last. I wasn't really even sure what they taught in Home Economics. I knew that there was usually something about cooking, parenting, design, sewing, and finances. It was going to make me claw my eyes out.

As far as Bucky and Steve were concerned, they said that it was the only normal class that I was taking. As far as I was concerned it was the most boring class that I was taking. I shoved all of the books into my bag, making sure that the Home Economics book was at the bottom. Once I had slung the bag over my shoulder I walked away from my room and shut the door behind me.

Out in the hallway Bucky and Steve were already waiting for me. I knew that we were a few minutes later than we normally were and that meant that we were going to have to book it. The last thing that I wanted was to be late for two classes in a row. As I grabbed the boys by their collars and dragged them out of the apartment we called back a goodbye to Steve's parents. "Bye kids!" Mrs. Rogers shouted. Mr. Rogers merely grunted in our direction, not bothering to look up from his paper. He knew that we would be back soon.

On the walkway we passed Bucky's apartment and shouted our goodbyes through the open window. Both Mr. And Mrs. Barnes hummed to us but neither bothered looking up from what they were doing. Mrs. Barnes was cleaning the kitchen and Mr. Barnes was scurrying around the living room, probably looking for his socks. It seemed like that was what he was always doing. The three of us all shoved each other to the staircase that wound down to the bottom floor, each one of us nearly falling over the other. I was tempted to jump over the edge of the railing and make a fall to the ground level but I knew that I couldn't. It would break a normal person's legs. So I settled for launching myself down the stairs. I was to the bottom about ten seconds before Bucky. Steve was another six seconds behind him.

Both boys were panting as they came to stand next to me. It was like I hadn't even moved. My heart rate was at a steady fifty-seven beats per minute. It seemed that both Bucky and Steve were well over one hundred beats per minute. They each had their hands on their knees as they tried to steady their breathing. I purposely added in a little ragged breathing to my intakes to look like I was struggling slightly. "Jeez Vika, I don't know how you do that," Bucky told me, brushing a few strands of hair off of his face. "It's like it doesn't even faze you."

Because it doesn't. "I've officially determined that you're some type of alien. No one can do that as composed as you can. And in heels!" Steve added. I laughed under my breath and shook my head at the two boys.

They had both calmed down slightly but I knew that Steve was still having a hard time breathing. He had asthma, as both Bucky and I knew well. That was one of the reasons that we both knew that he would never be enlisted into the Army. Bucky was grateful, seeing that it would keep his best friend out of trouble. I felt for him though. I knew what it was like to have someone tell me no because they didn't think that I had what it took. I knew that someday Steve's dream of defending the country would come true, one way or another. "We really need to get you two to the gym," I teased them.

Both boys shoved me and I shifted on my feet slightly so that I could make them feel a little better. In truth, their shoves really did nothing to me. "Come on hotshot, can't make you late again," Bucky teased. I shoved him gently and looked up at his face. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been last night but you could still tell that he had been hit in the eye pretty hard. He wore it like a badge of honor.

With Bucky's arm slung over my shoulder I leaned into him slightly and nudged Steve to get us all walking once more. His breathing had returned to normal and I let out a breath of relief. I was always worried about him. I was pretty sure that I always would be worried. He was like a brother to me. And if Bucky kept getting into fights with everyone that insulted me I was going to have to start worrying about him too. He didn't have enough limbs to fight off all of the boobs that threw insults my direction.

The three of entered into the school and I waved goodbye to Steve, who had a meeting with the nurse before classes started. I had a feeling that he was going to ask her if there was any way that he could make it through gym class without needing his inhaler. I felt for the guy. He had fought so hard to get into the gym class and now it seemed only a day in and he was already having problems. I could see the hope of joining the Army dying in his eyes. I figured that it was why Bucky had stopped talking about it.

Bucky and I walked up the stairs to the second floor and I smiled when he walked past his first class of the day, Chemistry, bringing me straight towards DNA Sequencing. There were only six people lined up at the door and all were male. Not that it really shocked me. Bucky walked pressed slightly against me and I smirked when I heard the thoughts from a girl standing at the end of the hallway, right in front of the English classes. I went out with Bucky last weekend! What is he doing with that chippy? My teeth ground together and I turned away from her, smiling up at Bucky, knowing that it was driving her mad.

As long as it got the girl at the end of the hall's knickers in a twist it was fine by me. "Buck, man!" A black haired boy called from behind me. I turned back to see a boy that I had run into a few times at the Barnes's apartment. He was in the same year as Bucky and I knew that they had a few classes together. He had always seemed nice enough to me but I had never really spoken to him before. "What are you doing here? Didn't think you were much of a DNA Sequencing kind of guy," the black haired boy teased. "And who's your broad?" The boy asked.

My blood immediately boiled and I stiffened next to Bucky, whose arm was tight on my own. "She is not a broad," he growled back at the boy. I noticed that the black haired boy backed off slightly but still had his smile on his face. "This is Victoria and she's an old friend of mine. She's the best," he told them proudly. I blushed softly and leaned away from Bucky, knowing what the boys standing in the hall were thinking. "No way, I could never do this stuff but Victoria here, she's a genius with it," he bragged.

Once more I blushed softly and shook my head. I really was a genius but that didn't mean that I wanted other people to know it. And part of the reason that the blush was on my face was because of how Bucky had said it. He had spoken like I was his girl to be shown off. I had never much liked the idea of being a girl to be shown off for prize and I still didn't like it, but for whatever reason, the idea wasn't so appalling when it was Bucky who was talking about me. The moment I thought that I wanted to slap myself. I wasn't ever going to get married. I could never keep a secret like mine from someone forever. It wasn't fair to them and it wasn't fair to me. And I would never forgive myself if I accidentally hurt them.

Finally startling me from my thoughts I heard the boys in the hallway laughing as they all pointed at me. My eyes threatened to flash their dangerous red but I forced them to relax. No reason to scare people even more than I already did. Besides, I knew why they were all laughing. I was a woman. Even I being in an Algebra class would be a big deal. But in DNA Sequencing? They probably thought that this was a joke. And a bad one. They presumably thought that this was a joke on their intelligence. They would always think that they were smarter.

"Come on man, you're yanking our chains, right?" A different boy asked. This one had blonde hair and I let myself slip into his mind for a quick moment. What a dame. But there's no way she even understands what's going on in this class. Maybe she is a broad. My jaw clenched as the boy suggested to himself that the only way that I was going to find success in this world was if I hopped on their coattails. That was not true. I was smarter than all of them and I knew that I would be able to prove it in class.

Bucky's arm tightened on mine to the point that I knew it would cause a minor discomfort in the average person. But since I made no noise or move to leave him he didn't bother letting up. "No. I am not joking. She's the smartest dish I've ever met," Bucky told them. I smiled softly and aimed my gaze towards the ground. He had just called me pretty. Maybe he hadn't meant to but it didn't matter to me. He was the first person to tell me that I was pretty. Even my own parents had never called me pretty. The Barnes's and Roger's had called me plenty of sweet names, but never pretty. I liked hearing it. I especially liked hearing Bucky say it.

Another boy that I did know, Taylor Martins, took a few steps towards me and watched him closely. No part of me wanted him anywhere near me. I'd heard of the way that he treated women before and he was not going to treat me that way. Bucky would never let him and I would kill him before he laid a hand on me. "I'll believe that when I see it," Taylor purred at me. "Come on kids," he called as Mr. Hanover opened the door to let us all in. Only another two people had showed up. That was only nine people enrolled in the class.

We all walked into the room and I looked around. The class was made up of all tables that were in pairs. There were only six tables to choose from. The podium at the front of the room was already occupied and I saw that Mr. Hanover had already scattered papers across the top of the desk. The first two pairs of boys took seats in the middle tables and I headed for the front table on the left, right in front of Mr. Hanover's podium. All of the other boys filed in line behind me and I sighed in relief when I realized that no one was going to sit next to me. I pulled out my book for the course and flipped it open to the first chapter, pulling out a notepad and pencil with it. All of the boys around the room were snickering, each one of their thoughts crueler than the next.

"Alright, settle down," Mr. Hanover called to the class. Everyone silenced themselves in respect for the older man. He was probably in his fifties and balding. He wore thick wired glasses that were precariously perched on the end of his nose and a suit that looked like it needed a good dry-cleaning. But I had heard that he was a good teacher and that was all that mattered to me. "We're going to get right into it. Who can tell me what exactly DNA sequencing is?" Mr. Hanover asked.

A few people shifted in their seats and some looked like they wanted to answer but my hand went up first. No one else raised their hands, as it was obvious that Mr. Hanover was looking for another volunteer. I ground my teeth together but kept my hand up. He was going to look at me. Once it became obvious that no one else knew the answer, Mr. Hanover finally looked over at me. "Yes. Miss... Rogers, is it?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," I answered politely. He turned away from me and nodded for me to talk as he walked over to the blackboard. DNA sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It includes anything that is used to determine the order of the four bases, which are-" I ranted until Mr. Hanover held up a hand to stop me.

He looked a tad bit impressed that I knew the answer as he leaned a little closer to my desk. "Yes, thank you Miss Rogers. I suppose that leads me in to my next question. What are the four bases?" My hand once more shot up as everyone else's stayed down. "Miss Rogers?" He called.

"Adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine," I answered automatically. Mr. Hanover nodded at me and for the first time since I had entered his class he smiled at me. And Steve and Bucky thought that I was nuts for wanting to take this class. This is going to be easy. Things like this always were. Other than causing mayhem wherever I went, this was what had always come to me the best. Academics. I just wished that others could see it.

The rest of the class went by easily for me. Each time a question was asked I knew the answer. What was it used for? Easy one. It was used to determine the sequence of individual genes, larger genetic regions, full chromosomes or entire genomes of any organism. What was is used for in molecular biology? It was used to study genomes and the proteins they encode. I knew that I would be learning more about that later. What was it used for in evolutionary biology? That was another easy one. It helps us study how different organisms are related and how they evolved.

There was also the easiest questions that we'd gotten. Who discovered DNA and when was it discovered? And what did DNA stand for? They were the only ones that I hadn't gotten to first. DNA stood for deoxyribonucleic acid. Taylor had gotten to that one wrong. And naturally he had pronounced it wrong. I couldn't help but to laugh and I'd noticed a few other kids snickering too. Nearly everyone knew that Friedrich Miescher had discovered DNA in 1869. It was the only time that I'd seen Mr. Hanover look slightly impressed by anyone other than myself.

We had been dismissed from the class at the end of the period with a promise that tomorrow we would have a quiz on the basics of DNA Sequencing. Pretty much everyone in class other than myself had groaned. I didn't really mind though. I was enjoying this class. It was the first time where I wasn't looked down on for knowing an answer that I shouldn't have. Well, maybe not from the students. But from the teacher, definitely. He seemed extremely impressed with me, much to the disappointment of the rest of the class.

As we had all left the classroom I heard a few nasty comments run through the heads of the other people in the class. Grinding my jaws together I walked down the hall and stopped at the classroom that Calculus II was in. This class seemed to be a little more crowded than the other. By the time we were all allowed into the room there were about twelve of us. Five of them were the boys that were also from the DNA Sequencing. Mr. Jensen was the teacher for this classroom and he seemed bothered to the bone that there was a female in his classroom. And I never even got a chance to prove that I belonged there. We just sat and listened to his lecture.

Everything that Mr. Jensen brought up I already knew. But I didn't dare tell him that. I knew how much trouble I would get in for speaking out in this class. Certainly more trouble than any of the males would. Once more I sat in the front of the room and avoided any of the other students. Seeing as there was an odd number of people in the class I was once more allowed a table by myself. Mr. Jensen had terrible handwriting and an even worse attitude. He smiled at the students that were getting his questions right and made nasty comments towards the people who got his questions wrong. As for me? He ignored me every time I answered a question, and if he didn't, he would merely nod his head slightly before moving on to the next question.

None of the topics were particularly hard. We learned about Riemann Sums, one of the easiest topics in calculus, and Trapezoidal Sums. Both of which were used to calculate the area under the curve of a graph. I was pretty sure that at least one of the boys was already ready to drop the class once Mr. Jensen had started on that topic. We'd also learned Integration Rules for all functions using Indefinite Integrals. We'd gone into the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus I and II. Mr. Jensen seemed extremely fond of those. All in all, the class wasn't fun, the teacher was horrible, and the students were nasty. But I knew if there was any chance of me being any form of a scientist I would need these classes.

Thankfully the bell finally rang and I was dismissed to my next class. Modern Physics. Most students avoided this class, considering it focused on topics that were only very recently discovered. It turned out that there were only seven students, myself included, in the course. Once more, I was the only female. Of course by now I'd become used to it. I figured that most of the school year would be like this. The boys were just going to have to get over it. I quite enjoyed Modern Physics and the older gentleman that taught it. Mr. Horvath. He seemed to think that most of the class was a load of phooey, but he enjoyed telling us about it nonetheless.

We learned about mostly things that I'd already read about in the newspapers that I liked to swipe from the Barnes's and Rogers's. We'd gone over Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which was something that had amused almost everyone in class. It was fascinating to hear the theory from someone who had lived to watch it be developed. We'd also learned about Max Planck's Quantum Theory. That was my personal favorite. The class itself was entertaining and it seemed that the boys in that class were the most open to having a woman in line with them. Most of them still didn't seem to enjoy having me around but they weren't as mean about it.

Once the bell rang I dismissed myself, heading to my locker and picking up my books for the rest of the day. Pathology, Molecular Biology, Latin, and Home Economics. I was almost tempted to leave the latter book in the locker room or toss it in one of the trash cans but I knew that I couldn't. There was no way that I was going to pass all of my classes that most grown adults couldn't pass, yet fail something that every girl in this school could manage to pass. I would just have to swallow my pride and take the course.

Making my way over to the Pathology classroom I saw that this was actually going to be a larger classroom. There seemed to be about thirty kids in the class. And despite the fact that this class was still mostly males, there were another two females with me. I didn't know either of their names but I was sure that they wanted to be nurses. That was the only reason that I could think that they were in here. I smiled at the pair, who both scoffed and looked away from me. Freak. What is she doing here? Shouldn't she be in the loony bin? The brunette girl's thoughts were bad enough and I scowled, making sure to sit as far away from them as I could.

Pathology was one of the easier classes that I was taking. It was mostly just memorization. Although I did get a kick out of jumping into the other student's minds halfway through classes and discovering that the other two girls in the class were already having a hard time understanding what we were talking about. I had a feeling that in a few weeks I would once more be the only female in the class. And it seemed that I was getting to the point where I didn't mind being the sole female. I was almost more comfortable with it. The girls all called me horrible names and whispered behind my back. At least the boys simply had their laughs and were silenced the first time I answered a question correctly.

Most of the things in class that we learned about I was already familiar with. We started with anatomical pathology first. One of the first things that we learned was what it was. Which I found as a bit of a waste of time. It seemed to me that if we were in this classroom we should already know what pathology was. Mr. Davidson described it as a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies. I was thrilled to hear that the two girls in the class were already completely lost. As for myself, I already knew what he was talking about. But I just wanted him to get to strange diseases that riddled humans. I had to know if what I had was a disease.

Of course we'd left class without a clue in the world as to whether or not we were going to be learning about certain diseases and I was left wondering if I should stay in the class. But I knew that if I dropped the course I would be put into an English class. And I did not want to be in English. I already knew words that most people wouldn't learn for another two of three decades. So it just meant that I would have to stick out the rest of the year.

The bell rang and I walked out into the lunchroom with the rest of the students. Everyone was laughing softly and chatting together and I sighed, knowing that I had to eat my lunch over in lunch detention. Once I had grabbed my small sandwich and carton of milk I walked over to the table and took a seat on the edge, as far away as possible from Ms. Hoffman. If I never saw the woman again for the rest of my life it would still be too soon.

I sat silently and ate my lunch, slightly jealous as I saw all of the other friends eating together and laughing as they all ate their lunches. Normally I would be with Bucky and Steve, the three of us eating together and laughing. But I couldn't even see them right now. I could only imagine what lunches were going to be like without Bucky next year. And Steve the year after that. If was going to be miserable. "Vika!" Bucky yelled.

He jumped onto the side of the table and I let out a small squeal, having not been focused on the world around me. Bucky had his arm slung over my shoulder as normal and Steve took a seat next to me. I looked around frantically before leaning into the two boys. They were going to get in so much trouble for being here. "Bucky you shouldn't be here! Steve, you either. I have to be here alone you guys," I reasoned with them. That was part of lunch detention. "Now scram. I don't want you both here too," I snarled.

Shockingly, it was Steve that spoke out against the rules. "Come on Vicky, we just wanted to say hi and see how your first day back was going," Steve told me. I cocked an eyebrow at him. It was always Bucky that was getting the two of us into trouble. Not the other way around. Steve was always the most straight-laced out of any of us. "Ms. Hoffman had to go take care of some kid throwing up in the bathroom. She won't be back for a few minutes," Steve told me. I groaned at the thought of the bathroom once more being unusable and shook my head. Not that we could normally go in there. It was always a horrifying sight.

"You two are such twits," I told them, smacking both boys. They each laughed and I rolled my eyes. At least I had been paying enough attention to not break their arms. "It was alright. I just wish that people would realize that just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean that I'm a moron! I know what I'm talking about. I mean I was in DNA Sequencing and my teacher kept ignoring me just because I was a girl. And then there was Calculus II. My teacher in there doesn't even talk to us and when he does he completely ignores me. Modern Physics is pretty cool but the teacher ignores me for the most part. Although I guess I'm getting used to that. There are two other girls in my Pathology class but they seem to hate me. I guess my day could be worse though," I said with a shrug.

On my left I felt Bucky shift in a little closer to me and I had to fight my eyes from turning a light pink. That would be difficult to explain. "Come on Vika, they just hate you because you're smarter than them. You're smarter than all of them," he told me and I nodded. He wasn't wrong about that. "You're our girl and you're no twit," he told me with a little nudge. Once more I let a small smile cross my face.

"Thanks guys," I said softly. Bucky leaned over into me and kissed the top of my head. I aimed my eyes down at the table and I saw my eyes briefly flicker pink in the reflection from the wood. A blush rose to my face and I smiled, leaning into my own shoulder. I could hear all of the thoughts coming from the females sitting around me that had been watching Bucky and me. The crow. Why does he hang around with that Sword Swallower? My jaw nearly dropped at that insult. What does he want with that Teaser? What a bitch.

Each insult was getting progressively worse and I scowled to myself. None of them knew just how easy it would be for me to make them choke on their own blood. My hands were twitching, energy pulsing underneath them and I was about ready to let it go. But before I could I heard an extremely familiar shout. "James Barnes and Steven Rogers!" Ms. Hoffman screamed from across the lunchroom. Both boys straightened up with fear in their eyes and Bucky moved away from me. "What are the two of you boys doing with Miss Rogers? Should I put the both of you in lunch detention for a week as well?" She snarled.

"Bye Vic!" Both boys yelled. I watched with a soft laughter as they both sprung up from the table, avoiding Ms. Hoffman's claws before turning and dashing down the halls, probably back to their last few classes. Smiling past them I leaned back into the chair and watched the clock as it counted down the minutes until I could go back to my classes. It took five more minutes but finally the bell rang and I stood to leave for class.

The next four days that I had of lunch detention were going to be awful. But that didn't matter. As long as the whole thought of my expulsion stayed in Principal Sander's head it didn't matter. I stood and walked through the halls to Molecular Biology. I knew that it would be similar to DNA Sequencing and the thought made me brighten slightly. Maybe there was a chance that we would learn something about what I was.

Heading into the classroom I realized that it was mostly the same boys that had been in my DNA Sequencing class this morning. I rolled my eyes and walked in, taking a seat in the front of the room when the rest of the students laughed at me. They would always laugh. I just had to be better. I had to straighten my spine and walk into the room, pretending that they couldn't hurt me. And that was the truth. Nothing could hurt me. Not their words, not a bullet, and not a knife.

The class started up quickly and I looked at the teacher for the class. I had never seen him before but he was an older gentleman that looked like he was counting down the days until his retirement. Not that I could really blame him. I hated being stuck here with these kids all day too. We learned how it is the molecular basis of biological activity between biomolecules in the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and proteins and their biosynthesis, as well as the regulation of these interactions. It wasn't the most fascinating topic in the world but it was better than nothing. And I still held out hope that one day we might talk about what could have caused what had happened to me.

The class nearly put me to sleep and I was one of the first people out of the classroom once the class was finally dismissed. As far as I was concerned they might as well wake me up once they started talking about whatever I was. The thing that it seemed that only I was. The one thing that frustrated me more than anything else was that I was sure that I was the only one of me. I had never met another person like me. I had never heard of someone else like me. Maybe one day there would be but as for now I was on my own.

The next class that we were all shoved into was Latin. It was one of the classes that I was excited for. I already knew all of the languages that I would ever need to know and I could learn anything else I needed. Latin was a mostly full class. There was probably just under thirty students. And it seemed that this was the class with the highest female population. Besides myself, there were nine other females in Latin. I took a seat at the front as normal, not shocked in the slightest that no one bothered to come sit with me.

Most of what we learned were the simplistic ideals of Latin. We learned its alphabet, where it was spoken and by whom, and when it was considered a dead language. More than once I heard someone think about why they were in the class. Clearly most people thought that this class was pointless. I somewhat understood them, Latin was a dead language. It was just people with the respect for the language that wanted to learn it. It was a difficult language to grasp but I still enjoyed it. It was much better than Spanish, which I had perfected in third grade.

For once I was praying that the bell would never ring, considering I knew exactly where I had to go. And the last thing that I wanted to do was deal with Home Economics. Still, the bell finally rang and I watched as most girls jumped out of their seats, giggling and thrilled that they were finally able to go to the only class that they excelled in. I rolled my eyes at them and stood from my seat, slowly walking over to the Home Economics classroom. It looked like there was about forty girls in the doorway and no males. They were all laughing and smiling, each one chattering away happily as they were let into the classroom.

We were all seated at tables that were about to the bottom of our rib-cages. Unlike the other classes I'd been in, most of the girls rushed to the front of the classroom. I, on the other hand, headed to the back, taking a seat at a table by myself. There was some cooking supplies out in front of us and I nearly groaned. One of the few things that I couldn't do was cooking. It was probably the only thing that I couldn't do. Other than sewing. Which, conveniently, there were sewing needles placed out on the table too. The teacher walked into the room after a few minutes of gleeful chattering and everyone silenced themselves. The teacher was a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Lester. I'd seen her before and I'd never been a fan.

She jumped into the lesson quickly, telling us that our first assignment would be cooking. It wasn't something that I'd really ever done before so I followed each of her steps, trying to replicate the baked chicken recipe that she was doing. Needless to say that once we were all done I had one of the worst in the class. Ms. Lester had made a point of mentioning to everyone that I was not a student to be following after. My teeth grit together as I forced myself not to blow up the dimly burning fire underneath her desk.

Sewing was our next task and I was no better at that. My pants were all terrible and the needle and thread that I had used on my sweater was inside out. The jumper had torn pathetically and I broke the needle more than once. Ms. Lester had looked so frustrated with me that I was sure that she was going to kick me out of her classroom. And the worst part was all of the laughing. They all thought that I was a twit just because I couldn't figure out how to sew or cook. It didn't matter that I was a stellar student in anything having to do with any discipline of math or science. They only cared that I was bad at what women should be good at.

Once the bell finally rang to signal the end of the school day I grabbed my bag and nearly trampled the other girls on my way out of the school. I knew that I should have stopped and waited for Bucky and Steve to walk home with me but I wasn't in the mood to wait for them. And I had a bad feeling that if I did wait for them I was going to say something that I shouldn't. The last thing that I needed was to destroy the friendships with the only people that had really cared for me in my entire life. It was a good thing that on my way out I didn't see Bucky or Steve. I knew that they would try to stop me and get me to talk about what was wrong. But for right now I was not in the mood to talk.

So I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the school, avoiding Steve and Bucky as I saw them turn the corner, probably waiting for me. I felt a little bit bad for leaving them there but I knew that they would figure out that I had left in a few minutes. This wouldn't be the first time that I had left school without them in a huff. The only reason that I normally went with them was because Mrs. Rogers had asked them to always walk me home. She seemed to think that it was dangerous for a little girl to be walking the streets of Brooklyn alone in the late afternoon. I had always laughed her off but nodded anyways. The only person that someone wouldn't want to meet in a dark alleyway at night was me.

I cut my way through the back alley that Steve, Bucky, and I normally took to get back to the apartments and sighed as I heard a little shuffling from behind a dumpster. There were always homeless people back here that liked to mess with us. But one look at my eyes normally sent them running for the hills. So I dropped my bag on the ground and turned back to the dumpster, ready to tell off whoever was hiding behind it.

It wasn't really shocking. There were usually homeless people back here. And one snap at them and they would usually run for the hills. They didn't want to get in trouble. Snarling at the person from behind the dumpster, my jaw nearly dropped when they limped out from behind it.

It was Johnathan. I thought back to the day and remembered that I hadn't seen him at all. His cronies had been in school but he was nowhere to be found. I had assumed that he was at home on bed-rest. He looked awful. His eyes were slightly sunken in and they looked a tiny bit red. His knee was jutting out at an odd angle, as was his nose. I was rather impressed that he was even able to stand. Although by the looks of it, it seemed like he was about to fall over. I wasn't shocked. I had pulled his knee completely out of the socket. I was more surprised that he was still standing. Although it looked like he wouldn't be for long.

"Yellow Eyes," Johnathan snarled at me. I rolled my eyes and shifted a few steps away from him. He did not look happy with me and I didn't want to tempt fate. In the back of my mind I could hear a few other minds thinking about when they should step out. So he wasn't alone. He'd brought his boys out here to try and make a fool out of me. I had to say, I was rather impressed. Most men wouldn't dare to ever lay a hand on a woman. But that was what a respectable man would do. And Johnathan and his boys were not respectable.

"I'm trying to go home. What do you want, Johnathan? I'm not apologizing for what I did to you yesterday. You were out of line with what you said. Chalk it up to a mistake on both of our parts," I told him.

He snarled at me and I saw a brief fury flash through his eyes. It was nothing like what I could make my own eyes do. And it was why I wasn't amused. "I don't want your apology. I want to show you what it's like to be on the other end. You caught me off guard yesterday. Today, you're on that end of the stick." Johnathan whistled a high pitched tune and I watched as three other boys walked out of the dark corners. All three were familiar; boys that I went to school with. Two of them had been in my classes earlier.

Each of the boys took turns circling me. Johnathan was the only one that remained still. He was watching me with eagle-like eyes and I scowled. He had brought his friends here to teach me a lesson. I almost wanted to laugh. They weren't going to hurt me. They couldn't hurt me. And they never would. They'd go to prison for hurting me. The first of the boys stood directly behind me. Another stood at my left side. The other was at my right. Johnathan was standing right in front of me. I let my mind slip briefly into theirs.

She thinks that she can get away with what she did to me. Little bitch. I'll show her just how weak she really is. Johnathan. So they were going to try and attack me. I thought so.

"I think we need to teach her a little respect, boys," Johnathan snarled to me. Although he was speaking to the boys he never looked away from me. I watched as he flipped a hand and the first of the boys, the one that had been standing to my right, ran forward to grab my arms. His grip was light; though he probably thought that it was tight. I knew that it would hurt a normal girl. I merely scowled at the boys. The other one that had been standing behind me walked forward and kicked the back of my knees. That time I fell, scraping my knees on the ground. I hissed slightly at the soft pain. The other friend walked forward and grabbed my hair that was still tied up in a knot, yanking it out of the tight hold. Alright, that one hurt a little bit.

Johnathan began walking around me and I stared darkly at him. He was not going to hurt me. I had been hurt enough in my life. His little cronies were not going to hurt me again. As Johnathan took a few steps closer to me I felt the electricity and power hum in my veins. Johnathan came to stand in front of me and reared his fist back, preparing to hit me, probably harder than he had ever hit any boy that he had ever bullied.

And that was when I decided that enough was enough. As his fist reared down I reached out and yanked my right arm out of the first of Johnathan's cronies and caught the arm that Johnathan had about brought down on my face. He shouted in shock as I caught it and thrust it back upwards, once more cracking into his nose. Johnathan screamed in pain and I turned to the other three boys on my knees. Each one seemed in between hitting me back and running for it.

"What are you waiting for?" Johnathan howled at his boys. His voice was nasally from his broken nose. The three boys all looked at me and I waited in a crouched position, my hands buzzing with energy. "Get her!" He shouted, causing all three to immediately jump into action.

The one that had been holding my right arm launched towards me first. I already saw the way that he fought. Slow and clumsy, although his hits were well aimed. I'd seen it in the way that he had caught my arm earlier. The one that had been behind me followed the others. He mirrored movements. Whenever I would make a move to him he would make the same one back to me. It was obvious enough. The one that had yanked my hair was the ruthless one. He didn't think movements through. He was fast and strong. Although he would be easily caught off guard.

They were all so easy. It was why it had taken me just over a second and a half to figure out the way that the three of them fought. As expected, the one that had yanked my hair ran forwards first. I reached out just before he could grab me by the throat and sent a well-aimed kick into his stomach. He was thrown backwards, smacking into a wall and sliding down. He cried out softly before springing back up. He ran at me once more before I leaned down and shoved my fist back up underneath his rib-cage. I heard him let out a breath of air and a scream that was unlike anything else I had ever heard. I knew without a doubt that I had ruptured his spleen, judging by the way that he didn't stand back up and barely looked like he was still conscious.

The two other cronies were completely still. But one more snap from Johnathan made the other two spring into action, although I could tell that the one that had grabbed my arm was more hesitant to move than the other. The one that kicked my knees out ran up to me next and I moved out of the way as his hands went around my wrist. His hands were slippery with sweat and I was able to slip out of his grip easily. He fell over slightly and I took his moment of weakness to use it against him.

My leg swung up and I kicked out at his head as roughly as I could. There was a little snap in his neck and I felt his jaw completely pop out of place. He fell to the ground and I reared up, the energy buzzing through my veins. As my fist flew down at his face I felt the energy burst and sink into his head. Besides a now broken nose and black eye he had a bigger problem. The beginnings of an aneurysm. It would kill him if it burst. The pain sinking into every bone and muscle in his body kept him down on the ground.

And then there was one.

The last one, the one that had grabbed my arm, looked horrified. He looked like he was going to stay where he was planted until I advanced on him. They had started this. They had unleashed the monster that had always hidden just under the surface. And now they got to deal with her.

He threw his arms up to protect himself from my onslaught but he was too slow. My fist went directly into his chest and I smirked as I heard the rib crack under the pressure of my fist. He fell to the ground, howling in pain. His leg came up to kick me in the face but I was faster. I grabbed his ankle and yanked roughly, watching as it popped out of place. I didn't stop there though. I yanked it to the side, making sure that the tendon separated from the bone. His screams only increased but I walked away from him. He wasn't moving any time soon.

Johnathan was on the ground, staring at me in horror. He clearly couldn't stand and it would only make my job easier. I walked up to him and snarled under my breath, letting my eyes take over their traditional red gleam. He had made them that way. I had only been able to control it up until now. "What are you? Demon!" Johnathan yelled.

His hands dropped into the top of his shirt and I watched curiously as he pulled out a cross. It was pure gold and I smirked at him as he began to mutter a prayer under his breath. He was so wrong. That wasn't what I was. Evil? Maybe. Demon? No. "No, I'm much worse than that," I snarled at him. Reaching up I grabbed his arm away from his torso, feeling the bone break underneath my grip. His chain around his neck snapped as I reached over and kicked out. My feet connected with his torso and I watched with glee as three of his ribs broke underneath the pressure. I jammed my hand into his throat, cutting off his air circulation. I was about to rip his throat free from his neck when I realized what I had done.

Stepping back in horror I felt my hands begin to shake. What had I done? What the hell had I done to these boys? Johnathan was leaning over and spitting up blood. I knew immediately that one of his ribs had punctured his lung, causing it to begin to collapse. The one who had grabbed my arms seemed to be suffering the same fate. The one that had kicked out my knees was on the ground howling in pain, suffering from a brain aneurysm. He would be dead in ten minutes if no one came to help him. The first one had a ruptured spleen. It would kill him too if he didn't get medical attention.

I was staring at them curiously, watching and wondering what I should do. Could I help them? Should I help them? I wasn't sure what to do. My hands and arms were shaking; legs quivering as well. I didn't know what to do. I had never let myself get this out of hand before. And now I may have just killed five boys. Even if I hadn't killed them when they came back to they would tell someone what had happened. Would anyone believe them?

The whirring of sirens broke me out of my thought and a shiver shot up my spine. I could hear the sirens gradually getting closer and I knew that they were headed towards me. Were they coming over here because of the noise? They had to be. My feet reacted before my brain did. I turned on my heels and sprinted away from the boys. As I ran away I saw the police cars turning the corner. The ambulance was there as well. As I turned the corner I heard them yelling for me; to come after me.

It only made my feet pick up faster. I sprinted down the alleyways that I had known well since I was a child. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know where to go. I couldn't go to the police. They would arrest me. I couldn't go to Bucky and Steve. They would never forgive me for what I had done. I had to leave before they found me. They would know who I was. They would know that I was the little girl that they had lost out here so long ago. I needed to get out of here. I needed to run and I needed to run far.

As I rounded the corner of another back alleyway I ran headfirst into a solid figure. For a moment I had thought that it might have been a wall but when I gave another look I noticed that it was a man. A very tall man. I let out a yelp of fear and turned to run once more but the man grabbed me tightly around the waist. "Let go of me!" I howled before leaning out to dislocate his arm, forcing him to let go of me.

"Calm down! Follow me. If you show them what you truly are they'll never leave you be," the man warned me softly. My harsh movements ceased suddenly and I stared at him curiously. Did he know what I was? How could he know what I was? I let my mind slip briefly into his. I knew that you would come in here. I know who you are. I know what you are. I can help you. You must follow me first. They're looking for you. They know that it's you. Victoria Davies. You've been missing for a long time.

Not wanting to ask him how exactly he knew who I was, I merely nodded at him. He grabbed me around the arm and dragged me through a few alleys. These were places that I had never been before. But I knew that I could trust the man. I knew that I could kill him if he acted harshly against me. The man dragged me past the areas where I could hear the sirens and I knew that we were away from any danger. Still, he kept running me away from everything that I knew. I knew that we were far away from any place that I regularly visited and I knew that we were far away from wherever Bucky and Steve were.

The man dragged me back into an open field behind the last of the alleys and I fell onto my knees. The strange man offered me a hand up but I batted him away. I didn't want any help from him. Not right now. I weakly stood up and gave the man a once over. I had never seen him before. I had never seen anyone else like him before.

He was a slightly older man, looking like he was either in his late forties or early fifties. He wore a military uniform, one that looked like it was made for someone at least at a Sergeant status. He had lots of award pins and medals on him. He was immaculately dressed and his hair was well kept. It was speckled with gray but mostly seemed to be black. He had a stern face but was looking at me with a mild concern. I merely stared at him curiously and made sure that the energy was still pulsing through my hands. He was more dangerous that a kid my age. He would actually know how to fight me. He would be a challenge.

The man took a step back from me, seemingly knowing that I was nervous with him staring at me. His hands were clasped behind his back as I stared back at him. "Victoria Dav-"

"My name is not Victoria Davies. It is Victoria Rogers," I snapped back at the man. He seemingly knew the truth of who I was but I was not going to admit it to him that easily. I was not going to get taken into custody or jail or anything of the sort. Not when I had hidden so well for so long.

He merely smiled at me once more and began to walk around me. His hands were wringing together behind his back and I sensed a tiny bit of anticipation. But it was more of a pure happiness that was falling off of him in waves. What was he happy about? "I know exactly who you are. You've kept it a secret well. But that's because no one has been looking for you. AT least not here. I knew that you would be somewhere out of the public eye. I knew that you would be somewhere small. Unrecognizable. But as normal as this one place is, you are not. There's one thing that makes you different from anyone else."

His words reeled through my head for a moment. That was why no one had caught me over the years? Because they had been looking in the wrong place. It all seemed so simple hearing him say something like that. But I knew what he meant about me. What made me so obvious. "My eyes," I muttered under my breath.

He smiled at me once more and shook his head at me. A shiver shot up my spine once more as the man laughed at me and shook his head. "Not your eyes. Although they are quite something; I've never seen someone with eyes like that." My eyes narrowed at him. "They're beautiful," he told me. The scowl dropped off of my face as I stared at him curiously. "But it's not your eyes that are how I know who you are. It's the way that you hold yourself. Strong, put together. Different than any other woman I've met. But I see something else. A fragility. A fragility that comes from holding a secret more dangerous than any other. I know who you are. I can help you, Victoria. I can help you, but you must let me."

Why was he offering to help me? He couldn't. There was no one that could help me. They all just wanted to kill me. To take me and experiment on me, curious as to what I was. "You can't help me. No one can help me. I'll figure this out just like I've always done. Leave me be. If you know who- what- I am, you'll know that leaving me to walk away from you is a wise choice," I snarled at the man.

Unsurprisingly he didn't look afraid or even the slightest bit nervous. He merely smiled at me once more as he walked around me, coming to stand at my front. "I know exactly who you are. I know what you are. And that's why I'm not leaving you. That's why I want to help you. Because I know that there's no way to help you. Not out here. But I do know a way to help you. It all starts with you coming with me," the man told me.

I stiffened as a stared at him. He wanted me to go with him? No way. Never. I was not going to go with him. I couldn't just leave without my friends knowing where I was going. I couldn't just leave the people who had done so much for me without another word. I wanted to say all of those things, but instead the only thing that came out was, "Where?"

His smile still hadn't broken. He seemed to know somehow that that was the answer that I would give him. I hated myself for even offering to entertain his idea but this man seemed to know all about me. "You would have to come with me to know. I know that I've given you no reason to trust me other than getting you away from those men back there. But I can help you. I care for people like you. I help them learn how to control what you are. I teach you to harness your powers and use them to help people. I can help you. But you must let me," he told me.

My arms and legs were shaking and I felt like at any moment I might fall to the ground. But I forced myself to stay steady. "Why should I?" I snarled at him.

"I figured that you might not believe me. But I have to tell you something, Victoria. You didn't kill those boys. You came close. But you didn't. In a few days they will be healthy enough to tell the police what happened. They might have already told them what happened. They're already looking for who assaulted those four boys. If they find you they'll arrest you. Probably worse. There are others like you and the ones that are caught never see daylight again," he warned me.

My head was spinning now. He was right. The police would find me. They would hunt me down until my last day on earth for what I had done to those boys. And for everything that I had done before them. But there was something else that I was still hanging onto. Others. He had said that there were others like me. For years I had always thought that I was the only one. "Others?" I asked him softly.

He nodded back at me slowly. "Yes. Others. You are not the only one of your kind. I promise that you aren't. My home- the place that I've created- it is a safe haven for people like you. You're all different. Different powers. Different... motivations. I help all of you that I can. The world isn't ready for people like you yet. But I intend for them to be ready one day. They will be. And I need people like you. I need to show that you are just like anyone else. Is that what you want? For people to understand you?"

It was like he was in my mind. That was exactly what I wanted. I had just never said anything to him. "Yes," I told him softly.

"I thought so," the man told me. Not once had his smile wavered throughout our conversation. "I know it is hard but you must come with me. I will keep you safe. You will live and learn with people like yourself. I can help you. I promise you that." My nerves were on end speaking to the man. I couldn't leave here. But I had to. He was right. Someone had to show the world that people like myself weren't dangerous. And if that isn't enough to convince you there is something else. Your friends; they're in danger with you around them. The world will learn that they are your weakness and they will attack them. All to get to you. And it will succeed. Would you let them die for you?" He asked me.

"No," I snapped quickly. I would never let Bucky or Steve die for me. I wouldn't let their parents or families die for me. No one would die for me. Not to keep my secret.

He smiled at me once more and walked around me in a small circle. He still stayed back from me slightly. "Yes, I thought not. You are exactly the person that I hoped that you were. I can take you to this place. I see it in your eyes. I see that you want to leave. I want to help you. I want to keep you under my wing. I want to help you live out your life in peace. You want to be a scientist yes? To help find out why people like you exist," the man told me.

I had no clue how he knew any of those things. But I found myself nodding at him anyways. He was right. That was exactly what I wanted. I just couldn't bring myself to speak to the man. "So what do we do?" I asked softly.

"You come with me, Victoria. I will help you and I will keep you safe. All you have to do is come with me. Will you, Victoria?" He asked me. It took me a moment of deliberation to decide what I wanted to do.

There wasn't a bone in my body that knew for sure what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure. I didn't want to leave my friends but the man was right. I couldn't risk their lives and their safety just to keep myself safe for another day. Maybe this was the best thing for me. Maybe the only thing that I had to do was keep myself locked away. Maybe one day I would ensure that the world no longer feared people like me. I would be able to tell Bucky what I was. I would be able to tell Steve what I was. I wouldn't be Yellow Eyes anymore. I would just be another girl who was a little different than your average person. The people like me wouldn't be hated. We wouldn't be feared.

So after a few minutes of silence I nodded at the man. He smiled back at me and gave me his hand. After staring at it for a few seconds I took it and let him lead me out of the small wooded area. We walked slowly together and I stared curiously at a large car that was parked near the edge of the woods. It was facing north. So we were heading somewhere north of here. Somewhere safe. There were two other men in the car and both seemed to be military as well, the same as the man who had helped me back in the alley.

We were standing on the outside of the car and the man held his hand out to me to help me get inside of the truck. But before I took another step I backed away, straight into his arms. He helped steady me before backing away from me. "Are you alright?" He asked me with a hint of concern in his eyes.

I nodded at him slightly and backed away from him, towards the truck once more. I knew that I had to do this. It didn't matter what I wanted. It just mattered that I would be able to change the world. I knew that I could. "I'm ready to leave. I-I'm sorry. I just want to ask you something. My friends, I-I want to go and say goodbye to them. I have to, and my things. All of my things are back in their homes. I need to get my things. Please," I muttered softly to him.

There was a hint of pity in his eyes as he took a few strands of my hair and pushed them back behind my ear in a fatherly way. It was something that my own father had never done. "I'm so sorry, Victoria. I would bring you back there if I could, honestly. But I can't. Those boys likely already admitted who you were to the police. They will be at your friend's homes within the hour. If you are there, there will be nothing that I can do to save you. There is nothing that you have back home that I can't get for you. Food, clothing, water, toiletries; name it and I can get it for you." What about Bucky and Steve? He seemed to sense that was where I was going and he smiled me. "I can't bring you your friends but once you show the world that you are not a disease, that you are a savior, they will forgive you for leaving like this. I promise you that your friends will meet you again one day. For right now you must come with me. I will help you. But you must trust me first."

"How can I trust you?" I asked him. He stood in front of me, clearly waiting to see whether or not I would get into the truck. "I don't even know your name." As far as I was concerned it seemed to be the only reason that I had not to trust him.

The man smiled at me and gave me room to walk a little closer to him. He had his hand stuck out for me to shake but I stayed still. Not until he told me his name. "My name is Major William Stryker," he told me. I nodded at the man and grabbed his hand, letting him shake it. We both stared at each other for a moment before I sighed and nodded my head. He let me walk into the truck and I did so, taking a seat next to William. As we sat he called to his men to start the truck, leaning over to me as he did so. "Get some sleep while you can. It might take us a while to get you acclimated to your new home. It may come as somewhat of a shock; seeing the people that you are just like. Not to worry. It will become home after a while," he told me.

I nodded and let my head fall back onto the seat that I was sitting on. My eyes slipped closed and I fought back images of Johnathan and the boys from earlier, beaten and bloodied. Instead I let images of Bucky and Steve fill my head. They were both smiling and laughing at me. They were my family and I would make it back to them. Don't worry boys, I'll come back to you. I promise.


	4. Chapter Four

Two Days Later...

If I'd ever thought that travel was fast I'd been dead wrong. These past two days had dragged on. And what had made it even worse was that no one would tell me where we were going. Stryker, or William as he'd asked me to call him, kept telling me that it was being kept a secret from me to protect me. I had tried to slip into William's mind to discover where we were going but he had merely laughed and told me not to bother trying. I'd never met someone that had known what I was doing. For whatever reason it only increased my faith in him.

It was obvious that we were heading north. It wasn't clear to me yet as to where we were going but it had to be a place outside of New York. We had gotten out of New York yesterday. We were slowly running through the different cities and each of the men that were traveling with us made sure that we stayed on back roads. I assumed that it was making our travels even slower.

Yesterday we had passed over the borders into Canada. The sign was standing tall as we passed into the borders. It had taken nearly an hour to actually make it through. The entire time William had been warning me to stay low and not reveal myself. It had made me nervous that if we were caught something terrible would happen to us. I wasn't sure if they would arrest us or kill us. It didn't matter. My fears had been quelled as we passed over into Canada and continued driving. We were now somewhere in Saskatchewan. Or at least that was where we had been when I last checked. William hadn't spoken about our destination at all since we had passed into Canada.

As I leaned onto the window I saw my breath fog up the glass slightly. It was still in the eighties back in Brooklyn. But in Canada the average temperatures in the afternoons were in the upper fifties or lower sixties. I supposed I was going to have to get used to the colder weather. Although I wasn't even sure how long I was going to be with William and his men. Hopefully not long. There were things that I had to do and people that I had to get back to see.

Some part of me thought that I had been too irrational when I had dropped everything to run away. But I had been afraid. As much as I liked to pretend that I was an adult who knew exactly what she was doing I knew that I was still a child. Barely even a teenager. I made choices without even thinking. But William wasn't all that bad. He had gotten me out of the alleyway and out of danger without a thought as to what could happen to him. He really wasn't that bad of a guy. I was just paranoid. Especially since I had left four boys in the back of a grimy alley, all of them looking half dead. I shook the images of them out of my mind and forced myself to remember that they had all deserved it.

The truck gave a little lurch and I jumped, banging my head on the glass. As I was cursing the driver mentally I glanced out the window. My heart gave a little twinge as we passed a small stand on the side of the road. They were selling red apples and I smiled. Apples had always been Bucky's favorite fruit. More than once I had chucked an apple at him in the morning after he had either woken me up in some stupid way or made fun of me. Steve would usually get an orange chucked at his head for laughing. Oranges were softer.

We stopped short at a small hut off of the side of the main road and I went flying forward. My chest hit the seat in front of me and the guard that was sitting in the seat turned back to me with a glare. He asked me if I was alright and I nodded, letting myself slip into his mind. Stupid, clumsy girl. My teeth ground together but I managed to keep my mouth shut. A few men jumped out of the truck, each going to either use the restroom or getting food for lunch. One of the men promised to get me a sandwich while he was inside and I thanked him. They had already told me that I wasn't allowed to walk anywhere in public.

Clearly they thought that I was not alright to go into anywhere even mildly public. I didn't understand why though. We were far enough away from Brooklyn that no one here would know who I was. Or at least I didn't think that anyone knew who I was. "Do you know what Roanoke is?" William asked me. It was the first time that I had heard him speak in hours.

I jumped slightly at the sudden sound of his voice and knitted my eyebrows at the strange question. Of course I knew what Roanoke was. We had learned about it for a short while in one of my history classes. "Yes," I finally answered, sensing that William was getting sick of waiting for me to speak. "Roanoke is the doomed first colony of America. It was established in the sixteenth century but the colony failed. No one really knows what happened but a massacre is in the theories. One day everyone just disappeared from the colony, no traces, never to be seen again. Roanoke is down in North Carolina," I said suspiciously.

I couldn't think for the life of me why William was asking me about Roanoke. Not when we were headed towards the western edge of Canada. Unless we were going to turn around and head south going to North Carolina, asking about Roanoke made no sense. "Well done," William said with a smile. If only all of my teachers had the same reactions when I saw something that no one else should know. "I don't suppose that I should be surprised that you know all of this. You're smart. Far smarter than anyone else your age. It's why you made the right choice to come with me," William told me proudly.

It was almost like a father talking to his daughter. It wasn't something that I could ever recall my father saying to me. He was never proud of me. He was never proud to be my father. It was why he was not my father. I had no father. No one more than Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes. "Where are we going?" I snapped at William. I had had enough of not knowing what was happening.

William was sitting in the front passenger seat with myself being allowed to spread out in the back. "I'll tell you when we get there," William said, not bothering to look back at me.

"Where are we going?" I repeated. I was never a fan of being ignored.

He stayed silent and I growled underneath my breath. I hated not knowing where we were going. The guards left the building that we had stopped at and I watched them hop into the trucks once more, starting them up quickly. One of the guards handed me a glass bottle of Coca-Cola and I thanked him softly. He went to hand me the bottle opener but I had already peeled off the bottle cap. The guard smirked at me before letting out a little breath of air through his nose. Not bad for a kid. I smiled at the man's thoughts before leaning back in the seat.

I took a few gulps of the soda before William finally turned back to me. I placed the bottle in between my legs and looked up at the older man. "Have you ever been to Alberta?" William asked me.

"Canada?" I asked, feeling slightly stupid. It was probably the first time that I'd felt stupid in years. William nodded at me and I took a deep breath. Alberta was pretty damned far from Brooklyn. Almost a forty hour drive. "No. I've never been outside of Brooklyn," I finally admitted.

When I was younger I had always wanted to travel. My parents had told me when I was young that their favorite place to go was Wakanda. Apparently it was a hidden gem in the world. One day I intended to go there as well. "Well you will now," William told me. My eyebrow cocked and I nodded. I had no clue why we were going all the way out to Canada. It made my stomach roil with nerves. "The reason that I asked you about Roanoke is because that's where our base used to be set up. Roanoke was a good place to be. Tiny population. Only over a hundred people. No one asks questions," William told me.

That did seem to make sense. I wasn't even aware that anyone lived in Roanoke anymore. I had always thought that it was left abandoned out of due respect to the families that lost their lives there. As my thoughts raced through my mind I thought back to what William had said about a base. "What base?" I asked.

Instead of looking offended that I clearly wasn't trusting him, William simply shrugged and turned back to face me. "A smaller version of the base that we're headed to now. The base in Roanoke was destroyed. You'll find no record of it in any book or in any military records," he told me.

It was clear that William thought that he could trust me. He wouldn't be telling me any of this if he didn't trust me. But I still didn't trust him. And I hated not being able to trust someone. "Is this a military operation?" I asked him, slightly curious.

I had never been fond of the military. They were the types of people that had run me out of my home. They were the people who had destroyed everything. Long before my parents had. And now I found myself in their grasp. And it was my fault for being here in the first place. "In a way, yes," William said flippantly.

Like expected, I didn't like the way that he said it. I was not fond of the way that he seemed to be brushing off all of my questions. "What do you mean 'in a way'?" I asked.

For a moment I thought that he wasn't going to answer me. It seemed to be the way that these last two days had gone. Whenever I would ask a question it would get brushed off. "Victoria, you are a damned smart girl," William told me. I nodded at him slowly. Of course I was! "My program is not government sanctioned however it is run by the government. Funded, I mean," he told me when I had knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. "They aren't quite sure what we're doing here and that's for the best. Trust me," he said.

Trust him? I trusted him as far as he could throw me. And I didn't like that no one knew what we were doing out here. What if something went wrong? No one would be around to help if we had any problems. "Why is it for the best?" I asked William, hoping that he would answer me. I couldn't read his mind for whatever reason. Everyone else was easy. I didn't like that William's was the only one that I couldn't.

William sighed and urged the man to drive faster. We had just arrived in Alberta a few minutes ago. I was sure that we had to be getting close to the base seeing how antsy some of the guards were getting. "Because the common citizens are afraid of people like you. You aren't the only one but you are one of the most impressive that I've met." My mind raced at his words. People like you. That meant that there were others. There had to be others. But where were they? "For the most part you've all been kept in secret. I want that to be changed. I want people to know who you are. I want them to respect you," he told me.

His words seemed earnest but I couldn't think for the life of me why he would want to help me. As far as I could tell he was normal. He wasn't like me. So why was he willing to put his life on the line for me? "Why?" I asked him with narrowed eyes.

For the first time in a day I saw a smile fall across William's face. It looked almost wrong on him. "Because I see the untapped potential in you. You have the chance to change the world. I know that you do," he told me. I almost wanted to laugh. I didn't have the power to do anything other than nearly kill myself and everyone around me. I wasn't safe. I wasn't strong. "It's why I'm so glad that you've decided to trust me," he added.

I didn't trust him. But I wasn't about to tell him that. I didn't want to see what was going to happen if I did tell him that I didn't trust him. "What happened to the base in Roanoke?" I asked. William raised his eyebrows and I narrowed my eyes at him. "You said that it was destroyed. By who?" I asked.

"Me," William told me. At least he was honest. But as my eyes narrowed in distrust William continued to speak. "The rest of the people that were involved in the program. Trust me, it was for the best. We had to protect ourselves. People started to become curious on what we were doing. Once they discovered what we were doing there and who we had under our protection they attacked. Despite the fact that Roanoke is a small area in the country everyone knows each other. Rumors spread fast. We had to leave. There had to be no evidence of us," he told me. So it was somewhat of a forced evacuation.

My jaws were clenched together as I thought about what he had said. They had been attacked by the townspeople. It was exactly the reason that I had never told Bucky and Steve what I was. I couldn't deal with what might have happened if they didn't accept me. My own parents hadn't. Why should they? "Did everyone make it out alive?" I finally gathered the courage to ask.

"Yes," William answered almost immediately. My heart felt like a lead weight had been lifted off of it and I nodded at him. At least no one had died. "Some are at our new base and others have gone out into the world. The world isn't ready for people like you yet. But with my help, they will be," William told me proudly.

I wanted to tell him that no one in the world would ever be ready for people like me. They were all eggs. The were all cowardly people that couldn't stand someone who might be stronger than them. "What exactly do you do with people like me?" I asked him slowly and suspiciously.

William shook his head and smiled at me. I watched as we pulled off of the highway into a very clearly rural section of Alberta. "I already told you, Victoria. I take people like you and I save them. I teach them to use their extraordinary gifts and how to blend in with the real world. When the time comes I let them out to change the world," he told me. Then why haven't I seen any of them before? "Give it a few years and you'll be outside along all of your brothers and sisters," he continued, oblivious to my thoughts.

Brothers and sisters. I had grown up an only child. Bucky and Steve were the closest things I'd ever had to brothers. But siblings knew everything about each other. And Steve and Bucky were missing one very large part of my life story. "Is Alberta where your new facility is?" I finally asked, my heart giving a painful lurch at the thought of the two boys I had left without another word.

"Yes." I guess that meant that for now my new home was going to Alberta. Damn... I'd always hated Canada. It was too cold. It was even colder than New York. "We've been at this new facility for a few years now. It's out in the woods. No one to bother us and no one to question what it is that we're doing. We're nearly there now. Be there in a few minutes," William told me.

They lived on the edge of the woods, away from any of the larger towns of Alberta. That was a good idea. If this was as dangerous as it seemed it was definitely for the best that this operation was away from any developed cities. "How many people do you have in your program?" I asked out of curiosity. Were there hundreds of other people like me or just a few?

William turned to me with a smile. "Many." It wasn't an answer but it was better than nothing. At least that told me that there were quite a few people like me in the world. "Most no longer live in the building that we're heading to. Many I've already released into the world. There are currently three that I will have you working with and speaking to," he told me. I nodded and let out a breath. Three people. After fourteen years I was finally going to meet three people like me. "They will help you learn how to control yourself. They will help you harness your powers," he added on.

This was something that could take years. It could take the rest of my life. Was he really willing to work with me for that long? "I don't even know what most of my powers are," I said abashedly. Despite what William said I knew that I was going to be one of, if not the weakest person.

Instead of laughing at me William gave me a soft smile. "You aren't the first person to come into the program without a clue towards what it is that they can do," he told me. I supposed that was a good thing. At least I wasn't going to be the only person to mortify myself the first time that I showed my true self. "With time we will be able to help you. I will be able to help you," William told me.

I nodded, hoping that he was right. I didn't intend to spend the rest of my life training to keep my powers under control. "What is this program called?" I asked William. Maybe a stupid question, but I wanted to know.

Despite the fact that I couldn't see the guard that was currently driving us through a rocky part of the woods I knew that he was rolling his eyes at me. But it didn't matter. William nodded at me and smiled. "We call it the Chi Protocol." That didn't give anything away as towards what it was. But I supposed that could be a good thing for them. "It's hard to decipher exactly what it is. That's good. It keeps people from spying on us. Not that they could. It's a highly protected building. No one gets in without my approval," he told me.

"And what about out?" I asked him before I could stop myself.

If my words had offended William he didn't say anything to show it. Instead he smirked and radioed to the people in the other truck. It was a bunch of military terms that I didn't understand. William finally turned back to me and nodded. "Clever girl. You'll be free to leave if that's ever what you choose, Victoria. But I advise you that staying with me, with the people who understand you, is the best option," he told me.

Free to leave. At least that meant that this was voluntary. And as much as I hated to admit it he was right. It was best that I stayed here. These people knew me. They could fight with me. "I understand. And what do you call people like me? Do you have an actual name for us?" I asked him curiously.

We'd just been calling ourselves people like me. It made me feel more than a little silly. "Mutants," William answered me with a soft smile. Mutants. The name brought a small smile to my face. "That's what the world calls you. That's what they will call you when they realize that you're more than a fairy tale. Mutation; it's the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve into the dominant species on the planet. This process normally takes thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward. We're in a time of evolutionary development right now. It will only get stronger over the years. We aren't exactly sure what causes the mutations. Some are born. Others are gifted. Born are more common," he told me.

I was born. I could always remember having the yellow eyes. Everything else too. It had only developed in age. My face fell though as the word continued to run through my head. Mutant was not a good name. It sounded like an insult. "Mutant... It sounds almost, dirty," I told William softly.

William shrugged his shoulders. "For now. But the day will come that people will know that mutants are their saviors. You can help advance everything." My eyebrows cocked at his words. What could I possibly help with? As far as they were concerned I couldn't do anything. I was just a danger. "Medicine, technology, weaponry, and education! The world will be stunned when they see people like you," he told me with a laugh.

I shook my head. They would run in fear. Just the way that Johnathan and his cronies had. Maybe I could help. But they would always be too afraid to let me. "So are we all the same? We're all born with these powers. The ones that I have," I mentioned, not wanting to keep thinking about people in the outside world.

William shook his head at me and I let out a little breath. This thing got more complicated the longer that I listened. I wasn't sure that I would ever figure it out. "No. Not the ones that you have. Each mutant has different powers. Some are common. Increased speed and strength. Intelligence beyond human capability," he told me and I nodded. So I supposed that I was a more common mutant. "Others are rare. Elemental control. Mind manipulation." Maybe not. "We rank mutants on how powerful they are," William told me.

They ranked mutants? But what decided on how powerful a mutant was? Perhaps there was a system. "What are the rankings?" I asked William, hoping that he knew.

William let out a deep breath before nodding at me. "Very little is actually known about the classifications. They've actually existed for millennia, since nearly the beginning of time. I'll try to explain them the best that I can," he told me and I nodded. "The first of the classes is Zeta level. They're the least powerful. They carry the X Gene but themselves do not classify as mutants," he informed me.

So it was possible to have the mutant gene but not actually be a mutant? I had a theory on what he meant but I wasn't sure. "So they're the type that their children or grandchildren have the potential to be a mutant?' I asked, hoping that I wasn't wrong. I hated being wrong.

"Exactly," William told me with a nod. I smiled and motioned for him to continue speaking. "Epsilon level is next. They possess very little to no special abilities. Their mutations very heavily negatively affect their lives. It's usually physical. They're hunted down. Most have to be put into protection programs or go into hiding." My stomach churned at the thought of them. They were hunted down like animals. And unfairly. "Delta level comes after them. They aren't detrimental like the Epsilon levels but they also aren't powerful. They do have powers. For the most part they can blend into normal life." At least they weren't hunted. "Gamma level is next. They possess harmful mutations coupled with superhuman abilities. They can very rarely pass as human." They were probably hunted down as well. "Beta levels follow them. They're powerful but typically have a minor hamper. Anything from a physical deformity to the inability to turn their powers on and off." Perhaps I was Beta. I did have difficulty with my powers sometimes. "Alpha levels are after them. They're some of the most powerful mutants. Think like Beta level but without the drawbacks. That's not to say that they can't have impairments though," William told me.

Maybe there was even a chance that I was an Alpha. But I was sure that I wasn't that powerful. William's eyes flitted to the floor for a moment and my eyes narrowed. I didn't need to be able to slip into his mind to know that he wasn't telling me the whole truth. "There's another level, isn't there? One that you aren't telling me about," I snarled at him.

We had to be completely honest with each other if he wanted me to trust him. William stared at me for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Yes. There's one other class." I knew it. But what made them so dangerous that he felt like he couldn't even tell me about them? "We call them Omega level mutants. There are thousands of mutants all over the world. There are no officially labeled Omega's," he told me. Then how did they know that they existed? "They are extremely rare. They must be able to physically change their body into another state. Many are telepathic," he told me.

My stomach was churning nervously at his words. They hadn't even seen any of these mutants? If they hadn't even heard about them how did they know that they exist? "But you know that they exist?" I asked him.

William nodded at me and my breath hitched in my throat. "One existed not long ago." I didn't like the way that he said that. That meant that something had happened to them. Being someone like me was dangerous enough. I assumed that being an Omega was the most dangerous of all. "They were killed on an order. Omega level mutants are rare and they are dangerous. No matter what you are though, we will protect you," he told me.

Jeez. They were killed just because they were powerful. It made me pray that I wasn't an Omega. Maybe there was a chance that I was in the lower-tiers. That could keep me safe. At least I hoped that it would keep me safe. "What am I?" I asked William nervously.

He looked up at me and smiled. "I don't know yet," he said. Of course. They wouldn't know what I was. Probably not until they watched me do everything that I was capable of. "We'll have to take a good long look at you. Analyze your powers and your mind. Not to worry, we'll find out. Probably Delta level. That's what most of you are." Delta sounded good. Not overly powerful and definitely not hunted. They could blend into normal life. I could do that. "Victoria Davies, welcome to the Chi Protocol," William told me, interrupting my thoughts.

The building was enormous. It wasn't anything that I had ever seen before. It stood at at least ten stories tall. Probably a little closer to twelve. It must have been thousands of square feet. There were no windows and the only doors that I could see were the set of iron double doors in the front of the building. Two armed guards were standing in military garb with sunglasses hanging on their noses. They didn't have a hint of emotion on their faces. The building was all grey steel with a few fences surrounding it. The only cars that I could see were heading behind the building. There weren't any parking lots. No people were walking around either. As far as I could tell this place was well sealed and well guarded. Like William had said, no one was getting in here without permission.

The door to the truck opened and I weakly jumped out. My legs were shaking as I moved closer to get out of the truck. Everyone that was making their way back into the building had stopped to stare at me. "Come on now, Victoria. Let's go out and meet the rest of the crew. There's a few men that I'd like to introduce you to. They'll be helping you to adjust to life here," William said as he brought me towards the front of the building. "This is Agent Zero," William said as we walked towards the doors.

There was a man standing near the doors that was clearly waiting for us. And he also was clearly not a guard. He wasn't dressed like them in their dark suits. Instead he wore a green long-sleeved military shirt underneath a black bulletproof vest that was zipped all the way up. He wore green fatigue Army pants that were tucked into black combat boots. He was a middle-aged man from some type of oriental decent. Probably Japanese. He was rather tall too, probably reaching close to six feet. His eyes were dark and stern and he stood with his back completely straight. He was clearly well trained.

But why the hell did they call him Agent Zero? Maybe he was one of the first people in this place. As we approached him I saw that he came to attention for William. "Agent Zero?" I asked stupidly.

I had thought that we were still too far away from him for him to hear me but he clearly had. "You got a problem with that, Kid?" Zero snapped at me. He was clearly from the United States. He didn't have a lick of a foreign accent. In fact he had a Western accent.

William turned to the man and let a sour look cross over his face. "Zero!" William shouted. Zero didn't seem the slightest bit fazed by William's sudden demeanor change. "His real name is David North. Call him Zero though. He doesn't like anything else," William told me, dropping the nasty bite from his voice. He turned back to Zero a moment later. "Victoria is new. She doesn't know anyone yet and she's frightened. I trust that you will be helpful when it comes time for her lessons to begin in a few days," William suggested.

It wasn't a suggestion of course. I'd been around enough adults in power in my life to know the difference between a suggestion and a friendly order. Zero nodded with the slightest bow of respect. "Of course, Major," Zero said with an aura of annoyance.

Of course. He was an agent. He didn't want to have to deal with some poor untrained kid. Not that I blamed him. I wouldn't either if I was in his position. "Good. You are dismissed, Agent," William told Zero.

Zero nodded before turning around and walking away. His steps were measured as were his breaths. "See you around, Kid," Zero told me before walking into the building. Oh good. Men seemed to always have the best nicknames for me. First Yellow Eyes and now Kid.

Once he was gone from sight William turned back to me. "Don't mind Zero. He's not particularly fond of the new recruits. Ever. He's one of the originals here. He feels like he should run this place with the other ones that have been here for years. They don't like fresh blood." I nodded and moved with William through the doors. "But trust me, Zero is a good person to learn from."

"What can he do?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"He can absorb the kinetic energy generated by an impact without harm to himself," William explained. He was essentially a human conductor. "He can channel the energy he collects into massive blasts. He has a slightly advanced healing factor as well as being immune to most diseases and toxins. He also has a delayed aging process. He can expel a corrosive enzyme from his fingers. Aside from that with training he's become an expert marksman as well as hand-to-hand combat man," William explained.

Damn. I was rather impressive but I was sure that I would be nothing compared to these people. "Oh," I said, not knowing what else there was to say. "That's quite something," I added.

William shook his head. "Not particularly." I was going to be one of the weakest people here if William thought that Zero wasn't impressive. "There are others that are plenty stronger than him. You'll meet them one day. I'm sure of it. Ah!" William called. I looked up to see that another figure was making its way over to us. "Your next teacher. Victoria, this is Chris Bradley. Bradley, this is Victoria Davies," William introduced.

We each took the time to look each other over. He was surprisingly young. He looked about a decade older than me. Or something like that. I was sure that he was the youngest person that I'd seen here. His head was shaved but it looked like he might have either dark blonde or light brown hair normally. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with an orange Hawaiian shirt over the top of it. On his legs he wore typical black dress pants. He wasn't too tall either. Just over five and a half feet.

Finally Chris decided to speak first. "I know that name." How did he know my name? I wasn't famous. And he certainly didn't seem like the type that was able to slip into someone's mind. "You were on the Nation's Most Wanted list. Something about killing your parents in a house fire when you were like eight or something," he told me.

My back stiffened and the hair on the back of my neck bristled. "I didn't kill them," I said darkly.

Once more William shouted at the agent. "Bradley!" He shouted. The man didn't jump but he did turn around in shock. "That's enough. Pardon him, he's still a child," William told me as he turned back to me. I nodded before William turned back to Chris. "He'll learn to keep his mouth shut in time," he warned the man.

Chris didn't seem phased. Instead he turned back to me with a shrug. "Sorry about that. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain does. Anyways, good to meet you," he told me. I nodded and reached out to shake his hand. His grip was pulsing. I could feel something fluttering under his skin. "You'll do well here. It gets tough but you seem tough. Not too often we get a girl around here. I mean I know there's female mutants but we mostly see the guys. The guys are normally stronger anyways. Makes them easier to discern. Not to say that girls aren't strong too but I mean-"

"You're rambling," I cut the man off.

On my side I could see William smirking at the two of us. Chris stopped speaking and nodded at me. "Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry about that. I gotta go, stuff to do, you know?" He asked. The man never waited for me to respond. "A mutant's work is never done!" He yelled back before taking off.

The hallway that we were in only had grey steel walls. I watched as he walked to the end of the hall and disappeared past the corner. William pinched the bridge of his nose before turning back to me. "Like I said, he's a kid. He'll learn to control himself in time. I suppose you're curious as to what he can do too?" He asked me. I nodded. "He can absorb ambient changes in the atmosphere. He can also absorb electricity from different sources to empower himself. It's a rare mutation, very impressive," William told me.

I didn't bother telling him that it was one of the mutations that I possessed. He would learn that in time. "How many more of your men are going to be teaching me?" I asked him after a beat.

William nodded at me. "Just one. And here he is now!" William called. I turned back to see a man emerge from the corner that Chris had just disappeared from. "John Wraith," he said as he motioned to the man that was walking up.

He was different from anything that I had ever seen before. He was a black man that appeared to be a little under middle-aged. He wore an off-white cowboy hat and I smiled. It was something that you never saw in New York. He had a pair of large glasses on his eyes but took them off when he saw me. He wore a beige jacket and an orange button-down underneath it. There were pants a tone darker than his jacket and a large buckle that was on the front. Cowboy boots were underneath. On each of his fingers was a large ring. He was quite something.

As he made his way up to me he held out a hand for me to shake. He seemed like the most normal person that I'd met here. "Victoria Davies. You've only been here a few minutes but the whole place is already talking. Never had a dame in here before. A young one too. Never had any kids running around this place," he told me.

Why did everyone insist on calling me a child? I was not. I was much different than any other child. "I'm fourteen," I responded indignantly.

John raised a hand to his chest with a smile. "Pardon me. Any teenagers." The way that he said it even brought a small smile to my face. "You're gonna like it here, Victoria. I promise you that. This place, it's good for people like us. At least until the world can acknowledge us for what we are," he said.

What exactly were we? "And what's that?" I asked.

"Normal," John told me with a smile. That time a real smile fell onto my features. "You and I, we're not any different than they are. Not really. The whole yellow eyes thing you got going on?" Oh good. Just what I wanted. Someone else to comment on my eyes. "It's cool, it ain't scary." Alright. Not what I was expecting. "We're weird. We always will be. But that doesn't make us dangerous," John said.

He was definitely my favorite of the people that we'd met so far. "Thank you for the pep talk, Wraith," William said. The smile fell from John's face as he turned to William with a nod. "Go ahead and continue about your job. Victoria will come by in a few days for her first lesson," he instructed the older man.

"Cool," John said with a smile. He turned to me and tipped the edge of his hat at me. "See you around, Vic," he said before leaving. My heart gave a soft twinge at the memory of Steve calling me that. At least he didn't call me Vika. Only Bucky called me that.

Once I was sure that he was gone I turned back to William. He was watching me with a curious stare. "He seems nice," I said.

William gave me a nod. "He is. One of the friendliest people I've seen. Especially being a mutant. Wraith's got an odd mutation," William said. I cocked my eye for him to explain. "He can phase-jump." What the hell was phase jump? "Essentially that's teleporting." Oh. "He can disappear from one spot and appear in another in the blink of an eye. Like Zero, he's got a life-extending ability. How old does Wraith look?" William asked.

I knew that he was asking me to prove a point. Whatever I answered was going to be the wrong answer. "Thirty-five," I said, playing into William's game.

He smiled at me and shook his head. "Wraith is nearly sixty." My head cocked to the side. I was impressed. I would have thought about fifty at the oldest. "We can help you out there too. That's a mutation that can be given," he told me. They were going to give me something to extend my life. I wasn't sure how much I liked that. William seemed oblivious to my hesitation. "Come on, Victoria. I think that we should sit down and have a chat. About you. I can show you where you'll sleep first. You can get changed," he told me.

"Alright."

William walked the two of us around the corner that John, Zero, and Chris had all disappeared behind earlier. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. Hundreds of people milling around with important missions? Maybe. It turned out that we were on the second floor. Below us seemed to be the main floor. There was a large research center down there with at least fifty people entering things on monitors. It was far more advanced than anything I'd ever seen before. Some people were walking around. They were all dressed in military uniforms. Off on each side were hallways. Some seemed to have offices, others had living quarters, and most were research centers. Blue lamps hung from the ceiling. I could feel the electricity humming through the walls of the building.

The two of us walked past the main area and I was grateful that no one gave me strange looks. I wasn't even sure what I looked like. I hadn't looked in a mirror in almost two days. We walked through the research center into the hall that seemed to be designated for living quarters. The hall was huge. It looked like it extended for a mile. We walked about halfway down the grey hall before William stopped at a steel door. He pushed it open and showed me. It was about the size of my room in Steve's apartment. It was small. The walls were a dull grey and there was a small cot in the corner. It had white sheets on it. The dresser was the same white. The bathroom was what I assumed was the other door. It was closed.

William allowed me to step in to take a closer look. "It isn't much but it is yours. You have the cot and a dresser. Anything else that you require will be added with time. We could put a radio in here if you'd like?" He offered. A radio might not be a bad idea. "Or perhaps get you something for painting and drawing? Anything that you'd like. We want you to be comfortable. I want you to be at home here," he told me.

Paint might not be a bad idea. I wasn't fond of the all-white theme. But I really couldn't paint. I wasn't artistic. "I'm not much of a painter. I can't draw worth anything. I rarely listened to the radio back home either." There was one thing that I could think of though. "Could you put a telephone in here?" I asked. It would be the one way that I could speak to Bucky and Steve. Just to let them know that I was safe and that I hadn't left without thinking about them.

My answer clearly surprised William. His eyebrows shot to his forehead. "Telephone?" He asked, making sure that he had heard me correctly. I nodded. "Who would you need to be calling?" He asked me.

"My friends," I answered quickly. "I left them without another word. I want them to know that I'm safe. That I didn't just abandon them. They saved my life. I love them both dearly. I want to be able to keep in contact with them. If not with the phone what about with letters? You could give me paper and a pen. I can write back and forth to them," I offered.

If he didn't want me to have a phone or didn't have the capability to get a phone for me I could use letters. They were slower but they would work. I just wanted them to know that I was alive. "Victoria..." William muttered. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that he was going to say no. "I'm very sorry. But I can't allow that," he told me.

The childish part of me scowled and ground my teeth together. "Why not? I came here without argument. I came here trusting you like a blind man trusts a dog. Let me call them. Or write to them at least. They deserve to know that I'm safe," I told him.

William let out a deep sigh. "Victoria I know that this is going to be a hard pill to swallow but swallow it you must." I did not like the way that he said that. "It is not safe for you to speak to your friends ever again." Ever? "They can't know what you are. They hid you away when you were a child. You took Mr. Rogers's last name. They will be arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal." I couldn't let that happen to them. "Which is exactly what they're going to consider you if they ever find you. If you care for these boys it is in their best interest that you never speak to them again."

I understood his point. I could put them in danger if people ever found out that they had been hiding me. But it didn't change the fact that it hurt to leave them without another word. "So they're just going to think that I left them alone in the world after everything that they did for me?" I asked William, knowing that he didn't have an answer for me.

William stood for a moment. I could hear the thoughts rolling in his mind about what we could do. "I could fake your death. It would be easy considering that attack that you performed on the boys from your school," he offered.

Part of me thought that it might not be a bad idea. If they thought that I was dead they would never come looking for me. Victoria Davies would no longer be a part of Steve and Bucky's life. But I couldn't do that to them. I couldn't let them grieve and hurt like that. And some part of me, an extremely selfish part, didn't want them to move past me. I didn't want Steve to grieve for a sister that wasn't dead. And for whatever reason I didn't want Bucky to move on. I wanted the boys to remember me. I wanted them to always love me.

Perhaps it was selfish but I shook my head. "No. No I don't want them to think that I'm dead. I want them to at least hold out faith that I'm alive," I answered after a moment.

William nodded and went to lean against the steel wall. "Than it will be easy. There is no birth certificate or adoption record for a Victoria Rogers. Your school records are being taken care of as we speak. Victoria Davies disappeared years ago. As far as everyone is concerned, you do not exist. Your friends and schoolmates may remember you for a while but with time they will forget you too. It's for the best. You'll only exist here," he told me.

It was like I would never have even been born. Maybe with time Steve and Bucky would think that I was just a figment of their imagination. I hated erasing every part of me but I knew that I had to. For the good of them and for everyone else. I had to. "But you said that I would eventually be able to go back into the world," I told William after a moment.

The older man seemed glad to be off of the topic of my friends. "And you will. That may not be for a decade but you will be allowed back into the world soon enough. When that day comes you will be able to see your friends once more." A small smile came back to my face at the thought that one day, albeit being far away, I would be able to see them once more. "If they love you as much as they seem too they will forgive you. Get changed, Victoria. I will wait outside," William said.

I nodded at him and watched as he left the room. He closed the door behind him with a loud thunk. I walked over to the dresser and opened it. The clothes in here were much less formal than the clothes that I wore for school. I pulled out a piece from the top drawer and a piece from the lower drawer. In the top drawer was a shirt for me to wear. It was black. The shirt was slightly oversized and button-down. Out of habit I buttoned it almost to the top. I only left the topmost button undone. The pants were beige and high-waisted. I grabbed them and pulled them on, making sure that they didn't fit too tightly around my backside. My black Mary-Jane's went back on my feet and my old clothes went to the floor.

Taking a moment to smooth my hair down and pull it back up into a tight bun I walked out of the room. William was leaning on the wall with a file in his hands. He was flipping through it but smiled and looked up when he saw me. Are you ready to go?" William asked me.

"Yes," I responded.

We didn't exchange any more words. William nodded for me to follow him and I did. We walked through the hall and came out the other end from where we had come in. Once we turned the hall the room opened up into an area large enough for over two hundred people to sit. It was a place to eat. There were little stations of food set up all around the benches and tables. "This is the cafeteria. Normally you will be allowed to eat in here but for tonight you can come eat with me in my office. Just so that we may speak a bit more," he told me. I nodded and continued to walk side by side with him.

We walked together through a second hallway. Once more, like the dining room, it opened up into a large room. It was surrounded my glass walls on the floor below us. The room was empty but it was set up with punching bags, weights, and odd looking contraptions that I was sure was for some type of demonstration. "Down here is the training room. This entire hallway is training rooms actually," William showed me. I had assumed that the doors down the hallway were for offices. "They're for people with different powers. Some are made of solid steel. We have to be careful with fire manipulators. Sonic booms. We have rooms made for it all," William told me. I would be utilizing all of these at least once.

He allowed me to look in on the glass rooms for a moment before pushing us down the hall once more. As we turned the corner we walked through two more halls before we came to a stop. People were walking all around us. "These are the classrooms. You will learn more about who you are and the origins of mutants. Of course you will still also learn what normal kids learn. Can't cease your education. You will spend most of your time here and in the training rooms," he told me.

I nodded and allowed him to lead me through the next hall. We completely bypassed a wing that seemed to be nearly empty. The only people walking down that hall were in lab coats. "What's in that wing?" I asked William.

He glanced up and I watched as his eyebrows knitted. "Cryogenic chambers and electromagnetic tubes. All experimental. Not to worry about anything down there. It's all still in testing phase. Not approved for human use. I won't be expecting to use any of that for years. You'll probably be gone by then," he told me. I turned a suspicious gaze on William, who smiled at me. "Out in the real world I mean! Do you feel better in new clothes?" William asked me as we made our way to his office.

"Yes. Thank you," I added, remembering the manners that Mrs. Rogers had told me were so important. "It was getting a little tiring being in the same clothes for three days," I told him.

William let out a small chuckle and gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Victoria. I would have stopped to let you shower and change at a hotel, or even at a store, but we couldn't risk you being seen. Not after what happened to those boys in the alleyway," he explained.

I understood that. I was a wanted criminal. They thought that I had died years ago but after my attack on Johnathan and his cronies they might be out looking for me again. "Major-"

"William, dear," he interrupted me. "I thought that I insisted."

It seemed odd calling an adult by their first name. At least out loud. "William..." I muttered. The name seemed strange on my tongue. "Can I ask you something?" I asked him. He nodded at me. "Why did you decide to get involved in mutation? I mean, no one knows about it. You said so yourself. So why did you?" I asked.

William gave me a fond smile. "You are extraordinarily observant for someone only fourteen," he told me. I shrugged. He wasn't wrong. "I was assigned as the personal bodyguard to Bolivar Trask. He isn't important." I got the strangest feeling that he was. But I decided not to push. "One day our helicopter was brought down by someone. But they were so strange. They were flying. I couldn't believe my eyes. So I continued to protect Trask while hunting down what it was that I had seen. I found the mutant years later, after I had left the service of Trask. I was afraid at first. I nearly killed the mutant, and they, me. But we stopped and spoke. I learned to become friends. He told me about the mutants and what they were. After a time we decided to start the Chi Protocol. To train and protect mutants, just like yourself."

That was impressive that he spent so long trying to find someone like that. Most people would think that they had just seen something and forget about it. "And where is this mutant?" I asked.

A forlorn look fell over William's face. "Gone. He... is a good man. He wanted to move on to bigger and better things. He wanted to open a school or something like that. Another place to train mutants and teach them. But he wanted a place in the public eye," he told me.

I nodded. He wanted people like me to be out in the open. It seemed that William wasn't ready for something like that just yet. "And yourself?"

William grinned at me. "One day the world will be ready for mutants to be out in the open. That day has not yet come." I nodded as we stopped in front of a wooden door. It was the only door that I had seen that wasn't steel. "In here, Victoria. This is my office. You're more than welcome to come in here anytime. I spend most of my time in here. Other offices are down the hall. Do not go into them without permission," he warned.

It was just like the way that our teachers wouldn't let us near their desks without permission. "Alright," I said as we walked in. It looked so much warmer in here. The walls were a deep green and the furnishings were all leather. I took a seat in one of the oversized chairs as William took a seat in the chair behind his desk. He pulled out a silver platter and handed me a small cup. There was some hot tea in it. "Tea? I thought that tea was mostly a European thing," I said softly.

"It is. But I've always found it rather soothing. Especially for this conversation. I have it with all of my new recruits," he told me. I cocked my head at him as I took a sip. William looked like he was about to stop me but he settled in once I took the drink. I assumed that the drink was probably scalding hot for him. He laughed and settled back into his chair. "I need you to tell me exactly what it is that you can do. It's how I'll be able to put together a routine for you. It's how I can find teachers for you too," he explained.

The problem was I didn't know everything that I could do. Some things I wasn't so good with. Others I could do without even thinking about. "I don't know the full extent," I told William.

William gave me a small smile. "That's alright. Most don't know the full extent when they come here. In time you'll learn exactly what you can do. You'll develop new mutations, hopefully, and we will teach you to control the existing ones," he told me.

I nodded and took a deep breath. I would try to explain everything to the best of my ability. Might as well start with the easy ones. "Hydrokinesis. The ability to control and manipulate water," I told him.

William raised his eyebrow. "Are you any good with it?" He asked.

I shook my head. I wasn't awful but I certainly wasn't that good. "Not really. I can make water bubble by looking at it and I can make ripples in the sink and bathtub. That's about the extent of it." William nodded for me to continue. "Aerokinesis. Geokinesis. Pyrokinesis. Air. Earth. Fire," I explained.

His eyebrows raised. That seemed to have caught his attention. "Rare to have all four," he told me. Was it really? "Atmoskinesis." I nodded at him. "Are you any good with any of them?" He asked.

I shrugged my shoulders as I took another drink of the tea. "Not with air or earth. I can toss a pebble a few feet when I'm calm. Tilt a small boulder when I'm angry. I can whip winds slightly and spin a tiny tornado." I supposed that it was impressive for someone that couldn't do anything more than the average person. "But fire... fire I'm good with," I said with a smirk.

It was one of the things that I was incredibly proud of. "How good?" William asked me.

I gave a small shrug. I thought that I was good but I was sure that someone else who could do it would laugh at me. "I'll probably get better with time. Like you said. Right now I can light my hands on fire without thinking about it. They can spark slightly towards an attacker but that's about the extent," I told him.

He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Show me," he told me. I nodded and dropped the tea cup before turning to the side. The wave of heat traveled from my chest to my shoulder and down my arms before settling in my hands. I bunched my fists together for a moment before releasing them. An explosion of fire covered my hands up to my wrist, the flames licking over the air. I sent out a few sparks before bunching my hands together once more, putting the fire out. William was watching me with a pleased smile. "That is very impressive for someone with no formal training. We'll help you make it stronger. All of them. Anything else?" He asked me.

"I'm just getting started," I told him. He looked pleased with that answer. "Electrokinesis," I told him.

William nodded at me. "You can control electricity. Bend and manipulate it at will, also stealing it from outer sources." I nodded back at him. "I saw you do it the other day in the truck. When it stalled the engine was stronger than I'd ever seen it before when you helped me jump it. You must be good with it," he assumed.

He was assuming correctly. "I am. It's one of my best and strongest mutations." William looked pleased to hear that too. "I suppose I have the normal mutations. The ones that you said were common. Enhanced speed, strength, and flexibility. I have better sight and hearing than the average person. My brain functions like a computer. It's what makes me so intelligent and observant," I told him.

William nodded at me with a pleased smile. "Yes I had a feeling that there was something about your brain. You don't speak or act the way that any rational girl in your place would. They would have panicked and fallen the moment that those boys attacked you." I nodded my agreement. "Go on, Victoria. I do enjoy this conversation the most," he told me.

"Telepathy," I answered simply.

He gave me a small nod. "I'd heard that you could do that," he said. "You need to practice. A controlled mind will notice the moment that you try to read or control theirs," he told me.

I nodded automatically before I realized just what it was that William had just said. Reading minds was something that I was always good with. But controlling them? I had no idea that I could do something like that. "Control?" I asked dumbly.

"Yes," William answered me. "Telepathy is not just about being able to read someone's mind. With practice you'll be able to control their minds too. You could order them to do anything that they wanted," he told me.

We were silent for a moment as I thought about what he had said. He said that telepathy was common in the highest level of mutants. Was there a chance that I could be that strong? Was there a chance that the people who had feared me really had a reason to fear me? "You said earlier that telepathy is a common feature of Omega level mutants," I said softly.

William nodded at me once more. "It is. But that doesn't mean that all are telepaths. And there are many telepaths that do not fall under that category." I nodded at him. There was no way that I was that strong. I wasn't that strong. Women couldn't be that strong. "Plus, Omega level mutants must be able to change their physical form. Can you?" He asked me.

I shook my head at him. Perhaps I could but I was pretty sure that I didn't think that I could. "I don't think so. I can create force fields. They usually flicker and can't hold for more than a hard punch but I can make them. They're weak and they usually only come when I'm afraid," I told him.

He nodded. "Is that everything?" He asked me. No. I nodded anyways. William seemed to know that I was lying to him. "Victoria, I want us to be friends. I think that we can be friends. But the one way that we become friends is if you are completely honest and open with me. There's another mutation that you have, isn't there? It's been a rumor since everything that happened with your parents," he said softly.

I knew that he was trying to get me to tell him the truth without making me angry. After a moment I nodded at him. "I didn't know anyone knew the truth to that night. But it is the truth. I know that so many people don't even believe that it's real. But it is. I have it inside of me. Chronicle." A little breath left William's chest at my words. "Not a single drop of blood runs through my veins. It's all Chronicle. Nothing will ever hurt me. I'll heal from any injury," I told him honestly.

He could help me. He had to help me. I needed someone to be on my side. "Chronicle," William said at barely over a whisper. "Such a rare substance. What do you know about it?" He asked me.

Not much. "Only what I've learned from myself. Just that it assists in healing factors and no one in the world seems to have heard of it. Only a very select few scientists I wrote to through the years," I told him.

"The world shouldn't know about it. You would be hunted down and dismembered if they found out that Chronicle ran through your veins." Well dismemberment was not in my plans. "It's rare. I don't know an immense amount about it but I'll tell you all that I do know. Chronicle is rare. Extremely rare considering it only exists on this planet in laboratories. Even the scientists that work at those laboratories have no clue how it got there. There were rumors once that it was only found on other planets. Of course we can't confirm that given we can't travel to other planets," William told me.

An alien substance that no one knew how had ended up on Earth. "There's less than a milliliter of Chronicle on this planet. Except for the Chronicle that runs in my veins. It's pure, not diluted by blood. Because I don't have blood. My parents had scientists run the tests. They were friends. They swore to never tell anyone what I was. There isn't a drop of blood in me. It's all Chronicle," I told William softly.

He let out a deep breath. "It's why the men were after you all of those years ago," he told me and I nodded. "One of the less loyal scientists found out that you had a nearly abundant amount of the world's rarest substance," he told me.

It was the only thing that had ever made sense to me over these years. The only way that people outside of the ones that my family trusted had found out about me. "Yes. I believe so. I'd been in hiding up until... I was safe until my parents died. It brought attention to me and I ran. That was when Bucky and Steve took me in," I told William.

He nodded at me and began to play with a small letter opener that was on his desk. "You were lucky that they were there for you," William told me. I nodded at him. I knew that I was. "Chronicle is a medicinal element. It has a healing factor greater than any medicine, today or at any point in the future. It could fix any cosmetic issue. From something as minor as a cut or bruise to something as severe as decapitation. As long as there is a drop of Chronicle and a tiny piece of you remaining, Chronicle can regenerate you," he told me.

My lord. Someone could cut my head off and I would still come back. "That's why I've never been injured. I've fallen from third and fourth story windows and I once dove off of a ten story cliff. I walked away from all of them uninjured," I told him.

"Exactly," William told me. "No injury will ever be able to slow you down. Now there is one problem with Chronicle. A problem that you've seemingly found a way past," he said. I nodded at him to continue and explain to me what he meant. "Chronicle is also a toxin."

There was no way that that made any sense. It didn't make any sense. "Toxin?" I asked. William nodded at me. He seemed to be waiting for me to process the information. "But that means that it would kill me," I said softly.

William nodded and put the tip of the letter opener to his thumb. "It's killed everyone else that's ever come into direct contact with it. It is a toxin to all plants and animals. It causes nearly immediate death. Six seconds is all that it takes for Chronicle to seep into the bloodstream and kill someone. Everyone is affected by it. Except for you," he said curiously.

"Why me?" I asked.

William merely shrugged. "Not a clue. There's no real reason. Sometimes that's the fascinating thing about mutants and their mutations is that you can't tell why they appear or where they came from. Victoria, this might seem like a strange request, and you do not if you don't want to, but take this knife. Make a tiny slice on the tip of your thumb. Just to see it. You don't-"

I cut him off before he could continue. I knew that he was going to say I didn't have to if I didn't want to. But the truth of the matter was that I had to. If I was going to make this transition it had to be all the way. I had to prove to him that I was really dedicated to this. "No. I do," I said softly. William nodded and handed me the letter opener.

I took it and placed the edge of the blade at the tip of my thumb. Without thinking about it I let the blade dig into the skin. I made a small slice a few inches wide before taking the knife away. It took a moment for the green substance to start leaking out of the tip of my thumb. Only a few beads came out before the wound began to stitch itself closed. A second later it was closed completely without a scar to prove that anything had ever happened. "I'll be damned. You really do have it. May I?" He asked.

He had his arm out towards me. I knew that he was asking if he could take my arm. I nodded and handed it to him. He took my wrist in his hand before grabbing the knife in his other hand. He placed the tip against the skin on my forearm and dug it in gently. Okay, if he wanted me to do that I could do it myself. And it hurt. "William you're hurting my arm. William, please let go," I asked when he didn't stop. He just dug in the knife harder. "William!" I shouted in a desperate attempt to get him to stop.

It was like he had left his own body and was in someone else's. Like he was watching this through a screen. "I have to see," William muttered under his breath.

He began to drag the knife down my arm, leaving a horrifically large gash in my arm. "Stryker!" I shouted. The pain was unbearable as he cut from my wrist all the way to my elbow. "Stop! Please stop! Stop! Let go of me! Get off! Ah! What- what are you doing? What have I done to you?" I asked him. "I thought that you wanted to help the mutants," I sobbed.

William cut a T-shaped section at the elbow and pulled the skin back. I shrieked in pain and watched in horror as the wound stitched itself back together. He grabbed me by the hair and lifted me from the chair. "Don't be a fool. The world will never want people like you in it. You're monsters. All of you. The story that I told you? A pleasant lie. Mutants killed my wife! And my son!" Oh my God. He didn't want to help me. He wanted to kill me. "That's why I started this program. This is not called the Chi Protocol. Welcome, Victoria Davies, to Weapon X," he snarled at me.

William's grip was tight on me as he led me out of the office and down a hallway that we hadn't been in before. "No. No. Let me go. I want to go home! Let me go!" I shouted. I needed to get out of here. I was trying to conjure any of my powers but I couldn't. I was too scared. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anything more than a spark to come out of my hands. "Let me go! Get the hell off of me!" I shouted as armored guards met us in the hallway. They each grabbed onto me and started shoving me down the hallway. My knees gave out but it didn't matter. They had no problem throwing me against a wall as they opened a door. My heart was thundering in my chest.

The fire finally erupted from my hands and I turned to burn the men. William walked past the guards. "If you want Steven Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes and their families to live I think you'll be cautious with what you do and say here," he told me. The fire went out at the sudden threat to the boys. The men shoved me into the dark room and I hit the stone floor with a grunt. It had nothing more than a tiny, and dirty, cot on the floor. In the corner was something akin to a bedpan. William stood over me and smirked. "Welcome to hell," he snarled before slamming the door shut and plunging me into the darkness.

What have I done?

Bucky's P.O.V.

Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were currently pacing Bucky's bedroom. They were both frantic about what had happened to Victoria. "Steve you have to see that something is weird about all of this. These jerks wind up in a hospital after they swear that Victoria attacked them. Victoria wouldn't hurt a fly. She was just on her way home. And now those boys are nearly dead and Victoria is missing," Bucky said.

He was more panicked than his friends. Steve just thought that something had happened to her and she was laying low for a few days. Bucky knew that something far more sinister had to have happened. Victoria always checked on them. She never went more than a day without talking to either one of them. "You think that they did something to her?" Steve asked.

Bucky knew that if something had happened to her it wasn't by them. Those boys were rotten and nasty but they weren't so bad that they would actually risk injuring Victoria. "Not them. I think that something else happened to them. Victoria would never do something like this. Just run away without another word. All of her things are back at our houses. No one has heard or seen anything from her in two days," Bucky told his best friend. "Something's wrong, Steve," he said.

They both knew that something was wrong but the question was what could they do to change that? They couldn't just check every house in Brooklyn. "So what do we do?" Steve asked. Bucky didn't have an answer. "Victoria disappeared without a trace. The cops are saying that there's no record of a Victoria Rogers. Of course not! She took my last name without making it legal. They won't find her. Wherever Vicky went, she wanted to disappear," Steve tried to reason with Bucky.

That was what hurt Bucky the most. She just got up and left without saying anything to him. He loved her. He thought that she loved him too. So why did she leave him? "But why wouldn't she tell us?" Bucky asked.

Despite the fact that Steve liked to pretend like he knew why Victoria had done what she had, he simply didn't. Nothing made sense to him. But he didn't want to tell Bucky that. He wanted to give his best friend some hope that she would be back. He wanted to imagine that she would be back. She was like his sister. "I don't know, Buck. But she left for a reason that she clearly didn't think that anyone else could know about. She loves us. Both of us. Just like we love her. She'll be back. She has to come back," Steve argued.

He hoped to God that he was right. And so did Bucky. "I hope you're right," Bucky muttered. She had to come back. That was his Vika out there somewhere. He couldn't stand not having her here with him. Come back to me, Vika.


	5. Chapter Five

October 21st, 1941  
Alberta, Canada

I was sound asleep. As sound asleep as I could possibly get. The nights here were harsh. Just about as harsh as the days were. I rarely got more than an hour or two of sleep. And that was for the past seven years. I never slept. I never ate. I barely was able to move without a harsh pain shooting through every inch of my body. Everything hurt. Moving hurt. Breathing hurt. Living hurt. I would pray to whatever God was out there to do something. Either get me out of this place or just kill me. I wanted to be put out of my misery.

And my misery continued with my morning wake-up call. A wave of icy cold water fell over my naked form. I had been curled up on the metal floor. I let out a soft cry and drove my head into the floor. My entire body was shaking with the sudden invasion of cold. It wasn't like this place was normally warm. It was always freezing. But I would always hate these mornings. The mornings that Stryker would come in and dump a bucket of ice water on me to wake me up. Mostly because he wanted to see if he could play to my weakness.

"Wake up, Victoria! We have a long day ahead of us," Stryker called to me. He was grinning down at me and I tried to curl in. I wanted to hide as much of myself as possible. He didn't deserve to see me.

At twenty-one I had developed slightly. My chest had come out to play slightly. Not that it ever mattered. Most days I spent in a lose jumpsuit so that I could do everything that Stryker had set aside for me to do that day. I had grown a little too .Not much though. Stryker barely kept me fed and the food that I did get was not exactly that for nourishment. So I mostly starved. Bones were sticking out of me everywhere. I couldn't really tell what else I looked like. I didn't have any mirrors in my room and I rarely got to bathe. Only once a month.

My body was shaking with the cold. I knew that Stryker was waiting to see if I would do it or not. I had to. As my nose began to run and my body began to convulse I knew that he had dropped the temperature further in the room than he normally did. The soft flames began to erupt around my arms and legs. A moment later the flames shot up, completely engulfing my body. Stryker watched, pleased that I had caved. The heat spread through my veins and over my skin. Once everything on me was dried I let the flames die down. My hair was still licking in flames slightly as Stryker took a step forward to me.

Pulling my legs up to try and cover myself, Stryker smirked down at me before leaning in front of me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to snap his neck or tear his eyes out. But I knew that I couldn't. I had learned my lesson. Stryker tossed down a beige jumpsuit at me and I grabbed it, throwing the jacket over my bare form. I left the pants off, determined not to attempt to stand until Stryker left. He nodded at me to put them on anyways. I weakly tried to stand, almost collapsing a few times. The entire time Stryker was watching me with a smile. Once I had managed to pull the jumpsuit pants on me, completely covering me, I was shoved into the wall by one of the guards.

Letting out a soft grunt, I spread my legs and arms so that they could check me over. They always did. They wanted to make sure that I hadn't managed to make any type of weapon on me. After they had completely looked me over they released me. I stumbled back as they shoved me towards Stryker. He caught me as my head began to spin. I couldn't even remember the last time that I had eaten. Stryker liked to let me starve to see if my powers would be any stronger with the promise of food.

He caught me and grinned down at me. "Come on. I think you've earned a real breakfast," he told me. I had learned not to get excited by promises like this. I knew that he meant that he was just going to show me food and not let me eat it. He would, and he would keep it out of my reach. It was all just one cruel joke.

We were walked out of the room, guards on every side of me. They all had nanite guns in their hands. They held nanite bombs that would detonate if shot into me. It wouldn't kill me but it would hurt like hell. I had learned that a few years ago when I'd tried a very daring escape after William came to check on me. I'd electrocuted him and ran. I made it through the halls, taking down soldier after soldier. But Stryker and his team were faster than I was. They had caught me in a hallway not far from the edge of the building. The men with guns had surrounded me and blasted me full of the nanite bombs.

It had hurt worse than anything else I'd ever felt before. The first of the bombs went into my leg. It completely broke apart my knee and tore it out of the socket. Another had gone into my neck, tearing through my vocal chords and jugular veins. A third had gone straight through my stomach. It had torn through the lining and scrambled my guts like eggs. The last had gone into my chest. It had separated the chambers of my heart. My entire body had been on fire, I couldn't breathe; I'd wanted to die. But after about five minutes I'd been back to normal.

As punishment for my daring escape Stryker had beaten me within an inch of my life before letting me heal myself, only to do it again. And again. And again. It was all as penance for the black scars that I'd left across his chest from the electrocution. I'd been tempted to do it again. But I hadn't. Because I knew, Stryker made it painfully clear, that no matter what I did I was going to be here for the rest of my life. Even if he died I knew that Stryker would never let me walk away from here. Not with everything that I knew. Not with the reasons that I had to come back.

It hadn't been the first of the cruel things that had happened to me in the past seven years. There were the smaller things that I had come to expect every day. The bucket of ice water that was dumped on me every morning, having to sleep without clothes, not even having a mattress to sleep on, having men kick me all day long while I was trying to train, and being practically starved to death. Some things were a little worse. The food that I did eat would have been rejected by a dog. Each day men would laugh and whistle when they saw my body in the morning. Stryker constantly held the fact that he knew about Bucky and Steve over my head. He knew that I wouldn't dare make any moves while they were alive.

Despite the fact that I hadn't seen either one of the boys in the seven years that I had been gone I still loved them. They were my best friends. Every once in a while I would try and slip into their minds. But they were far away. They were hard to find. I did get glimpses of their minds from time to time. Steve was apparently still the shrimp that he had always been. I could sometimes hear other people taunting him. But he still always stood up for himself. And he was still unable to make his way into the military. I knew he wanted to do it. Bucky was also thinking about joining the Army. I was proud of him. He seemed to have the occasional woman at his side. Each time I caught a glimpse of one of them my stomach gave a painful twist. There they were, having their lives, and here I was, wishing that mine would end.

It was mostly because of the few things that Stryker would do to me when I wasn't expecting it. He would do the occasional prank that seriously hurt. More than once he had threatened to take my limbs off. One time, he had. He'd cut off my thumb and watched as it regenerated. I'd screamed the entire time in pain. Regrowing a limb hurt. The day after my escape Stryker had come in with one of the nanite bombs and shot me in the face with it. I had gone blind, both of my eyes turning to mush. My teeth had been shot out and my cheek and jaw had both been broken. I'd cried and refused to leave my room for days. I'd never felt a pain like it before.

Once a month Stryker would take me into one of the chambers and drain the Chronicle from my body. He would leave just enough to keep me alive. For the next week or so I would be extremely weak as my body regenerated the element. I knew that they were using it to advance some type of medicine. They wouldn't tell me what. I knew that it had something to do with the hydro-chamber that Stryker had briefly told me about the first time that I had walked through these halls. I wished that I could go back and scream at myself to turn and run.

Besides the occasional prank or cruel joke my days were rather monotonous. But that didn't mean that they weren't torturous. I would be woken up at just after six in the morning by the bucket of ice cold water. Twice a week I would be taken to eat. The rest of the days I would go straight to training. The guards would stay with me all day and watch as I trained. Sometimes they would help with the demonstrations and other times they would let me work by myself. Sometimes they would hit or shoot me while I worked. It was their favorite game.

Usually Stryker would come in and watch me train. He spent about one day a week watching me. But he would come in and out. About once every other month he would actually watch me all day. He decided what I needed to work more on and what I had perfected. He always thought that I wasn't good enough. It would earn me a beating from my trainers. They would shout at me that I needed to learn more and pay closer attention. They were cruel. All of them. As long as I was still able to stand they thought that I wasn't doing enough.

As for the men that I had met my first day here, I hadn't seen any of them over the last seven years. I wasn't sure why at first. I had thought that they were going to be my trainers. But they were kept on the civilized part of the building. That was the side that Stryker had first shown me. I lived on the side where people were beaten to death every day. We were kept secret from most of the compound. The men that I had been introduced with worked on the away team. They fought in missions to defend the country. They had been told that I had decided that I wanted to leave. More than once I had tried to slip into their minds but they were well trained. I couldn't do it.

My training day was with the guards that liked nothing more than to watch me fail. They thought that it was hysterical watching me fall and nearly kill myself. They also liked to beat me when I didn't do enough. I would start my day with the Atmoskinesis training. The guards were extremely careful with me when I trained there. I would start with Hydrokinesis first. I was better with it but I still wasn't all that great. I could create waves that could probably drown a person but it wasn't like I could cause a tsunami. Aerokinesis would be after that. I had gotten much better than that. I could create swirls and columns of air that could lift my own body weight. I could fly.

It was one of my favorite things to do. I needed some more practice with it. I needed to learn to not be disrupted by other streams of air. It would mess up my flying pattern and cause me to go crashing into the stone floor. Geokinesis would be the next thing that I would train with. I still wasn't great with that. I could shift a small boulder when I was really trying and could move a large one on occasion. That was about it. It usually got me a good beating because I wasn't better with it.

Pyrokinesis would be the last thing that I would work with in that section. It was one of my favorite things to work with. I could erupt my entire body into flames now without even thinking about it. My flames could shoot out of my hands about six to seven feet now. I was getting good with weaponizing the power. I had once been in the middle of a demonstration with a guard for Stryker when I'd accidentally really burned him. The man had given me a punishment of staying under the water for two minutes.

Despite the fact that I had Hydrokinesis it didn't mean that I could keep from drowning. I had tried to move the water out of the way but I wasn't good enough. Especially not without oxygen getting to my brain. At a minute and a half my heart had stopped beating and my lungs had shut down. When the man had pulled me from the water I'd been dead. The Chronicle had restarted my system a few minutes later. I'd been rewarded for surviving the drowning by being forced to go an entire week without food.

After my demonstration with Atmoskinesis we would move to Electrokinesis. Like my ability to warp fire, I had gotten extremely good with my ability to manipulate and create electricity and lightning. I could bring the electric current through the veins in my arm and warp them to the surface. I could throw the shocks as far as I cared. The most I'd been able to do was forty feet. I could throw balls of lightning at targets twenty-five feet away and hit them in the center. I could destroy lighting panels and electrocute a person without thinking about it. On Stryker's order I had been forced to electrocute another mutant a few years ago.

To this day I still wasn't sure if he had lived or not. He'd been drooling and passed out when he'd left the room. I had almost cried. I couldn't believe what I had done to another person. The other mutations that I would work with in the mornings were the smaller and more common ones. I would run on the track until my legs gave out. I had to beat my mile time each time I ran it. If I didn't I would usually get the Achilles tendon in my heel severed while I was sleeping. I would be in excruciating pain until it healed a minute later. Every day I would lift or throw trucks and other large objects to show my improving strength. Visual and audio tests were given to me once a week. I would also do an academic study once a week to see if my brain was still healthy enough to function in every way.

At that point I would be forced to watch as the normal workers in the Weapon X Program ate lunch. I would stand in the box above the rest of them and watch, starving and tired. They would always like to laugh and walk by me with their scraps of food, showing me just how close I was to food and how beaten down I was. They would throw away large chunks of their food just to laugh at the look on my face. It killed me with how much food they wasted. And I wasn't allowed to touch a tiny bit of it.

Once they were done laughing at the fact that I was slowly starving to death over and over again I would be forced back into the training room. The first thing that they would have me do was work on the telepathy. I had gotten much better with it. I could read minds almost without thinking. Some were still harder than the others. And I had also learned to control minds. Under close watch by the guards. I had once tried to order a guard to kill himself. It had almost worked if I hadn't been shot in the stomach before I could make him do it. I was almost glad that I hadn't. When I'd read his mind another day I'd discovered that he had a wife and daughter. I wasn't sure if I hated him or not. He had a family. But how could he have a daughter and yet treat me the way that he did?

We always spent a long time training me on telepathy. Once we would leave that area of the training rooms we would move to where I could make force fields. That was normally where I got the most injuries. We would test my force fields against everything. Sometimes it was easy ones. A man would try to punch the force field or they would shoot it with a smaller handgun. The worst times was when they would use high-powered rifles or attacks with heavier weapons. It got hard to hold up and if I dropped the shield I would get hit instead.

The last thing that I would do for the day was both weapon and physical training. I would learn to shoot guns and throw knives. I was good with both considering my enhanced eyesight. That didn't mean that when I wasn't moving fast enough I wouldn't get shot in the foot by one of the guards. I also did physical training where I would learn to fight in hand-to-hand combat. It was the one area where I could enjoy beating the life out of someone else. It was the one place where the trainers couldn't touch me. They would make up for the injuries that I gave them in there for the things that they would do to me during the next day or night.

Stryker walked us down the hallway that led to his room and shoved me into the office. I tripped over my feet slightly. My entire body was shaking. I wanted food. I needed it. We had to be getting close to the time that I was allowed to eat. He slammed down the reflective photo holder that he had on his desk and I sighed. In the seven years that I had been here I hadn't once seen myself in a mirror. Stryker wouldn't let me see myself. I was sure that it was something that he did for a reason but I couldn't figure out what that reason was. I was sure that I looked absolutely awful, considering all of the people that would laugh and point at me. I must have looked like I belonged in the woods.

He motioned for me to take a seat in one of the plush leather chairs and I did. Stryker had aged slightly over the years. He wasn't going completely grey just yet but he did have a few lines on his face. He was getting older. I wished that I knew what I looked like. He grabbed a glass bottle of amber liquid and began to pour it in a small glass. "I know what you're thinking, Victoria. I am a grifter. But see? I'm not. And I'm going to prove it to you by treating you the way that you deserve. Come on. You know you want some. Giggle Juice, good for the soul," he told me with a grin.

The last thing that I wanted was to share anything that he was drinking but I knew that it wasn't a question. So I took the glass from his outstretched hands. I knew that we were still in the days of prohibition, or at least I thought that we were, but I didn't care. So I took it and tilted the drink back. I had not been expecting the harsh taste. I'd taken a rather large mouthful and I coughed at the sudden burn, spitting it back out and putting the glass down. Stryker laughed and threw me a dirty rag.

"Look what you've done. You made a mess. Clean it up," he told me. I grabbed the rag and nodded at him, wiping over the wooden desk and cleaning off the spilled alcohol. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest. So loud that I was sure that he could hear it. My heart was beating at eighty-two beats per minute. I had to slow it down.

We sat together in silence after I had cleaned off the spilled drink. Stryker was leaning back in his chair, watching me. I stared down at my lap, knowing that it was a challenge. "How are you, Victoria? Been having a ring-a-ding-ding time?" He teased.

"I've been learning to hone my powers. It's been a blessing. Thank you," I told him softly. I had learned not to speak out against Stryker. It would earn me some form of punishment. He grinned at me and leaned forward in the chair. Today was going to be one of the days that he tried to bait me to see if he could get me to snap. It used to be harder. It was easier now.

He held out a small granola bar and I stared at it hungrily. I needed that. And Stryker knew that I did. "Come on, Victoria. Please tell me what you really think of this place," he told me, motioning around us.

My heart was still thumping in my chest. Ninety-six beats per minute. Too fast. Breathe... Seventy-one beats per minute. Breathe... Fifty-nine beats per minute. Better. "This place is quite something. It's tough. It's hard to live here. But I know that you are helping me. You're making me stronger. You're showing me the way that the rest of the world will treat me. Like I'm the monster that they say that I am. It's the way that I deserve to be treated. I have to learn how to hone my powers and learn my place," I told him automatically.

He grinned at me, satisfied with the answer that I had given him. It was the answer that I had learned placated him over the years. He liked knowing that he had broken me. "Good girl." Stryker tossed me the granola bar and I ate it quickly, half-choking it down. Saliva began to run down my face at the speed that I was eating it and I made sure to lick my hands clean, despite how disgustingly dirty they were from my nights on the floor. Stryker had watched me with a pleased grin the entire time. "Are you full now?" He asked me.

No. I was still starving and my stomach proved that by giving a soft rumble. Stryker must have heard it as he smirked. "Yes, William. Thank you," I told him softly. I was dying for another granola bar, or just a glass of water, anything.

He nodded and leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. "Today is going to be a training day. Tomorrow I'm giving you the day off." My eyebrows raised. He never gave me the day off. "We're going to be testing something. You aren't the only person to be going through it. But you are going to be the first," he told me with a devious grin.

"Aren't I lucky?" I snarled before I could stop myself. Every once in a while I let a comment like that fly and it never went over well for me. A soft blush filled my face as I turned back to Stryker. He was watching me through narrowed eyes.

He stood and walked to the front of the desk near where I was sitting. "What was that?" Stryker asked me. I shook my head, unable to find it in myself to actually say the words. He nodded at me with a grin. "Good. That's what I thought. Now why don't you go downstairs and head to the training rooms? I think it's about time for you to go to your trainers," he told me.

It sounded like it was suggestion but I knew that it was an order. "Yes sir," I told him before turning to leave. Stryker watched me leave and I could feel him lean back in his chair. Before I got too far I fell into his mind. He'd become much easier to read over the years. She'll die here. And I'll watch her go. Slow and painful. My hands shook and I felt the sparks on my fingertips as I walked through the halls.

Coming to stand in the first of the training rooms I was greeted with an empty room. I was almost grateful. I was terrified of my trainer for the Atmoskinesis. He was cruel. His name was Jefferson and he was well into his forties. Every time that he saw me I knew that he wanted to kill me. He hated me. He thought that I was unnatural. Of course most of the men that worked with me thought that I was unnatural. I was glad that he wasn't here. Just a moment alone that I wasn't trapped in that black hole that I called a room was a blessing. It was the highlight of my day. I couldn't even bathe without someone watching over. And I only got to bathe once every six months. It was disgusting.

The room that I was standing in was relatively simple. It was mostly just steel walls that were almost immovable and indestructible. We had separate rooms for me to go into to practice the Pyrokinesis. It was a fire-proof chamber that prevented me from melting the room. The walls were a deep grey and somewhat charred. We had quickly learned that I couldn't use Pyrokinesis in this room. I had nearly melted the walls. Somewhat that had been my fault. I'd been forced to help break down the walls and rebuild them; they hadn't given me food until I'd complied.

Taking the peace that I had for now I sat in the middle of the floor with my eyes closed. I was only left in peace for one minute and thirty-eight seconds before the metal door opened and slid shut with a loud clank. The deadbolt was thrown a moment later. I stayed in the middle of the floor with my eyes closed. The boots were stomping on the floor gently but I could hear them like thundering echoes in my mind. How about this? Kid ain't doing work. Might as well give her a good wake-up call.

I waited until Jefferson was at my side. He was holding a metal pipe, just over three feet long. I could feel the slightest change in the air in the room as he raised it. When he brought the pipe down to crack it over my head I turned back and grabbed it. Jefferson was staring at me with wide eyes as I grabbed the pipe tight in my hands and yanked it out of his grip. I threw it across the room, listening as it clattered against the far wall.

Jefferson was smirking at me. "Not a bad toss, kid. Come here," he said, motioning to the center of the room. I walked with him. He glanced up at the one-way mirror that we had security guards standing behind. We couldn't see them but they could see us. Jefferson turned to me briefly. "We are doing practical training today. One foot of water!" He called.

He was wearing water-proof boots, as were all of the other guards in the room. It made it so that they couldn't fall. The drain on the floor of the room closed and I watched as the vents on the side of the room began to pour water. My bare feet were hit by the icy water and I shivered, hating the feel of the cold water. The water must have been only around fifty degrees. The bottom of my torn fabric pants were quickly soaked as well. The water was just below my knees when it stopped and the vents were sealed once more.

My hands were twitching with anticipation to show Jefferson whatever version of my skill he wanted to see today. "Bring him forward!" He called to the other security guards that were watching, making sure that I didn't take it too hard on Jefferson.

They stepped aside to reveal a small boy. He couldn't have been much older than sixteen. He actually looked closer to maybe fifteen or fourteen. He was definitely a mutant. He had bright purple skin and seemed to be shriveling up at the cold water. Wherever he was from, he clearly wasn't used to this weather. I didn't blame him. It was horrible. He was wearing the same type of jumpsuit that I was wearing and I watched as the guards threw him to the ground. He splashed roughly in the water and my fingers twitched at the sight. I wanted to go and help him but I knew that I couldn't. Not without getting myself some type of punishment.

The boy stood upright, now completely drenched. His previously blue eyes had turned nearly white. He was cold. It was almost like he was some type of amphibious mutant. "What d-do y-y-you w-want f-fr-from m-me?" He asked the guards slowly. His teeth were chattering and he was curled in on himself from the cold water that was soaking his bones.

Jefferson took a step backwards and smiled at the boy. "I want you to die." My heart sank into my stomach. I didn't need to be a telepath to know what was coming next. "Victoria. Show me what you've learned. Kill him. Drown him," Jefferson sneered. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. He was a kid. He was scared. He didn't deserve to die. Tears were brimming in his eyes. "What the hell did I just say? Do it! You think that James and Steven still live in that little apartment complex? Do you want me to find out?" He asked me with a sneer.

For once I felt my backbone straighten rather than cave in. He would not kill Steve or Bucky. Not on my watch. And damn what they did to me. I was not going to kill this kid. So I stepped in between him and my trainer. "Jefferson, he is a kid. I'm not going to kill him. Anything else. You can try to drown me again. I know that you like watching that. Just let him go. He hasn't done anything wrong. Kid, are you alright?" I asked him.

He never got the chance to answer. Jefferson stepped in front of us and raised his gun at me. More appropriately, my forehead. "Do. It. Now," he seethed. I stared at him, not moving from my spot in front of the kid.

Jefferson took the sign of rebellion about as well as I had expected he would. He pulled the trigger on the gun and my mind went blank. I fell backwards but never felt the cold water. Not until a few seconds later when the bullet had been kicked out of my head and sank to the bottom of the steel room and the wound had closed itself off. My head was throbbing softly in pain as I brought myself to stand up. Like the kid, I was now completely soaked. The water had become slightly green-tinged from the Chronicle that had escaped my head when the bullet had gone in. When I stood a quick spell of dizziness hit me before I straightened up.

The kid was looking at me like I had grown another head. Sort of true. Jefferson stormed up to me and grabbed me by the collar, shoving me back into the steel wall. A moment later he shoved me down to the water, holding me under. I could just barely hear him through the water. "You listen to me! Kill him," Jefferson ordered.

He let me up and I barely managed to stand with all of the water weighing me down. The one granola bar wasn't enough for me to have to be dealing with this. I shook my head at Jefferson, who in turn raised the gun and shot at my knee. The bones crunched together and broke apart and I dropped down onto my uninjured knee. I cried out in pain and whimpered as the bones began to seal together once more. Jefferson was still giving me a challenging glare. I stood upright and glared back at him. I will not kill him. This time Jefferson shot at my chest. My heart went into cardiac arrest and I dropped onto my hands and knees, groaning in pain and gasping for breath. It took me just under a minute to regenerate my heart and kick the bullet out of my chest.

Once more Jefferson gave me a challenging glare and once more I matched him. Chronicle was staining the beige jumpsuit that I was wearing and slowly filling the water. I prayed that one of them had an open wound. After a few moments I stood upright once more and waited. The kid was staring at me with a grateful smile. "You'll regret that," Jefferson told me.

There was nothing that they could do to me that they hadn't done before. That was until I heard his thoughts. I'll do it. "No!" I shouted, but I was too late. The bullet shot from the pistol and I watched as it flew into the kid's head. He dropped to the water and I waited an agonizing three and a half minutes for the kid to regenerate. But he never did. It wasn't one of his mutations. He merely floated in the water as a corpse. Jefferson motioned for his men to grab the body and I watched with a heavy heart as they brought his body into the corner of the room.

Jefferson waded through the water and walked over to me. He gave me a sharp grin as he walked by me. "Clean the blood from the water. You're free to go afterwards," he told me. I nodded dumbly.

Waving my hands over the bloody water I tried to remember that it wasn't my fault. I hadn't killed him. And maybe it was better that they had killed me. He would never have to know the torture that I had known, living here. It was horrible. Sometimes I begged for death in my dreams. Maybe it was the best that he had died. And a bullet to the brain had to be less painful than drowning him, which was what Jefferson had wanted me to do. I couldn't let this weigh on me. Not with everything else that I couldn't stop thinking about. The pain that I went through every day, the fact that I might never get out again, and the loss of both Bucky and Steve.

More than anything I missed my friends. I hated that they thought that I had left without telling them. I hadn't. I wanted to scream to the Heaven's and tell them that I hadn't left them. That I had been forced to stay here. I had always intended to get back to them. My hands went in an upwards motion and I swept the blood from the water. It came up in a bubble of blood with a tiny bit of water and I floated it over to where Jefferson was standing. I was fighting back tears at the thought that they were slaughtering mutants all over the world. The only reason that I was still alive was because of the Chronicle that was in my veins. They needed to know how to harness it.

Jefferson held out a bucket and I let the blood drop in. A few droplets came up to splash on my jumpsuit. He grabbed the bucket and placed it behind his back. "Leave. Go to your next trainer," he snarled at me. I didn't bother saying anything. I just nodded.

The water began to drain from the room and I waited for the minute that it took for the room to drain. Once it had Jefferson left the room, snapping at the guards to take the body of the young mutant with them. I dropped to the somewhat damp ground and sighed deeply into my hands. The door closed behind them and I heard the deadbolt throw. I'd never really seen a man die in front of me. Especially not a kid. It wasn't me that had done it but it still felt like it was my fault. Tears were brimming on the edge of my eyes but I sniffled and shook my head. They were not going to see me like this. I had to be strong. I had to be. Because I had to get out of here. It wasn't an option anymore.

Mere minutes after Jefferson and his men had walked out of the room the door was opened once more. It was another one of my least favorite trainers. It was a man very similar to Jefferson. His name was James. He was a slightly younger man, probably in his early thirties. He enjoyed watching me hurt myself but to his credit he rarely used firearms to hurt me. Instead he did things to make me hurt myself. He was holding out a file as he walked into the room. He motioned for the guards to close the door behind us and they nodded, doing so.

The deadbolt on the door was thrown once more and I rose to my feet. James stared at me for a moment and nodded, going back to his clipboard. "You know what to do. Get to it," he snapped at me. I would rather hear the harsh orders than have him beat me or tease me like Jefferson did so I nodded and walked into the corner of the room.

One of the guards stood in the corner of the room with me. I conjured the strong winds and willed them to whip around my legs. The small tornado began to spin up around me and I felt my legs lift off of the ground. I shot up with a boost of air from my hands and shot to the ceiling. The training room that I used for the Atmoskinesis was well over seven stories tall. I flew up to the top and held where I was. The tornado fell from around my hips and I instead knelt on my knees, wind columns whipping underneath my knees. It was able to keep me upright near the ceiling. I let a small smile cross over my face. This was the one time of training that I felt genuinely good.

It felt like when I was up here I didn't have to think about the rest of the world. I was free. I didn't have men trying to cut me open and use me for their experiments. It felt like I was a bird. It felt like I could fly away and go see Steve and Bucky. I wished that they could see this. I could take them with me and show them what it was like to really fly. I could scare the hell out of them. Steve hated heights. It would be hysterical. Bucky was more adventurous. But I would love to see the look on his face if I dropped him and went to go catch him before he splattered against the ground.

It would be payback for all of the times when we were younger that he would give me a wake-up call in the mornings. Of course I would never complain about the way that I was woken up again after the way that Stryker and his men woke me up. My happy thoughts of Bucky and Steve were interrupted when a sharp pain shot through my ankle. My focus dropped, and with it, my air columns. I went plummeting to the ground and before I could bring up another column of wind to stop myself I slammed into the steel ground with my arm out.

On impact I felt the bones in my wrist shatter and the same with the bones in my forearm. Two comminuted fractures in the left ulna. Fracture of the T7 thoracic vertebrae. Partial paralysis. My entire body gave a soft shutter as the Chronicle began to seep its way through my bones, rearranging the T7 vertebrae and sealing the fractures in my forearm. I'd landed in an awkward sprawl, which had resulted in the fractures. My spine straightened itself out and I looked down to my ankle to see a bullet wound closing up. The bullet itself was laying a few inches to the right, Chronicle covering the metal surface.

James was standing over me with a cruel grin. So much for not using firearms. My hands shook slightly as I came back to a stand. Every time I had to regrow a bone or pop it back into place I felt weaker. Like it might pop back out at the slightest movement. "No daydreaming. Back to it," James snarled at me. I rolled my eyes but conjured the wind once more.

An air column lifted me up and I rose to the top corner of the room where a few goalpost type circles were laid out. This was the one 'game' that the workers would let me play. They typically threw rocks or something of the sort up at me and the challenge was that I could only use wind columns to blast the rocks away. It was actually reasonably fun. That was until I was clocked in the face with a larger rock or we decided to do time tests. Those were a whole other set of problems.

James motioned for men with slingshots to stand at intervals around the room. Some were rather close to me. Others were on the other side of the training room. James held a whistle dangling limply in his mouth and shouted for me to get into position. My hands had small streams of air blowing around them as the whistle was blown. A man right underneath me threw the rock straight up at me. A wind column downwards sent it careening back through the steel floor. Another man shot one towards the rightmost goal. I sent out a small stream that blew the rock slightly off course, just enough to send it into the wall. A third and fourth rock were sent at the same time. I was able to send an air column to block the third rock from its target. For the fourth rock I sent myself forward with an air stream and grabbed it just before it hit the target. My hands were cut up from the rock and I hissed in pain as I dropped it.

A fifth rock was sent towards my head after that. I raised my right arm and threw it back outwards, sending the rock flying towards the other wall. It hit and stuck. Three rocks were then sent at the same time. You don't have enough time to block all three separately. In a sudden desperation I began to create a small stream of wind, circling it around myself. I waited until the rocks were within a foot of me to send the blast of air outwards. It flew out and the rocks all began to fly back against the wall. The stream was so powerful, more than I had ever managed, that a few of the guards were blown off of their feet. James managed to steady himself at the last moment.

He motioned me downwards and I did so. I dropped with my stream of air until I was about a story and a half off of the ground. Once I knew that I wouldn't seriously hurt myself I let the air columns drop to the ground and I dropped. My feet hit the ground first and I tucked into a roll, bouncing back up immediately after. James was standing over me and watching with a deep glare. I had a bad feeling that my stunt with the air blast was going to cost me dearly. Especially since he had almost fallen.

"Move out!" James shouted to his men. They all did and I watched as the targets began to sink back into the walls. Somehow I had gotten away without any more trouble. I let out a deep breath.

The door was slammed shut behind James and I sat in silence. The next trainer was the one that I looked forward to the most. He was by no means a nice man but he was better than most of the others that I had to deal with. He never said anything to me. Not since I had learned what he wanted me to do. He never hit me or shot me or laughed at me. He just watched me. From time to time he would give me a pointer or shout at me to move faster. But overall he was a halfway decent man. He was better than James of Jefferson. His name was Allan.

My feet were curled underneath me as I counted and waited for Allan to make his way into the room. Forty-one minutes and nineteen seconds. That was how long passed before Allan walked into the room. He motioned for me to stand and I did so. He cracked his knuckles and motioned for me to stand in the center of the room. I nodded and watched as a piece of the floor separated. From the opening in the floor a medium-sized boulder rose up. The doors shut when it had seated itself in the center of the room.

I groaned and took a step forward. I could never move boulders this big. I was absolutely pathetic with Geokinesis. My hands bundled together as I faced the rock, willing it to move. I tried everything. I tried being happy, I tried being angry, I tried being sad, I tried getting excited, and I tried being emotionless. The farthest that I got the boulder to move was about two inches. And that had taken me well over thirty seconds just to make it budge. My head was pounding and sweat was trailing down my face. It took a lot of effort.

Nothing that I was trying was working. I was convinced that I would never be able to move the damn thing. But I remembered something that Allan had once told me. Think of yourself as light as a feather, like when you fly. Imagine that the boulder is the same way. The only time I could remember myself feeling as light as a feather was when I was with Steve and Bucky. So I closed my eyes and remembered.

Bucky and Steve followed closely behind me. Tears were streaming down my face as I tripped over a few of the broken parts of the sidewalk that led back to our homes. The bottom of my school skirt was torn slightly. Johnathan and his friends had spent years making fun of me. I was twelve. I was used to it. But today they had taken it too far. Johnathan had tripped me while I was walking into the cafeteria, making me spill my lunch over myself. The water had spilled all over my white shirt, making it more than a little see-through.

Wet sock. Gadabout. Each one was worse than the last. I had run out of the lunchroom just in time to not let them see my tears. I was sure that Mrs. Rogers would get a letter later about how I had left school before the end of the day. I couldn't bring myself to care. "Buck, give her some time," I could hear Steve arguing in the background.

"No!" He shouted at Steve before running up to where I stood. He caught me around the wrist and I yanked away. "Vika, come on. Stop. Talk to us," Bucky pleaded with me. I ignored him and continued walking. "Vika, please."

My head whipped back to where Bucky stood. "Why? I'm a freak, Bucky! I always will be. They'll never let me join in with them. I'll never be one of them. I'm not normal. I've got yellow eyes! Who the hell has yellow eyes? No one. Just me. My parents didn't want me because I was a freak and they don't want to talk to me because I'm a freak."

Bucky walked up to me and grabbed my hand. "Who gives a rat's ass what they think? You're not a freak, Vika. You're a cool cat. We want you. I want you. That's all that matters. I love you, Vika." I stared at Bucky sadly. He would never love me. No one would. "Come on, say it back," he goaded.

Steve had now walked up to us and smiled at Bucky, poking me in the side of the face and tickling my sides. I laughed and shoved Bucky away from me. "I love you too, Buck. And Steve. I love you both.

"We love you, Vic. Always," Steve told me. Both boys brought me into a hug and I laughed into their chests.

Later that night I was curled up on Bucky's couch. Steve wasn't feeling well, as per usual, so he had gone to bed early. Bucky's family was out shopping. One of his least favorite hobbies. So I had decided to stay in with Bucky for a while. Steve's parents were already asleep so they couldn't yell at me to come home. My head was curled up in his lap, which I knew was highly inappropriate, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "Bucky?" I called up to him. He hummed a response. "Promise me you'll never leave me."

He looked down at me, slightly surprised at my words. "Never," he promised. I let my mind briefly slip into his. Never, Vika. I love you.

"Victoria. Open your eyes." I hadn't thought about that memory in so long. It almost felt like a distant dream now. My eyes sprung open and I saw what Allan was telling me to open my eyes for. There, right in front of me, was the boulder. The three hundred pound boulder was floating in front of me, about two feet off of the ground. I had never managed to lift a boulder that size.

A tiny bit of pride bubbled up in my chest but at the loss of the memory of Bucky and Steve it went plummeting to the ground. It hit the ground with a loud bang and a small dent formed in the metal floor. Allan gave me a small nod and whistled for the floor to open. Guns were trained on me to make sure that I didn't attempt to escape. I watched as the boulder was brought back under the ground and I sighed. There went my only chance of escape. But I knew that I had to get out of here. I would get out of here. Something had sparked in me. Something had sparked in the back of my mind that forced my feet into action. No more lying down and taking it like a dead dog.

Allan nodded at me as he turned to leave and I turned with him. I knew what he was telling me to do. He was telling me that it was time for me to leave the room. Pyrokinesis would be next. But I couldn't go in this room. We had tried it once. There were still scorch marks all over the walls from a few accidental misfires. I had nearly paid for those with my life. A few of the guards stood on each side of me, all with nanite bombs loaded into their guns. Two were in front of me, three on each side, and four behind me.

It was to make sure that I was outgunned. I knew that if I tried hard enough I could kill them all. But there would always be more. I had tried escaping more than once. It never worked. If I wanted to get out of here I would need another person. The prisoners were always kept apart and I really didn't know where anyone else was kept. Right now was not the right chance for me to escape. There would be a time. But this wasn't it. I just had to bide my time. Obey by their rules and wait. If this place had taught me one thing it was patience.

The guards stopped in front of the room that I always used and I nodded, waiting for the door to open. It did and I walked in. There were already two guards, both wearing fire-retardant suits. Since I had accidentally burned a few guards they always wore these suits. The door slammed shut behind me and I looked around myself. The room was very similar to the one that I trained in the rest of the time.

The main difference was the walls. Instead of being a dark grey steel, they were black. Fire-retardant paint was coating the walls. There were four layers on each wall. Six on the back wall, since that was where most of the fireballs went. The floor was the same type of paint but it only had one layer on it. There were targets all along the back wall. Each one was singed. The entire wall had singe marks around it. There were lines on the floor back where I was standing. Each one was five feet apart. The back one near where I was standing was seventy-five feet away from the targets.

Markham, the man that watched over the Pyrokinesis lessons, walked into the room. He rarely actually said anything to me. I had a feeling that he was afraid that I would light him on fire. After all, this was the one room that I was allowed to use it. I would be shot with the nanite bombs if I used it anywhere else. Markham nodded at the thirty foot marker and I walked up to it, facing the targets. My hands were shaking and I could have sworn that the targets were farther away today than they normally were.

The first thing that he wanted to see was the same thing that he always wanted to see. He wanted to make sure that I could still manage to control turning the power on and off. It could become dangerous if I couldn't. "On!" He shouted.

The flames filled the veins in my arms. Underneath my skin was a gentle yellow glow. It filled through my veins before beginning to spark out of my fingers. I felt the flames seep from the inside of my veins to the underside of my skin. The flames began to seep through the skin in my arms before erupting over the surface. The warmth from the flames felt like nothing more than a small tickle as they spread over my stomach, back, and legs. The flames covered my face and highlighted my hair. It felt like I was looking through an orange screen as I saw the flames that had once been my hair whip back and forth. It was the one time that I felt clean.

It was also the only time that I felt powerful. I began to levitate off of the ground a few inches, an effect from the absence of oxygen and mass, as the flames whipped softly around my body. I wished that there was a mirror. I wanted to see myself. There was a beauty in the dangerous force of fire. "Off!" Markham shouted over the roar of the flames.

Bringing them down was much easier than starting them. With the snap of my arms the flames faded and I dropped back to the ground. My body was unharmed. There was no evidence that I had just been on fire. Markham nodded and shoved me forward. My feet tripped over each other and I stared at him, waiting for his instructions. "Flame whips. Now," he growled at me.

Nodding once more I walked over to the far corner of the room where a dummy was set up. It was a new one every day. They were always destroyed. I stood back about ten feet from the dummy and crossed my arms over each other. The flames shot up with a loud roar. They were rising about a foot off of my arms, licking at the corner of my neck. With a snap of my arms downward, streams, almost like whips, of flames erupted from the end of my hands. I turned towards the dummy and flung my right arm outward. The flame soared across the chest of the dummy, singing it. The entire chest was blackened. With another flick of my left arm the flame shot out across the neck of the dummy, decapitating it.

The head rolled off of the dummy but for good measure I dropped onto my knees, swinging both arms outward. Two flames shot out, one from each hand, and severed the legs of the dummy at the knee. The torso and thighs of the dummy fell to the ground as the shins remained standing on the ground. The flames came back to my arms, still roaring over any other noise in the room. A moment later I let them sink back to my hands. They were the only flames left. The seemed almost gentle compared to the flame whips from before.

Markham motioned me back to the thirty foot line and I stood there, aiming for the center target. There were five lined up. The flames balled in my hands and I formed a small fireball. I waited a moment before stepping backwards and throwing the fireball. It hit the farthest right target. It blew off the left corner. I groaned at myself. My aim was not that fantastic. One of the guards snorted and I huffed, moving back to the forty foot line. The flames balled in my hands once more and I focused. I felt it buzzing with energy before stepping back once more and throwing. It hit the next target over. But just barely. It skimmed over the top, destroying the top corner of the target.

This time two guards laughed. Once more I let out a soft groan as I stepped back to the fifty foot line and aimed for the center target. The flame balled in my hands, licking over the edges of my fingers. It was dying for me to throw it. I took a step back and gave a false throw to the center. It would hit. It had to. I threw for real the second time and watched as the ball of fire dropped to the ground, exploding before hitting the target. Even Markham couldn't help but laugh that time. He motioned back to the sixty foot line where he was now standing and I took it, bringing the flames roaring over the middle of my forearm. Without aiming I threw it to the next target. I wasn't even close. I'd been so unfocused that it had gone straight into the far wall and exploded. The sparks had hit the guards.

It earned me a bullet in the back of the knee. I dropped to the ground in searing pain with my hands gripping desperately at the painted steel. The pain was overbearing. My eyes brimmed with tears. I love you, Vika. We love you, Vic. Always. Steve and Bucky's words in mind I stood, shaking the bullet from my knee. It dropped out and I stepped back to the seventy foot line, just one line off from the farthest away from the targets. I knew that the guards were laughing at me. They thought that I was going to miss it.

But I wasn't. Not this time. I let my eyes slip closed for a moment as I took in a breath. The flames erupted over my hands and I bunched them up softly, letting the flames begin to vibrate from the built-up energy. I imagined Bucky and Steve behind me, both cheering me on. I took a step back and looked down at the target. I let the formula for the arch of the flames develop in my mind before placing my arm over my head. With one more deep breath I raised my arm and threw the flame as hard as I could to the farthest target on the left.

Somehow it had hit the center. The first flame that I had thrown from over twenty feet away that actually hit the center. It hit the center of the target and I watched as the flames exploded. The target shattered into a million pieces, each one still on fire. Markham was staring at me like somehow I had done something wrong. Not like I had just done exactly what he had wanted me to do. He walked up to me and I waited for the berating to begin. I prepared myself to get shot in the stomach or heart, maybe even in the head.

But he just stared at me and nodded. "Keep practicing. Only one hit is pathetic. Get out," he snarled at me. I walked away without another word. It was better than having to pick bullets out of myself.

The guards that had been waiting outside all stood at attention as I walked out. They all motioned to me to begin walking and I followed, my legs becoming shaky now that the excitement of hitting the target had died down. I still couldn't believe that I had. It had only taken the thought of Steve and Bucky. As I walked back into the steel room that I normally trained in my legs began to give out. I needed to eat something. That granola bar had been the first thing that I'd eaten in well over a week.

We walked back into the room and I was shoved in. My legs gave out from under me and I collapsed, smacking my chin roughly on the ground. I groaned in pain and rolled over onto my back, unable to motivate myself to stand up once more. That was until I felt something had come down on my back. T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 vertebrae out of place. Sixth and seventh true ribs cracked. Complete paralysis. My entire body was still as the pain began to spread through my entire body. Just because someone was paralyzed didn't mean that they were immune to pain. My back was twinging as the vertebrae began to pop back into place, rearranging my spinal column and correcting the paralysis.

Once the vertebrae were back into place I weakly stood. My knee collapsed once or twice before I was able to face a guard with a mask on. He was carrying something akin to a battering ram. He had brought it down on my back. It had dislocated the vertebrae and cracked my ribs. The man who watched over me as I demonstrated my Electrokinesis was standing over me. Everett was well over a foot taller than me and loved to watch me hurt myself. I glared at him but made my way to stand away from him. I had learned enough to not interfere with his plans.

He walked over to me and towered over me. My feet were shaking slightly as I shuffled them together. "Do you have something to say to me?" He asked me. I knew that he was baiting me so I shook my head. "Good. Get to work!" He shouted.

Tearing away on my heels I walked over to the targets first. Like in the fire room, they were sitting on the other end of the room. The lightning was much more unpredictable than the fire. I stood with my legs apart leaned down slightly, bending my knees. The electricity began to run through my arms and I stomped down roughly on my left foot. Just like that the electrical currents shot through my arms and erupted over the surface of my arms. They were crackling and jumping off of my arms slightly. It was loud, sounding almost like a train coming into a station.

The energy was dancing over my arms and hands as I gathered a ball of the current into my hands. One after another I threw them at the targets. Each one hit the center, blackening the target until they crumbled to dust. Not one missed. As the targets all crumbled to dust I let the currents return to my arm and I faced the walls. From my arms I shot electrical currents out, watching as they danced across the air. It was almost painful when they hit the wall. The energy was so harsh that after a moment I could no longer hold it. I was blown off of my feet and thrown back against the far wall. I hit and dropped weakly to the ground, where I crumpled. I couldn't convince myself to stand again.

For well over a minute I laid there and tried to convince myself to stand once more. "What are you doing down on the ground? Get up. Do your damn job!" Everett shouted at me.

He stepped down on my ankle and I cried out in pain. He didn't even give me a moment for the bones to set back in place. He merely grabbed me by the hair and lifted me up. He tossed me against the wall and shouted in my face once more. Limping over weakly to the center of the room I stood down on my ankle, feeling it shaking. I was going to fall in a second.

No. I wasn't. I'm strong. I can do this. My screams didn't register until I was already doing it. I raised my arms over my head and forced the electrical currents up harder than I ever had. They were crackling to the point where I thought that it might actually fry me. With an ear-splitting scream I brought my arms over my head and sent the shocks over me. They hit the lights on the roof and I watched as they all blew out, one after the other. The shocks flew down the walls over the ground before fizzling out. The glass of the broken lights fell to the ground and I watched as they cut a few of the guards. They shouted and raised their weapons at me. Oh good.

To my complete surprise, Everett held his hand up to stop them. "Not bad. Perhaps in the future you might actually be good. Get out of here." My jaws tightened as I stared up at him. "Unless you want to say something else," he challenged with a bright grin.

"No sir," I said softly.

"I didn't think so. Now leave," he barked at me. I nodded and walked away from him on weak legs. I genuinely thought that I might fall as I walked back through the halls to the real training room. The actual members of Weapon X used the training room all the time but I only used it when no one else was around. Stryker couldn't have me being seen.

So I could only go in when everyone else was busy. When they were either in class or a meeting or something of the sort. I walked into the room and let the doors shut behind me. The guards that watched over this lesson were already in here. This was the longest lesson that I went through. After this I would head to lunch. But most of the time I would be forced to watch while everyone else ate. Once or twice a week Stryker might be kind enough to let me have a quarter of a can of dog food. They had animals here in the Weapon X Program. I got their scraps on the rare occasions that I was allowed to eat. It was mostly so that the other guards could have a laugh.

The guards took a step back and stood along the walls. We were all waiting for my trainers to come in. They really didn't have names. Not to me. They were just sir. All of them. Mostly because they were rarely the same people. I looked around the room as I waited for my trainers to come in. None were women. I had never been trained by a woman before. I'd never even seen one in here. Not even in the people that worked for Weapon X as special agents. As far as I was concerned I was the only woman in here.

The room that I stood in was somewhat different to the one that I trained in for the Atmoskinesis. But this one had a large track along the walls for running. Four laps was equivalent to a mile. There were also cars and SUV's seated in the middle of the room, around the track. They were all reasonably new but they looked like they'd been put through hell. Mostly because it was my job to lift and throw them. I had to show them just how strong I really was. I'd had an SUV dropped on me from restraints in the ceiling before because I couldn't throw a small car. It had shattered almost every bone in my body. Despite the Chronicle fixing me within seconds I hurt all over for days.

The door to the room opened and I watched as trainers began to pour into the room. A younger man whistled for me to walk over to the track. I did so and crouched at the starting line, awaiting his instructions. "Ten miles. Going for time. Go," he told me.

I nodded and took off in a dead sprint at the sound of his whistle. My feet were barely clipping the floor before I would take off in another long stride. Despite having a small stature and short legs I was faster than most humans ever were. Including Olympic runners. My hands flew from side to side as I rounded the last corner on the first mile. They were taking it easy on me today. Normally it was twenty miles. I wondered if it was because they just wanted me to leave. If it was around the holidays they all liked to leave early to be with their families. I could never tell though. They didn't give me a calendar. They simply told me when the New Year had come.

My birthday's passed without my knowledge, Steve and Bucky's too, their graduation, what should have been mine; all sorts of things. It hurt to think about. I wished that I could have been there for everything. Twenty-five minutes and nine seconds after I had started running I came to a stop at the end of the track and collapsed to my knees. The man who was acting as trainer kicked me in the ribs and I stood painfully. My legs were shaking as I came to a full stand. I hadn't beaten my record yet. I'd set it a few months ago. Twenty-three minutes and seventeen seconds.

The man in the suit swung out at me and clocked me roughly in the jaw. My head snapped back painfully as I turned back to stare at him. I should have seen it coming. "Beat the time tomorrow, or I'll beat you," he snarled before walking away.

My jaws were clenched as I nodded and walked into the center of the room where the cars were laid out. I went through the same routine that I always did. I lifted the small cars first. Those I could toss clear across the room with ease. The medium sized cars were next. I could get them pretty close to where I could get the small cars. The full-size cars would be the last of the normal cars I would throw. I could get them about halfway across the room. I would lift the SUV's last. I could barely throw those a few meters. I earned a broken hand for my efforts in trying to throw one of the heavier SUV's. A man kicked out my knee and I fell to the ground, the SUV trapping my hand underneath. As they rolled it off of me the bones all shattered. My hands were still shaking as I made my way over to the glass enclosed room.

It had one desk that I sat at. This was probably the least painful of the lessons that I went through during the day. My visual test was done first. I stood fifty feet back and read all of the lines with ease. I knew for a fact that I hadn't gotten any of the answers wrong. Not even in the bottom row. We did an audio test after that. The average person can hear as low as twenty Hz. I could hear at as low as eight Hz. While most people could only feel vibrations that low I could actually hear them. We went into the academic study portion last. I did the simple ones first; mathematics, all disciplines, languages, English writing and reading, history, and geography. I then followed with physics, chemistry, biology, and anatomy. I also was forced to recite the few things about mutation that I had learned.

Nearly an hour after I'd been forced to come into the mental stimulation room I was allowed to leave and go to lunch. Not that they were going to let me eat. I walked into the lunch room and looked around. Everyone was eating and laughing. It made my hands ball up, trying to keep the flames under the surface of my skin. I was starving, beaten, and neglected. I just wanted a damn lunch. I sat at the table in the center of the circular room, as I always did, and stared at the table. Lunch was only half an hour. It would be over soon.

My hands were folded in my lap as my stomach made a rather loud snarl. The food in here smelled wonderful. Twenty-two hours to complete dehydration. I let out a soft groan and dropped my head against the table. Thanks brain, I knew that one. My argument with myself was cut off as a brown paper bag was slammed onto the table. I turned around and stared at the guard that had dropped it. "Gift from Stryker. Eat. You have ten minutes," the man told me before stalking off.

I stared at the bag for a minute before opening it. There was only so much that they could do to me. I wasn't afraid to see what was in here. I was only afraid of disappointment. As I opened the bag I pulled the contents out. A water bottle dropped out first. My jaw dropped at the sight of it. It was not clean water. It was dark brown and probably poisonous to an average human - it would do for me. It was still something. I popped the cap off and downed it. The liquid tasted like it was from the sewers - it probably was - but it was the first water I'd had in days. I pulled a sandwich out after it. As expected, it was made with dog food. I still ate it, gagging at the taste. The guards all laughed and I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to kill them all, it would only earn me a harsh punishment.

It had not been ten minutes when another guard came to pull me away from my meal. It had barely been four. He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of my seat. I hadn't been expecting it as I tipped over and fell to the ground. The guards all laughed and I grit my teeth together as I stood and walked into the academic training room once more.

Once I walked in I took a seat in front of the guard that always tested me. Two stood behind him and five stood behind me. They were all holding batons, waiting to hit me if I made one wrong move. We would be practicing my telepathy. I'd gotten very good with it over the years. I was sure that Stryker wasn't teaching me as much as he knew. He didn't want to make me too strong after all. But little did he know, in my one way of rebelling against them, I would practice all night long while the guards slept and stood outside of my door. I was better than he knew.

My trainer, Joshua, nodded at me. He was an older man with white hair. He was the only trainer that I had that wore a suit, tweed and a deep grey. "Let's begin, Victoria. What number am I thinking of?" Joshua asked me.

"Is this a joke?" I immediately asked. He had never asked me anything like that before.

Just as I opened my mouth one of the batons cracked heavily over the back of my skull. My head hit the table before I leaned back up. Chronicle seeped out of the wound on the back of my head, dampening my hair. The bone rearranging itself in my skull almost tickled. But my head was now pounding. "Answer the question!" The guard snapped at me.

Figuring that playing into the stupid game was better than another whack over the head with the baton I nodded and let myself slip into Joshua's head. For years I hadn't been able to do it. He was well trained. I still pretended like it was a problem. But it wasn't. He was easy. Harder than most, but easy. Seven. "Seven," I repeated out loud to Joshua with a questioning tone to my voice.

He nodded at me. "Good. You've been getting better." I nodded absentmindedly at Joshua. He had no idea just how good I really was. "Now, why don't you tell me a little bit about myself?" He asked.

I knew this game. He picked someone in the room, usually one of the guards, and had me recite facts about them. He had never made me do it with himself. I figured that this was supposed to be a challenge. I let myself slip into his mind and pass through the thoughts. Strange. The way her eyes do that. If I could have rolled my eyes in this state I would have. My eyes turned completely white with a black swirl, almost like the galaxy, through the middle when I read someone's mind for an extended period of time. His mind was clouded. There was a family. One little boy. A grandson. His daughter was there with her husband. A grave. His wife. A sign hung up for the city limits of a small town. A birth certificate. His own. A boy failing his way through university. Him. A desperate plea to be something else.

My mind slammed back to my own head and I smirked down at the table. He was just like the rest of them. They were all trying to make themselves seem larger than life. But they were all weak. "Trouble, Victoria?" Joshua asked me with a grin.

He thought that he had me caught. I would show him. "No, sir. Shall I begin?" He nodded at me. "You were born on December 19th, 1879. A small town in Alberta. Longview. Your parents both died when you were young. Your mother died in childbirth. Your father of the flu, when you were eight. You were raised by your grandmother. You went to University for Genetics. Mutation specialty. You failed miserably, unable to keep up with the high academic standards. There you met your wife. Her father was the Dean of Admissions. He put you through the Psychology program. There you were able to pass through, with his assistance. You got married to his daughter as a means of appreciation. Never loved her. The two of you had one child together. A daughter. She's currently twenty-six with a child of her own. A boy. Martin. He's three. Your wife died earlier this year, just after you realized that after all of your wasted years with her, you did love her."

"Enough. Thank you," Joshua cut over me.

"You haven't allowed me to finish, sir. The way that you treat me is because of what happened to you in school. You blame me, people like me, for your failures as a child. You blame people like me for everything. It makes you feel just the slightest bit better about your own shortcomings to watch me be treated the way that I am."

"Enough."

"Do you think of me as a daughter, I wonder? After all, we're so close to the same age. She was married at twenty, wasn't she? I wonder if I hadn't been taken here if I would have been married. Perhaps I would have had a child, just like your daughter. Perhaps I would have had a husband who loved me and a child that I cared for more than anything else. It doesn't matter. It was stolen from me."

"Enough."

"It was stolen from me by people like you. I'll never know love and I'll never get to have the life that your daughter does. How would you feel if I robbed her of it? The day will come that I get out of here and you people, your families, your friends, will be the first ones that I come for. You will lose everything. I'll hang her corpse over your bed. I'll paint your home in your grandson's blood. I'll leave you to watch. And then, when you're ready to die and join them, I will ensure that you live. Because you will not have my permission to die."

"Enough!" Joshua shouted, tears in his eyes. He stood from the chair and I waited for the guards to advance on me. Joshua held his hands up to stop them and I cocked am eyebrow. "I will inform Colonel Stryker of your actions today. You will be without food and water. Keep an extra set of guards on her until she learns her place," Joshua informed the guards behind me before standing to leave.

His figure had just passed me before I called out to him. "Joshua." I didn't need to be able to read minds to know that he had turned around to look at me. "That is my promise to you," I told him without looking back. His footsteps faded quickly after that as he left the room. The door slammed shut behind him and I was dragged from my chair by one of the guards.

I stumbled over my feet as the man dragged me from the room by my hair. I was more than a little tempted to light my hair on fire and watch him scramble. He was not wearing flame-retardant gloves as most of the guards were. We walked back into the training room with the track that I had been in earlier and I was thrown to the ground. I hit roughly before tucking into a roll and springing back up. My legs locked slightly as I stumbled. The guard that had been holding me before shoved me towards the center of the room.

"Shield up," he growled at me. I nodded and placed my hands in front of me. The soft blue glow extended beyond my hands and erupted in front of me. The shield was about as big as I was, protecting me from free-flying objects.

The strength of the shield flickered in and out and I watched as the guards stood across the room from me. Some objects would be easy to block. Others would be hard. They started easy. Golf balls were thrown at me first. It was easy to deflect those. Basketballs followed. Those were also easy. We then moved onto guns. The handguns were reasonably easy to stop. The rifles were harder. The shield would shake when they hit. A grenade was thrown next. That knocked me off of my feet, but the shield remained.

I thought that we were done after that. I stood with the shield up and waited for them to tell me to drop it. Before they did though, a bullet tore through the air. It did not hit my shield. It hit the unprotected side of my foot. I dropped to the ground in pain, the shield dropping with me. Just as I did another grenade was thrown. I didn't have time to bring the shield back up before it exploded. Immediately I was surrounded by pain. Nails that were stuffed inside of the grenade pierced parts of my body. The heat from the explosion charred some of my flesh. The concussion of the explosion knocked a few teeth loose.

The Chronicle went to work immediately. I felt the pieces of nails and shrapnel leave my body, clinking gently against the floor. The bullet that had been in my foot popped out, rolling across the floor. The holes in my skin began to close and I watched in pain. The blisters on my skin began to calm down and I found myself watching curiously as fresh skin replaced it. Once the heat had calmed down I'd found that it didn't hurt. Possibly because I was able to control fire. My teeth began to grow back too. Although it hurt like hell. I'd had to regrow teeth before. It was one of the most painful things to regrow. It was almost as painful as fixing issues with my spinal column.

One of the guards, the one that had shot me, walked forward with a smirk. "Not bad, kid. Stay down and wait for the last of your trainers." I gave a small grunt, acknowledging that I had heard him. He turned and left with two of his men, leaving six still in my company.

About forty-six seconds after the grenade had hit me I was able to stand once more. My legs were shaking as I faced and watched as more of my trainers walked in. These were also nameless trainers. They traded off every day. Mostly because the day after dealing with a fight with me they were unable to move. They were also the ones that went on missions with the Weapon X team. That meant that they weren't always around to help train me. I had been hoping that they would let me leave early today. I now realized that it was wishful thinking.

A younger man, probably not much older than me, motioned for me to take my stance at one of the shooting stations. I did so, walking to the one in the middle. There were two guns set out in front of me. One was a Beretta 1935. It had five bullets in it. The other was a Colt M1911. It also had five bullets in it. The target that I was shooting at was seventy-five feet away. I picked up the Beretta first and aimed for the center of the target. The first two were dead center. The third was half a centimeter too far to the right. The fourth was also dead center. The fifth was a quarter of a centimeter too far to the left. I picked up the Colt after. It was the one that I was better with. All but one bullet went straight through the center. The one that didn't was an eight of a centimeter too high.

The trainer that was working with me nodded and pointed me over to the next stand. I nodded back to him and moved over to stare at the rifle that was sitting on the desk. It was an M1903 Springfield. It was the gun that I normally used. I picked it up and aimed it at the target. It was one hundred yards away from me. But that made no difference. It was easier to use a rifle over a handgun. There were twenty bullets in the magazine and with my well beyond perfect vision I was able to shoot all of them through the same center hole. The trainer nodded at me and motioned me to put the gun back on the table. I did so and walked over to the knife-throwing center.

The guards and trainers there were wearing helmets and heavy metal chest-plates. Just in case I decided to get a little friendly with them. It was probably a good idea. I stood in front of the target and stared at the knife set in front of me. There were five laid out in front of me. They were all lighter. We had heavier ones that I could practice with too but they weren't here right now. They were probably locked up somewhere where I couldn't get to them. Or so they thought. I grabbed the first of the lighter ones and looked down the aisle.

The only target that I was using was shaped like a human and seated out thirty feet away. I was slightly less accurate with the knives but I was better than pretty much anyone else was. The first knife flew out of my hand and I watched as it sailed straight into the heart of the target. It was so strong that it had suck straight down to the handle. My second one was thrown towards the head. It hit right where the left eye would be. My third knife went into the right eye. My fourth knife went into the shoulder of the dummy. It was right where the joint was. I knew that if it was a real person they would never be able to use that arm again. My fifth knife went back towards the center of the target. Like the first, it landed in the heart of the target. But it stuck in the handle of the first. I turned back to the guards and smirked.

They were not going to appraise my actions. My trainer merely nodded and motioned me towards the raised fighting platforms. "Get back to work. You may leave after they dismiss you," he told me. I nodded and walked over.

The man that stood at the platform was the same that they always sent to me. Large. He stood at well over six feet tall. His shoulders were broader than two of mine. His jaws were set tight together and his eyes were beady as they followed my movement. He had a good amount of muscle over his form and I stared at him with a slight buzz in my fingers. I knew that I couldn't use my mutations. They would shoot me with the nanite bomb if I did. I had to use the techniques that they had taught me. Although my ability to read minds, analyze fight patterns, move faster, see better, and lift heavier objects definitely helped in a fight. He was large. He would fall harder.

The man standing in front of me was one that I had never fought before. But he looked like all of the others. I stared at him and gave him a good once over. He was doing the same with me. Large. Slow-moving. Does not think before making his moves. Rolling left shoulder. Previous injury. Muscle. Weakened muscle in left leg. Two pins in right knee. Imbalanced equilibrium. Will not react well to balancing moves. Takes time to recover from hits. Right eye has lower visibility than left. Beginnings of cataract. I'd be able to take him. I already had a plan.

I watched as he took a bow towards me. I responded with a small one of my own. He would take it as a chance to run after me. True to what I had thought the man began to sprint after me. I ducked out of the way and slid through the gap in his legs. He watched me and turned to grab me but he never got the chance. As expected, he reached out with his right arm. I grabbed it and yanked roughly. The bone snapped out of place and I used his momentary lapse of judgement to reach up and grab his left arm, the injured one. I used his weight to my advantage and jumped over his shoulder. My weight was on him as I placed his neck in between my knees and twisted. His weight worked against himself. He fell from my weight, his vision thrown off from the sudden movement. As he hit the ground he rolled over. I rolled off of him and jumped back up.

Before he got the chance to move after me I kicked out at his knee, detaching the two pins, and flipping over myself. When I landed I brought down a fist on his left shoulder, snapping it out of place. He threw a blind punch at me, and another after that. Both missed. Before he got the chance to throw a third I brought my bare foot up and stomped down over his eye, the one that was already slightly damaged. He tried to get up and stand once more but I never gave him the chance. I backed off a few steps before running forward and jumping up. I caught his neck in between my thighs and used him to swing myself around his torso, ripping him off of his feet. As he hit the ground I tucked into a roll and slid across the floor on all fours. I rose to my feet and walked back over to him. The man was fighting to stand, a difficult feat without the pins in his knee, and I stared down at him. He wasn't giving up. So I raised up my foot and smashed it down against his nose. It cracked loudly and I watched as it displaced itself.

The man held up a hand over his bloody nose and I backed off. I knew the rules. I fought until they conceded. I wasn't allowed to concede. It had led to many lost fights my first few years here. "I concede," he said under his breath.

I backed off and nodded at him. I had tried to offer my hand up a few times when I'd first been here but I learned fast that they didn't want me doing that. One man had brought his knife up and cut my hand off a few years ago. It had taken almost an hour to completely regrow the limb. It hurt more than anything else. He had laughed and invited all of his friends over to watch. It suddenly hadn't mattered that I'd beaten him into the ground a few minutes beforehand. All that mattered was that the mutant freak was in pain.

"Leave," the man snarled at me. I nodded and walked away. As I walked out of the room a group of five guards began to walk with me. They were all walking behind me as I walked through the hallway. My knees were weak and I felt like I might fall over at any given moment. I was not going to do well without food for a week?

I was already expecting a couple of good beatings over the next week. Some were worse than others. When I went without food and started to do worse in training they only beat me worse, thinking that it would help me. Actually, they probably just liked laughing at me. A tall figure came up to my side and I looked up to see a grinning Stryker. "Have a good day, Victoria?" He asked me. I decided to ignore him. Stryker preferred mental torture to physical. He wouldn't have the guards hit me. He'd just mess with me. "Would you like to know about that boy you got killed?"

That made me stop in my tracks. The kid mutant from this morning. I had almost forgotten about him. I turned to Stryker and shook my head. Clearly someone had fed him the wrong information. "I didn't kill him. Jefferson did," I told him.

Stryker grinned at me and shook his head. I stood with my hip out to the side. There was no way that I had killed him. Jefferson had. "No. You see, it actually was you that got him killed." I cocked my head to the side, silently asking him to continue. "Jefferson had to make sure that you were still compliant. The moment that he saw that you were going to do it he was going to tell you to back off. The only reason that the boy died was because you couldn't get over your ego. Do you feel foolish yet?" He asked me.

There was no way that they would have let the kid go. They hated mutants. All of them. And even if I had chosen to kill the kid I knew that they would have let me. "You're lying," I said under my breath.

I wasn't sure whether I said it as a fact to Stryker or if I was trying to convince myself. "I wish that I was," Stryker said with a small sigh. I snared under my breath before turning and stalking away. I was never allowed to leave without his permission. But today he actually let me leave.

As my feet carried away from him I thought that he was going to shout at me to get back there. But he said nothing. He just watched me leave. And none of the guards followed me. They knew that there were only so many places for me to try and leave. And I couldn't. There were too many guards. If I wanted to leave I needed help. "Sir?" One of the guards asked.

"Let her go. We'll see her again tomorrow," Stryker told him.

I was slightly surprised that he had let me go but I wasn't going to complain. I was thrilled. I never got to walk alone in the halls. I needed to be allowed to walk alone. It drove me nuts that the only time that I was alone was in my room for a whole three hours of sleep at night. And usually I couldn't even sleep that long. I stumbled down the hallways with a pounding head. I stumbled weakly into my room and slammed the door shut behind me. I felt like I was going to be sick. Today had been a long day and I was exhausted. Maybe I would get a chance to sleep for more than a few hours. I looked around the room and cocked my head to the side.

The room that I was standing in was not mine. It was decorated like the room had been when I had first gotten here. Had I walked into someone else's room on accident? I turned to leave when I heard a voice call out to me. "Kid. Can I help you?" A deep voice asked me.

The face that matched the voice was exactly what I had been expecting. Harsh and somewhat scary. But also had a hint of sweetness underneath. He was tall. He was well over six feet tall and his hair only added to the height. It was dark, about the same color as Bucky's, and flattened out in the middle. The hair on the edges was raised slightly, giving him another two inches or so in height. He had a confused but stern face. His eyes were light brown. They were pretty. He seemed to be in his late thirties to early forties. I couldn't quite tell. He was wearing a white wife-beater and pair of beige pants. He had a set of dog tags around his neck. He was an attractive man and I realized a few seconds too late that I had been staring too long.

Although he was still staring at me too. Unlike my curious gaze, his held pity. But it wasn't obvious. He'd seen some type of horrors in his life. I could tell by the hard look in his eyes. "Sorry. I thought that this was my room. It isn't. I must have gone down the wrong hall," I mumbled to him.

I turned on my heel to walk away and he caught me as I stumbled. I jumped back a few steps from him. "Hey kid, you look like hell. You want to sit down or something?" He asked me. I shook my head and walked away to leave once more. I couldn't be here. Stryker would kill Bucky or Steve if he found out that I had seen someone who didn't seem to know yet what he had signed up for. I stumbled slightly as I walked away. "Kid, you need to sit down for a second. You're going to kill yourself. You look like shit. Take a break," he told me.

The man looked like he might walk after me again but I shook my head and backed off. "I don't know what I look like but I know that it can't be any worse than I feel. I need to leave," I told him. I rose up on the balls of my feet and took a deep breath to leave before we could say anything else to each other. But just as I turned my head I saw a mirror. The man stood behind me as I looked myself over.

Despite knowing that I had to leave I couldn't help myself. I had to see what I looked like after all of these years. It was terrifying. I wasn't even sure if I looked like a human anymore. My hair was tangled in horrid clumps. Dirt, Chronicle, and sweat were built up in it. It had a disgusting mix of brown and green in it. The hair was so tangled that it all almost stuck together as one clump. It was extremely long too. It hit just around the back of my knees. My face was sunken in. Any tan that I'd had before this was gone. I was as white as a sheet. It was why I looked like a ghost with the bruises underneath my eyes and on my cheeks.

On my chest I could see my rib cage. The bones stuck out slightly. I could see the green veins underneath. My limbs were thin, almost sickly. My body had adapted slight curves around my chest and hips from age. I could tell that they would have been larger had I not been starving. My eyes were no longer their brilliant yellow. They were a pale, sickly, yellow. The whites around them now looked slightly red. I hadn't grown much either. Probably from the lack of food. I was only a few inches taller than when I'd gotten here. I was pretty sure that I was only a little over five feet tall. My nails were broken and chipped, Chronicle built up underneath. I looked like a corpse.

The man looked like he was about to place his hand on my shoulder. "Kid?" He called to me.

Just like that I slipped into his mind. I hadn't even meant to. It was like he was open and calling to me. I had to know. A woman sat on a small cot with him. She spoke to him. Logan. Wolverine. Odd. "Logan," I said softly to him.

His eyebrow cocked at me as he turned me to face him. I stumbled slightly but Logan was fast enough to catch me before I fell. He was new here. He had just gotten here. "What?" He asked me.

"Your name is Logan. You're here because you're trying to get repentance for your lost wife." If Logan hadn't looked baffled before he did now. He was staring at me like I was the Devil incarnated. "You want my advice?" Logan didn't say anything but I chose to continue speaking anyways. I didn't want him to have to go through what I was still going through. "Leave. Get out of here right now. Before they can find you and before they can stop you. Get the hell out of here. This place isn't what it looks like," I told him.

I knew that it was dangerous for the both of us to still be standing here. I had to leave and we had to make sure that Logan never mentioned me again. "Hey!" Logan called before I could leave. I turned back to him for a moment. "What's your name?" He asked me.

"Victoria."

He walked over to me and extended his hand. After a moment, I took it. I was immediately filled with everything from him. His pain, his anger, his power. I felt it all. "Victoria. Look, let me help you. I can go get Stryker or something and we'll talk to him. You need to eat something, sleep, and take a shower. You don't look too good," he told me.

I yanked my arm away from him and shook my head. "Don't you get it? Stryker did this to me." Logan's eyes scanned over me in horror once more. "He'll do it to you too unless you leave here right now. I'll try and cause a distraction for you tomorrow. See if you can meet me in the hydro-chambers tomorrow. You can see what Stryker is really about," I told him.

I had been gone for too long. The guards would be at my door in the next few minutes and I hated to think about what would happen to the both of us if they found that I wasn't in my room. "Kid," Logan called before I could leave. I turned back. "You gonna be alright?" He asked me.

For a moment I wasn't so sure. It felt like I would never be alright again. But it wasn't a choice. I had to be okay. I had to be strong. I wasn't done on this planet yet. I was not Stryker's pet. Tomorrow I was going to get up and move on. Seven years of this was enough. "I have to be. I have someone to get back to," I told him.

Logan gave me a nod and watched me as I walked down the hallway and out of his room. I followed the path back to my room and ducked inside. A few minutes later a guard came in to check on me. They grabbed the uniform off of me and I fell to the cold ground, once more stripped bare. As I laid on the cold tile floor I took a deep breath. It hurt to be here. It hurt to think that I had left Steve and Bucky for this. I had to get back to them. I had to get out of here. This wasn't fair to me. My home was not here. My home was in Brooklyn, in the Rogers's shitty little apartment, with Steve and Bucky mortifying me and ruining my life.

I wanted them to mess with me. I wanted the two of them back in my life. They were my best friends. They were everything to me. I wanted the two of them in my life for the rest of my life. As I closed my eyes and shook slightly from the blast of cold air I heard a faint voice call out to me. The first one I'd ever heard. Happy birthday, Vika. It was Bucky. I'd know his voice anywhere. I smiled slightly to myself. I hadn't even remembered that today was my birthday. It wasn't a big deal anymore. They never told me so I never knew. It was my twenty-first birthday today.

"Thank you, Buck. I'm coming home." And I meant it. Enough was enough. I was done with being here. I was done with the torture. This was the last birthday that I was spending here. I was going home.

Bucky's P.O.V.

In Brooklyn Bucky was standing on the balcony to his apartment. His parents and Steve's were both gone. They had all died over the past few years. The two boys had had friends over earlier but Bucky had sent them home without a word as to why. Steve had walked two of the girl's home, one that Bucky was courting, with an apology as to Bucky's behavior with a promise that he would be back to himself soon. His best friend always acted a little funny on this day. October 21st. It was her birthday. She would have been twenty-one.

As Steve walked back into the apartment that his parents had left him he found Bucky standing out on the balcony. Steve walked through the open window and over to where Bucky was standing. "Buck, what are you doing out here?" His best friend turned back to him with a cupcake in hand. Steve grinned. "And with a cupcake? You don't even like chocolate."

Bucky smiled and shook his head. Ever since he had tried to prove to Victoria that he could eat more than her he had hated chocolate. He'd eaten so much that he had thrown up all over himself on the carousel at Coney Island. "No. But Victoria does. Remember those awful cupcakes she made for your birthday?" Bucky asked his friend.

Steve let out a soft laugh. Victoria was an awful cook. They both remembered the horrible cupcakes that she'd made. They tasted like cardboard and she'd managed to burn them. They were horrible but because Victoria had made them they had eaten them. Bucky had pretended to like them until even Victoria had reacted. "Oh man. She was good at a lot of things but cooking wasn't one of them. Today is her birthday, isn't it?" Steve asked after a beat. He knew that it was but he wanted to see how Bucky reacted. After a moment he nodded. "You think that she's out there celebrating?"

He let out a soft sigh and for a moment Steve regretted even saying anything. He knew that Victoria was a sore spot with his best friend. He was still hurt and confused as to why she had left without a trace. "I think that she's out there. But I don't think that she's celebrating," he said.

Bucky knew that if Vika had left it hadn't been on her own free will. She had loved them. He knew that she did. They had done everything for her. She hadn't just been grateful, she had really loved them. They had all grown to love each other. "It's been seven years, Bucky." Bucky winced. He knew that. It felt like it had been even longer. "You don't think that she's moved on past us? You don't think that she's found some new life somewhere else?" Steve asked.

He wanted to soften the blow but Bucky had to get over her. He was never going to be able to have a life without her. "No," Bucky snapped. She couldn't have found another life. She had them. They were all that she needed. She had said so much. And she had once made sure that he would never leave him. So why would she leave them?

"Bucky she loved us. You know that she did. But don't you think for a second that she might have moved away and moved on with her life? Maybe someone came for her. We don't know anything about her life before she came to us. She never told us. Maybe someone came back from her. She's probably happy, wherever she is," Steve tried to reason.

For whatever reason Bucky just couldn't imagine it. She couldn't be happy. Not without them. "She isn't," he said.

Steve sighed and took a step towards Bucky. "And why's that?" He asked.

"Because she isn't here."

Steve nodded and placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky looked down at his friend with curious eyes. "Then go find her. I'll help you. I miss her too." With that Steve walked away, knowing that Bucky needed some time to be on his own. As Bucky leaned against the railing he thought about it. Maybe he would. Maybe he just would go and find her. One way or another he had to go and find out what had happened to her.

"I will," Bucky called back to Steve. He unwrapped the chocolate cupcake and began to eat it. He hated chocolate but he loved her. The more that he thought about Steve's suggestion the more that he knew that he needed to do something. He needed to find her. He wanted to find her happy, it would be better than finding her in pain or upset, but he hated the thought of someone else making her happy. More accurately, he hated the thought of another man making her happy. It was his job. "Happy birthday, Vika," Bucky called out to the wind. And somewhere in the distance Bucky could have sworn that he heard that wind whisper back, Thank you, Buck. I'm coming home. It was the first night in a long time that he slept with a smile on his face.


	6. Chapter Six

The next morning came differently from the others. The door to my room shot open and I cracked one eye open. Stryker was standing with guards all around him. He said nothing to me, simply stared down at me. I stared back up at him curiously. Stryker's behavior was odd on more than one occasion but he always seemed at least a little happy. Not today. He had an odd, almost downtrodden look on his face. He motioned for me to stand, and swallowing my pride, I did. I was painfully aware of how bare I was.

There wasn't a speck of clothing on me. I waited for Stryker to laugh or make some crude comment. It never happened. The guards would normally laugh too. Today they didn't. They simply stared at me. Most were wearing masks so that I couldn't even see their eyes. The whole air put me off. Something seemed wrong. I knew that something was wrong. This was not going to be another day of training for me. Perhaps the day had finally come that they would either figure out how to kill me for good or I would be able to escape. I had seen seven birthday's come and pass in my time here. I did not anticipate seeing another one pass me by. I was getting out of here. Maybe today.

"Come on," Stryker ordered me. I nodded and began to walk, feeling overly embarrassed as we walked through the halls. I was slightly concerned that one of my trainers would come and point and laugh but I never saw anyone that I knew.

For a moment I thought that Stryker might parade me through the dining hall or force me to train naked today but he did neither of those things either. Instead he sent me to the hallway with the hydro-chambers. I remembered my conversation with Logan the night before. See if you can meet me in the hydro-chambers tomorrow. Had Stryker found out about my conversation with Logan? Or perhaps on someone subconscious level I had gone into Stryker's mind and discovered that he wanted me here today. Either way I knew that I was about to find out.

We walked through the doorway to the first hydro-chamber and I stepped in. More like was shoved in. I stumbled slightly and stood on the platform facing into the room as the door slid closed behind me. The room was mostly a steel room with a platform that was risen on the far wall. There were one-way mirrors that most likely hid someone that was watching the experiments. There was a large catwalk that stretched below the windows that a few guards and important-looking men were standing at. One woman in uniform was there as well. They were all watching me.

My cheeks burned a soft red as I aimed my eyes straight in front of me. It was the hydro-chamber itself. I'd never actually seen it before. The machine was made of a clear glass as I stared at it. My hands were shaking gently at the sight of it. It looked extraordinarily dangerous. The thoughts of the other guards in the room told me the same things. There were silver tubes and syringes sticking out of every crevice of the hydro-chamber. There were also black straps that seemed to be designed to hold down whoever was inside. Whoever was going in there was not going to be happy. Of course, it was probably going to be me. It was always me.

"Victoria, come forward please." It was a man that I had never seen before. Although one quick glance at him told me that he was a scientist. I'd never met one before. Not a real one. "You are aware of what this is?" The man asked me. I nodded. "Please define adamantium."

My head began to spin as I searched through the endless data bank of knowledge that was stored. "Adamantium," I repeated, sounding every bit like a machine, "is the strongest metal known to man with the exception of Vibranium. A Wakandan metal. The components of the alloy are kept in separate batches - typically in blocks of resin - before molding. Adamantium is prepared by melting the blocks together, mixing the components while the resin evaporates. The alloy must then be cast within eight minutes. It has an extremely stable molecular structure which prevents it from being further molded even if the temperature is high enough to keep it in its liquefied form. In its solid form, it is a dark, shiny gray like high-grade steel or titanium. It is almost impossible to destroy or fracture in this state, and when molded to a sharp edge, can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal force," I recited easily.

"Good," the scientist nodded to me. Stryker was standing next to the man and walked me a few steps backwards. We stood and waited as the scientist jotted down a few notes. "Adamantium has other abilities as well. Abilities that will come out when mixed with Chronicle. Which we have successfully managed in the laboratory. We are testing it today," the man told me.

I didn't understand what the man was saying to me but I chose to remain silent. Stryker never liked me asking questions. "Would you like to know what that means, Victoria?" Stryker asked me.

No part of me liked the suddenly serious attitude that Stryker had suddenly taken on. He always seemed so laughable. He was always in such high spirits. I had never seen him like this before. Whatever was going on today was clearly something either extremely important or extremely dangerous. Probably both. "Yes," I finally answered.

Stryker nodded to the scientist. "We aren't sure exactly what will happen. But there are a few things that we can be confident of. Adamantium can congeal over heavy substances, such as bone. We intend to give you an adamantium skeleton." My eyebrows shot to my hairline. "It will make you impervious to broken bones. Your healing factor will be advanced. It will slow down your aging. There is a chance that it might actually completely stop your aging."

"Making me immortal?" I asked, interrupting Stryker.

I thought that I would be hit for the interruption but Stryker merely nodded at me. It was odd to see him like this. Speaking to me like I was a human rather than an experiment. "Perhaps. That will remain to be seen. It may also take away your pain receptors." Taking away pain receptors? I'd never even heard of that. I didn't think that it was possible.

"So I won't feel pain?" I asked.

Stryker shrugged. "We aren't sure. This has never been attempted before. Logan! Come in, please." I watched as Logan walked in through the doors. Unlike me, he at least had a robe wrapped around himself. He looked at me before looking away quickly. At least he was respectful enough not to stare. My cheeks burned. "Logan, this is Victoria. The two of you have a lot in common. We'll be putting you both through the hydro-chamber. Who goes first?" Stryker asked with a grin.

There it is. I knew that he couldn't be serious for too long. "I will," Logan immediately stepped in. Thank you, I said into his mind. Logan turned to me, managing not to make his face too surprised. He gave me a curt nod.

"No. Ladies first! Come, Victoria. Let's go. Gentlemen, get Logan ready." Logan was dragged off by a few men. He gave me a reassuring nod before disappearing through the door. I had a painful feeling that they just didn't want Logan to see what type of procedure this really was. "Go to the chamber," Stryker instructed me.

Nodding weakly I walked over to where the hydro-chamber was raised. It was much more menacing looking from up close. I stood on the outside of the chamber until a man gave me a rough shove towards it. The only reason that I walked in was because I knew that they wouldn't take my refusal well. My hands were shaking slightly. I was sure that I'd never been so afraid before. I wanted to leave but I also knew that I had made Logan a promise. We were both going to be able to get out of here. We were both going home. We just had to make it out of here. And it started with us getting together. Once they brought him in here we would be able to leave.

As I stood in the center of the hydro-chamber and awaited instructions I let myself slip into Logan's mind. His thoughts were jumbled. Mostly they were of me and what was to come. Logan. We are leaving here today. They will kill you if you stay. Wait for my warning. I need help getting out of here. I believe that you are the help that I've needed.

What the hell, Kid? What is this?

I'll tell you when we leave.

Just give me the signal.

Deep in his mind I could hear that he didn't quite believe me about how awful this place was and I could tell that he didn't believe that I was really going to leave. He would learn. Very soon, he would learn. The man that was standing at the edge of the tank motioned me to lay down on the straps that were on the inside. I nodded to him and laid down on it. The chamber was dry as of now. The man laid a breathing mask over my face. Over near where the doctors were standing I could hear the machines beeping out my vitals. They were high. I was nervous.

I watched with heaving breaths as my hands, ankles, and chest were strapped down with thick, black pads. The man that was strapping me down nodded to the people controlling the tank. Water began to fill underneath me. The bed that I was laying on would lower itself into the water once they were ready to actually put me under. I knew that I would be staying awake for this procedure. Needles and syringes were all around me. I hated even thinking how many of them were going to be stabbing me.

After a few seconds the platform was dropped. Slowly I was completely submerged. My eyes closed at the sudden intrusion of water but I managed to open them a moment later. My vision was slightly blurry as I attempted to look through the surface. I could see the adamantium coming into the tubes that were attached to the machine and syringes. That would be going into me. If it worked. This might kill me too. This could be the one thing that the Chronicle couldn't fix. My heart rate was way too high. One eleven and climbing.

I stared in horror as the mechanical syringes began to spin over me. They were spinning so fast that the tips of the needles had turned a bright red. My entire body was shaking as the needles on the mechanical arms began to drop towards me. The moment that they hit the water the water began to bubble and steam rose behind them in the air. It took me too long to realize that it wouldn't just be my torso, arms, and legs that were going to be injected. My skull would be too. One needle was hovering over my nose while the other two were at my temples.

Had I not been using the air filter I would have screamed at the sight of them coming closer and closer to me. My heart was pounding as my body began to release adrenaline. They spun above me in a sudden suspension. The needles were still spinning. They were only a few centimeters away from my face and the other areas on my body. The needles then took a sudden dive towards my body. When they first hit it was only a mild stinging. That was just because they hadn't pushed all the way in yet.

It took a moment of drilling for them to pass the bone. And when they did I couldn't hold it in anymore. Through the breathing mask I let out a piercing scream. It hurt. It hurt more than anything I'd ever experienced before. The needles were drilling into my brain through the two in my temple. They were past my nose and into the brain stem through the one in my nose. The ones in my torso were grating against my rib cage and internal organs. I could feel them scratching both my lungs and heart, making breathing extremely difficult. The ones in my arms and legs were tearing through the muscle and digging through bone. It was excruciating.

If I'd thought that just feeling the needles in my bone was bad I was dead wrong. A moment later the adamantium compound was released. It felt like molten lava had been released into my body. Every end of my nerves were on fire. My skin was boiling. The adamantium was slowly melting over my bones and sealing itself onto me. Slowly I could see the nerve clusters underneath my skin turning black. The pain faded until I was left feeling nothing more than the pounding of my heart and Chronicle rushing to push the needles from my skin.

Exhaustion took over and I was shoved into another reality as my eyes slipped closed, barely feeling the adamantium fuse to the bones. I was still twitching, desperate to get away from the machine. I could feel my heart pounding. Heart rate over two hundred. Slipping into cardiac arrest. Blood pressure two-fifty over one-twenty. Internal organ failure. My head spun as I tried to think of one last happy memory. If I was going to die I wanted it to be with one last thing to smile over.

So I let my mind wander, searching for Bucky or Steve's. I found Bucky's first. His thoughts were loud. He was walking around a pretty place. There were flying cars and levitating plates that would bring you your drinks. I could feel Bucky's excitement. I smiled as I looked around. The Stark Expo. I'd only been once. I wanted to go. Bucky had promised that he would take me the year that I'd disappeared. He was there with Steve. Steve was walking just behind him. There were two girls with them. One was a brunette and the other was a redhead. The brunette was with Steve. The redhead was hanging onto Bucky's arm. A pain worse than the injections went through my chest.

She grinned up at him and grabbed a small piece of the cotton candy that they were sharing. Bucky was standing with her and staring at a machine that had a promise of making something akin to super-soldiers. There was even the promise that a woman would one day be able to join the rankings of super-soldiers. "Why would anyone want that?" The girl asked.

I could feel the hope sink from Bucky's chest. He stared at the girl and smiled. "Come on, doll face, don't want a little adventure?" He asked her with one of his classic grins. I scowled. That smile shouldn't be for her.

"Proper ladies do not fight. We support the men that go out and fight for us. Our job is to have dinner ready. A clean home and a family. You can't honestly tell me that something like a woman fighting in the dirt with blood and sweat all over her is attractive to you?" The girl asked haughtily.

"Might be kind of cute. I like knowing that a girl can protect herself," Bucky told the girl with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. I could feel Bucky's exasperation with her. He just thought that she was pretty. "We aren't meant to protect ourselves. We're the housekeepers. You're the protectors. It's how it is. It's how it always will be," she told him.

Bucky shook his head at her. "Vika would have loved it," he said softly. In his mind I could see him pull up a memory of the two of us. We were laying in the grass and laughing, tangled up together after a three-legged race gone wrong. Steve was in the background shaking his head at the two of us. I remembered that day. It was one of my happiest.

"Yeah. She would have," Steve said, speaking up for the first time. He had been standing rather awkwardly with the girl he had been paired with. Clearly she was Bucky's date's friend. I could hear it in his thoughts. He had made her bring her friend for Steve. He was always good like that.

"Who's Vika?" The redheaded girl asked.

Better than you, I could hear Bucky think. A grin passed over my face. After all of these years he still held some type of love for me. Bucky's thoughts of me were more than sweet, many of them degrading the redheaded girl, but he said none of them. Instead he opened his mouth and, "An old friend. She's gone now," he said softly. The pain in his chest was horrible.

It made my eyebrows knit together. I wished that I was back with him. With them both. I should have never left. I was going to make things right. If I ever got the chance. "Well you have me now," the redheaded girl flirted. Bucky's thoughts were still on me as he smiled down at her and took her hand, guiding her to the next display. An early prototype of a flying car.

Despite wanting to watch more of the scene I fled Bucky's mind. It was his life. Not mine. Not anymore. A sudden voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Adamantium reservoir is depleted. No rejection. Procedure completed," the voice called from over the intercom.

The needles ceased their spinning and the platform that I was laying on rose from the water. I didn't feel the needles leave. As I was raised from the platform I stared curiously as the man that had loaded me into the machine freed me. I stood and shook my shoulders out. I felt heavier. As I walked off of the platform a man handed me a towel. I was only allowed to wipe off my face before it was snatched from me once more and I was left bare again. Stryker walked over to me and I stared blankly at him. I felt different. It almost felt like someone had ripped my soul out of my body.

As I weakly made my way up the stairs to the platform behind me Stryker came to my side. "Extend your arm." I did as told and watched as he produced a sharp knife. He took my damp arm and sliced up the inside of my forearm. I watched curiously. It didn't hurt a bit. It more tickled. He pulled the skin back long enough for me to see a soft silver glow to the bone underneath. Adamantium. It was officially sealed to my arm. "My God. It worked." Without giving him a chance to do something else I snapped my arm back. It took less than two seconds for the skin to seal itself.

The healing factor was faster than it used to be. Overall I felt stronger. Stranger. It was like the adamantium was only helping as a conductor for the electricity that was buzzing through my veins. I smirked under the veil of my hair. Today was the day that I was leaving this place. Never again would Stryker lay a hand on me. I just had to wait for Logan. Speak of the Devil and he will appear. Logan was walked through the doorway with two guards on each of his sides. They were walking at a distance as they walked him over to Stryker, near where I was standing.

As he walked over his eyes traveled over me. Not in the way that he was looking at my body, more to check if I had any outstanding injuries. I gave him a reassuring nod. It hurt like hell but we needed this. I was sure that it made me stronger. It would make him stronger too. It didn't mean that I still wasn't embarrassed that he was seeing me like this. It was even worse that he was now completely naked too. I avoided staring directly at him to avoid seeing something I didn't want to. I was still raised to be somewhat of a proper young lady, after all. You didn't see a man in that type of dress until it was your wedding night.

But this was a desperate time. And desperate times called for desperate measures. I watched as Logan walked over to us. His eyes traveled over my wet hair and I heard his thoughts call out to me. You alright, kid?

I nodded at him. Gotta be. And I'm not a kid. I'm twenty-one. I'm a woman.

Yeah, I can tell. He gave me a once over and a heavy blush filled my face as I looked away from him. He was shameless. Perhaps it was the way that he was raised. All I knew was that Bucky and Steve would be besides themselves if they knew that Logan, who appeared to be in his late thirties, was looking at me the way that he was.

Interrupting my thoughts, Stryker walked over to Logan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Today, we're gonna create Weapon X," he told my friend proudly. Maybe we weren't friends. But we were at least allies. Or so I thought.

"X?" Logan repeated curiously.

Stryker nodded. "Roman numeral. Ten." It didn't take a genius to realize that Stryker meant that Logan was the tenth because the other nine had died. It was dangerous enough putting me through it. I'd gone into cardiac arrest. If I didn't have the Chronicle in me I would have died. It made my nerves stand on end watching Logan. But he had a regenerative healing ability. I could feel it. He had the best chance to live of anyone that they had put through this experiment other than myself.

Logan was sent down to the hydro-chamber after that. I watched as he was cleaned off by the guards, somewhat more gently than I had been. He stared up at us the entire time. I tried to give him a reassuring nod. A moment after laying down on the same restraints that I had been on I felt my heart rate pick up. Heart rate at eighty-two. I took in a few deep breaths and steadied it. I was concerned for him. Heart rate at sixty-five. Not enough but it was better than nothing. Logan was strapped in and given a small black pad to cover his lower regions. More than I had been given.

The button to start the machine was pressed and I watched as Logan was sent under the water. He seemed calmer than I had been. After a moment the needles began to spin and I cringed softly. I knew just how bad it hurt. Although it seemed that now nothing would ever hurt again. "We are about to begin bonding Adamantium to Weapon X's skeleton," one of the scientists called, waiting for Stryker's approval.

I glanced down at my body before they started administering the adamantium to Logan. The nerve endings underneath my arms and the rest of my body were still blackened. It looked almost like a strange tattooed pattern. It had gotten slightly light though in the few minutes since I'd been taken out of the hydro-chamber. "Let's begin," Stryker finally called.

The syringes began to spin faster and I watched as they closed in on Logan. They were spinning seemingly even faster than they had been when I was under there. I watched as they pierced Logan's skin. He jolted slightly but was otherwise still. I waited for a moment before the needles pushed their way into his skin. Logan was clearly screaming under the water but nothing was heard. I watched in fear as he began to seize. The grey adamantium was pushed through the syringes and under his skin. His movement only became wilder as his eyes sprung open.

"Body temperature is one-oh-eight and rising," the only woman in the room other than myself said. God no. He'd be dead in a minute if his temperature sustained there for an extended period of time.

One of the men that was standing next to Stryker walked over to us. Stryker was the only one here, other than myself, that looked the slightest bit worried that Logan would not survive the experiment. "Why is he like that? Why isn't he sedated?" The man asked. There was a plan for sedation? "Just like her. He'll feel the pain," the man continued.

I could understand Stryker not giving me the anesthesia, he wanted me feeling the pain, but why not Logan? "Anesthesia won't work on him. That's why he had to volunteer," Stryker answered. I knew that Logan had been a volunteer. I supposed that it was something about his regenerative abilities that kept him from being able to process the anesthesia.

The man shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Logan other than to ask Stryker his question. "Will he survive this? She did," he said, pointing over to me.

Stryker shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." My hands bunched together. He was treating this like it was nothing. He was acting like this wasn't someone's life. "I think she's stronger than him," Stryker added.

Perhaps. But Logan was older. He was better trained. We would be unstoppable together. But I had to get out of here with him. I couldn't so this alone. "Heartbeat is close to maximum," the woman near the monitor read out.

"Blood pressure?" Stryker asked the woman.

She stared at the screen for a moment. "Two-sixty over one-eighty," she answered.

Everyone nodded and watched as Logan continued to trash around in the chamber. He was trying desperately to get out of the restraints. "He can make it, he can make it," Stryker muttered to himself. The machines that were reading out his vitals were to the point where I knew that he would die soon if he got no help. "I guess he can die," Stryker said softly.

No. He can't die. I need him. "Heart rate rising," the woman spoke up.

I let my mind slip into his. The pain that he was going through was almost unbearable. His body was not accepting the adamantium as easily as mine had. Logan please, I need your help. Come back. I got no answer. Instead the monitor that was displaying his heart rate let out a loud beep before showing a flat line. Logan was dead. No. No. This can't happen. Logan please, wake up. Wake up. You aren't dead. Come back. My heart was racing as I desperately searched his brain for something to show me that he was alive. But it was blank and the monitor continued to drone out the flat line tone. Logan was dead. And so was any chance of me escaping.

Just as I turned to head back to my cell I saw a tiny blip on the monitor. Fearing that I had seen only what I wanted to I looked back at him. He was still. He looked dead. But slowly the heart monitor began to beep steadily once more. Logan's vitals were slowly rising. He wasn't dead. And my plan just might work. "Adamantium reservoir is depleted. No rejection. Procedure completed," the mechanical voice rang out once more.

"We did it," Stryker said softly.

"We take him to the island?" Another asked.

What the hell was the island? I wanted to go to an island. I think it was high time that I got to relax on the beach on some island. "The island?" I asked Stryker. He ignored my question.

"No," he answered the other man, who nodded. I waited for Logan to raise over the water but they never did. They were still leaving him under the water. I waited for them to bring him up like they had done with me. "The bonding works. We use his DNA for the Eleven. Erase his memories. Fry his brain!" Stryker shouted as an order.

"No!" I shouted.

Stryker walked over to me and for a moment I thought that he might hit me. Maybe it wouldn't matter. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't feel pain anymore. I saw Logan's eyes open as he began to thrash around underneath the water. He was writhing back and forth and I watched as the bones in his hand seemed to be shoved around. What the hell was happening? A moment later the skin on his knuckles gave way and three large, adamantium claws shot out. Logan's eyes shot open and the breathing mechanism that had been in his mouth came out. He was now screaming under the water, trying desperately to get out of the hydro-chamber.

"I think he heard you," an Asian man standing off to the side of the main area where I was said to Stryker. No one acknowledged him. Everyone was staring and watching as Logan fought against the restraints.

It was a moment after that that Logan finally broke the restraints that had been on himself and jumped from the hydro-chamber. He was still standing inside, letting out an animalistic roar. Stryker stumbled back from me and I watched as the Asian man shot Logan. It took me a moment to realize that it was Agent Zero, who I had met so long ago. My heart skipped a beat as it had been a perfect head shot. Logan's head rolled over to us and he glared darkly, gnashing his teeth together, giving a look that could kill.

If we wanted to leave we had to do it now. "Logan move!" I shouted. He looked up at me, seemingly finally noticing that I was here. He nodded and jumped out of the tub. I watched as he was shot at and I followed. Guns were blazing after me, many were hitting the two of us over our backs, but it didn't bother me. Not anymore. It didn't feel like a damn thing. This was their fault.

A man stepped out in front of me with his gun aimed at my head but I didn't let him get to me. The electrical current shot over my arm and I thrust out, catching the man around the throat and ripping the gun out of his other hand. The electricity shot into his throat, frying his vocal chords, before I dropped him. As he fell to the ground I used his gun to shoot him through the skull. Logan was slightly in front of me as I turned back and stared up at the people that had once ruled my life. No more.

Without warning I let out an animalistic yell and shot the electrical currents through the air. They shot into the monitors and stations that they were all standing at, electrocuting everyone who had been standing there. Two armed guards tried to run after me but I switched gears, moving to the flames. The first man came within arms reach of me when I brought the flames over my hand and grabbed his mask. It melted together before falling back onto his skin. He let out a piercing howl as the plastic seeped into the weak skin on his face. The other guard went to shoot me but just as he did - the bullet landing in my thigh - I saw Logan jump from behind me. He swiped at the guard and I watched in a stunned silence as the man's head came off, hitting the ground.

Armed guards were behind us and following, clearly wanting to stop us from leaving. "Come on!" Logan shouted at me. It didn't take anything more to get me running alongside him. As men began to shoot after us Logan stepped in front of me, shoving me to the door.

We ran through the door and I watched as Logan slammed it behind us. I could hear the bullets clinking against the door as men tried and fought to get out to us. We were trapped in a hallway. The wall that we were standing in front of would take us to the outside. We could have run through the halls but we were trapped. It was too much fighting. We had to get out of here. "Take care of the door. I've got them," I told Logan.

My teeth were ground together as an odd humming began to wrack through my body. I glanced down to see that my body was not only shaking slightly, I was turning a soft golden hue. The guards were running towards us with guns out, each shooting at us. I didn't know what had come over me - I had never seen this power before - but I dropped to the ground, slamming my fists against the ground. The energy released was like the fusion of hydrogen nuclei to form deuterium. It was large enough that it shook the entire building. Columns and wings began to fall as the energy blast shook through the walls. The blast of yellow light was so bright that it had burned the guards eyes out. Their brains were being invaded by the radiation from the blast. Their internal organs were shutting down. It would be a slow and painful death.

The loud bang that had gone off during the blast was still echoing through the woods. As Logan cut open the wall he shoved me through. His skin was bubbling with boils forming over his face and back. My own skin was still tinkling with a gentle golden glow. The black veins under my skin had faded. They were now the same soft gold. Logan was shoving me out into the woods, before the remaining guards could collect themselves. The guards that had been advancing on us were all dead.

Two that were behind us were faster. Logan motioned for me to stop as the two men came up to us. His claws were bared, ready to fight. But he never got the chance. As the two guards came near us they began to collapse. The metal and plastic on their suits melted first. Their skin boiled afterwards, just like Logan's. They collapsed to the ground and I watched as their eyes expanded before popping. Their mouths opened and as they screamed blood came up. It was trailing from the holes that their eyes had once been in as well. Blood was pouring out of every crevice on the men as they fell to the ground. Skin was peeling off of them as Logan motioned me backwards.

Stryker's voice suddenly cut through the air. Or through my mind. He was inside the building. Somehow he had survived my electrical blast in the hydro-chamber. Mother of God. She can embody high-levels of radiation. She's an Omega.

What do we do?

Catch her! Do not let her get away! Either one of them!

"Lockdown!" I could hear someone shout over the mechanical speakers in the building. Logan shoved me forwards once more. The skin on his hand boiled off and I watched as it immediately began to form again, not making it past the bloodied particles.

He was staring at me in horror. "Keep away from me! Go!" I howled at him.

We were standing on a rocky cliff that had a waterfall at the edge. We had to be at least a hundred feet from the water below. Maybe two hundred. The rocks were slippery as Logan shoved me across them. From his grunts of pain and curses I could tell that I was still burning the skin off of him each time he touched me. The waterfall came up faster than I thought that it would. Logan nodded to me as we hit the edge of the rocks and I took a deep breath. I had wanted to get out of here. And now I was. I just had to take the final jump.

As we hit the edge of the rocks I took a flying leap at the same time as Logan had. For a moment we were hovering over the waterfall. Logan was at my side as we fell through the air. Himself being heavier than I was - he fell faster. My feet were about at his knees as we fell in line with the heavy water. It was pounding over me and practically drowning me. I held my breath as the water completely overtook me. Had it not been for the weightless feeling in my stomach I would have thought that I'd already hit the water.

Suddenly as fast as I had jumped from the edge of the rocks I hit the water. It was easy to register that the fall had been just over two-hundred feet. As my body was pounded by the water I fought to get to the surface. I could still drown. I had to get out of here. I swam deeper in the water before desperately getting away from the pounding water of the waterfall. I had swam about twenty feet when the water finally wasn't heavy enough that I could no longer swim up. So I did, breaking the surface and taking in a huge breath of air.

The sun was painful. The wind felt strange. I was freezing. The air was dirty out here. It had been so long that I had been outside I had almost forgotten what it was like to not be inside. I took a quick look down at myself and saw that my skin was no longer glowing. It had gone back to the sickly pale tone that it had been for the past seven years. The only evidence from the previous tone of my skin was the gentle golden glow of the nerve endings underneath my skin. As I weakly swam over to the bank I realized that the adrenaline that had flooded my body was gone now. I felt like I was about to drown. I needed food and water desperately.

As I swam I realized that I hadn't gotten out of here alone. Logan had been with me. And I didn't see him. Panic built in the bottom of my chest. "Logan! Logan!" I shrieked. I slipped into his mind. It was still here but dark. He was alive. "Logan! Logan, where are you? Logan! Logan! Logan!" I continuously shouted.

"Calm down, kid, I'm right here," I heard Logan call out. We were in a deeper part of the water, probably about eight feet, when I saw him. He was just a few feet behind me. His boiling skin was coming back to its previous look. The only difference now was that it was still slightly red. But I was sure that it would be back to normal within a few minutes.

"Oh thank God," I muttered softly. I swam over to Logan, hesitating for a minute - I didn't want to hurt him - but it seemed that the radiation that had previously been emitting from me was no longer a problem. Perhaps the water had done something. Or maybe it was the loss of adrenaline. Either way, I swam over to Logan and he caught me in his arms as I fell against his chest.

His arms were tight around me as he swam us over to the bank, near the edge of the waterfall. If someone looked over they wouldn't be able to see us. A few tears slipped out of my eyes as he dragged the two of us up onto the bank. I had never thought that I would live to see the sun again. I glanced up and let out a soft laugh. It felt so good. A warmth spread over me, despite the freezing cold from the water. The sand that we were laying in felt good too. It was curling between my toes and covering most of my body. I liked the feeling of it. Logan rolled slightly so that I was halfway underneath him. Our arms and legs were tangled together as we let out a soft laugh.

My head was pressed against his as I stared up at him, laughing gently. It sounded so foreign. I hadn't heard myself laugh in years. But my laughter was cut off abruptly when I realized the position I was laying in. We were both soaking wet and completely in the nude. We were laying on top of each other and our limbs were tangled together. I scrambled away from him, stumbling over myself slightly. Logan smirked up at me.

He came to a stand, towering over me. His claws had since gone back into his hands. "Cute, kid. You never seen a guy like that before?" Logan teased as he motioned for me to follow him through the woods.

"No," I answered honestly. "I've been there since I was fourteen. Never had a chance to be doing something else." Logan had nothing to say back to that. "Have you always been able to do that thing with your claws?" I asked carefully.

He nodded at me. "Yeah but it was always bone. Never seen the claws like that before," he told me.

"It's the adamantium in you now. Your bones are plated in it. I believe that your entire skeleton is. It will make you indestructible. Or near indestructible. You have the increased metabolism and healing factor and now the adamantium skeleton. I suppose it's the one mutation that we have in common," I ranted, wanting to say something to avoid talking about the elephant in the room... or woods.

Logan nodded. "What's that thing that you did back there? You were melting the skin off of me. Them too."

"The only reason that you were able to withstand it was the healing factor. But it's why I was trying to stay away from you. I didn't know how much you were able to take. I could hear Stryker saying it back in that room. He isn't dead. The electrical current didn't get him. He must have let go of the panel before I could get to it. The mutation is something with radiation. It allows me to take on a pure form of it. Destroys organic tissue near me. Seems like it can destroy synthetic material too. I don't know what happened that made it stop. Maybe it was the water. Maybe it was the lack of adrenaline. I've never been able to do that before," I told him softly.

Logan stopped me and nodded. We were standing in the thick of trees. Even when Stryker and his remaining men came for us I knew that they wouldn't be able to find us. Not at first. We had time. "That was pretty damn impressive. I'd make sure to keep that in the back of your mind," he told me. I nodded and gave a small smile as we walked.

We both knew that we had other places that we needed to go. We would only be able to travel together for so long. But what had happened back there, what we had been through together, I knew that it meant that we would be friends forever. Two people didn't go through something like that together and then just never speak to each other again. Logan and I were in some type of way bonded now. It sounded strange but it was the truth. And it was that truth that made it so hard to admit that we were only going to be able to be together for so much longer.

The two of us walked for hours until the sun was starting to set. We were getting close to what looked like a farmland. We had already traveled about thirty miles. The only conversation had been tiny bits and pieces to learn a bit more about each other. Other than a few small conversations we'd been in silence. We were both clearly trying to delay the eventual leave that we would need to take of each other. "I need to go east," Logan said, finally ending the delay of the inevitable.

I turned to him and nodded. I would need to go east eventually too but for right now I needed to go elsewhere. "I need to go south," I said softly.

Logan nodded at me before giving me a slight smile. "I got a brother to kill," he told me.

In the back of his mind I could see his brother's face. I could see him from Logan's eyes, leaning over his wife and killing her. I wouldn't try to stop him from his quest for revenge. If I ever saw Stryker again I would get my revenge on him. Not necessarily for what he had done to me but because of how stupid and ignorant I'd been. I had followed him like a fool. I'd thought that he was safe. He seemed to know me. He promised me that he would help me. If I could go back in time I'd have slapped myself for what I'd done. I'd left Bucky and Steve without a word. I had to get back to them. If nothing else just to explain that I hadn't left them without thought. I'd left because I thought that it was the right thing to do. I was wrong.

It took me a moment to realize that Logan was waiting for me to say something. "I've got friends that need a damn good reason as to why I've been gone all these years," I told him.

He nodded, knowing that it meant that our brief time together was coming to an end. "Kid-" Logan started before I cut him off.

"Victoria," I corrected him. He raised an eyebrow at me. "If you're going to continue looking at me the way that you do you had damn well better stop calling me kid," I told him with a smirk.

Logan grinned at me and shook his head. "Get some food in you and take a shower and you'll look even better," he told me. I laughed softly and shook my head. He had been around for too long to care about proper communication in society. Being raised by Bucky and Steve's parents I had been forced to learn them. "I've been around a long time. I forget about social manners. I know it's not proper for a young lady to see a man like this. Or vice versa," he said.

A sudden frown marred my features. A proper young lady. That wasn't what I was. Not after what I'd done in there. Not with what I had done to those people. I'd killed them all. Fried their insides and melted their skin. I could have killed Logan had he not had the regenerative power. Perhaps it was safer that I stayed away from people. I didn't even know that I had the radioactive power. I couldn't risk doing that again in someplace that was crowded. Not with Steve or Bucky anywhere near me. Perhaps it was better that I was gone.

No one would ever look at me the same way if they found out what I was. I wasn't sure that I would be able to look at myself the same way ever again. "You saw what I did in there. I'm long past proper," I muttered softly.

Logan stepped up to me, his brown eyes boring into my yellow ones. "You're right. You're Savage," he told me.

My eyebrows raised. "Savage?" I repeated.

He nodded at me and took a step back. "Yeah. Savage. They like to name us different things." I raised an eyebrow again, not really sure what he was getting at. "My brother, he calls himself Sabretooth. My wife called me Wolverine. Us - the mutants - we all have names. Gotta give you one too." I smiled slightly. Perhaps we were almost like a family. "I like Savage," he said.

Wolverine and Savage. It was a good mix. It sounded dangerous. "I like it too," I said with a smile. We stood together in silence for a moment before I stared sadly at Logan. "Logan are you sure that I can't convince you to come with me?" I asked.

A small smirk spread over his face. "Ah, you gonna miss me?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes at his childish manner. "You know it." In some ways I would miss him. He was the only person like me that I genuinely felt that I knew. Part of me wanted to stay with him but I knew that we both had things to do. "I know. We both have things we need to get done and we can't do them together. Please be careful. Revenge isn't always the best choice. And Stryker and his men will be after us," I said.

It was only a matter of time before they realized that Logan and I hadn't died during the fall. And once they knew that we were still out there they would come after us. "I know. I'll leave a trail, make sure they follow me." I opened my mouth to argue with him but Logan spoke over me. "You still got a whole life to live, kid. I'll take care of Stryker. Go find that boy you love," he told me with a smirk.

My heart sank as I looked over at Logan. "What?" I asked him dumbly.

He grinned at me. "If there's anything that I should know by now it's the look of a girl who's in love. I overheard Stryker mention two boys by the names of Bucky and Steve. Must be one of them." My eyes fell to the ground. I didn't want to admit that I felt something for them. Because I couldn't. I'd hurt them enough. I was afraid to hurt them even more. "Get out of here. Go find him," Logan said.

Looking up at him I shook my head. I loved Bucky and Steve more than anything but I couldn't hurt them again. "Logan, you're right about one thing. I'm savage. What I did in there could get him killed. He's just a man," I told Logan. A flash of emotion shot through his eyes and I realized that his wife must have just been human too. We both knew the pain. "Me and you, we're something more. The longer I've thought about it the more that it makes sense. I won't age. What's the point of being with him and watching him grow old and die? Only to continue living myself. These mutations are dangerous. I could accidentally kill him," I argued.

Logan took a step forward and for a moment I thought that he was actually angry with me. "So why are you going to find him?" He asked me.

I wanted to say that it was because I owed him an apology or just to show him that I wasn't really dead. But I knew that wasn't it. It was because I wanted to see him. Just one last time. "Because I owe him an apology," I said softly.

Logan let out a soft sigh before taking a step forward and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Victoria, you know how to find me if you ever need me," he told me seriously.

I smiled at him and nodded. "And the same goes to you," I told him honestly.

We stood together for a moment. We both laughed softly after a moment and took a step backwards from each other. Despite the fact that we knew that we were going to have to leave each other it was hard for the two of us to take the first step away from each other. "Goodbye, kid. I'll see you again," he told me before leaving.

"You so sure about that?" I called after him.

He nodded at me. I could tell that he really did mean it. If we were both never going to age I knew that the time would come that I would cross paths with Logan again. "The last time that I see you it's not going to be bloody and battered without clothes and starved half to death," he told me and I nodded. When we saw each other again I intended for it to be on better terms. "Well, you can always come back without the clothes," he said after a moment of silence.

"Shut up," I told him with a laugh. We were both smiling and laughing at the other. I knew that he was just teasing me. And the more that I thought about it the funnier that it really was. I'd only known Logan for two days and here we were laughing and teasing each other, standing naked in the middle of the woods. "Goodbye, Logan. I'll see you again. Be careful out there," I told him.

He nodded at me. "You too." My legs felt like bricks as I tried to force myself to leave our little clearing. "Do me a favor while you're out there. Tell that boy you love him," he told me.

My face fell as I stared at him. He didn't understand that I really did want to say something to Bucky. But I couldn't. Not when I would have to watch him grow old and die. Not when I held the potential to kill him just under my skin. "I'll think about it," I finally told him.

Despite nodding at me I knew that he knew that I was not going to say anything to Bucky. "Get out of here. The train tracks are about two miles that way," Logan pointed behind me. "Follow them south. They should bring you over into either Idaho or Montana. Maybe even North Dakota. Go through the low population areas and make your way over to New York. If you're fast it should take you about three or four days to get there," Logan told me. I nodded, trying to map out a way to get back to Brooklyn.

"Thanks. I don't know if I'll head to New York right away," I said after a moment. "Might hide out for a little while and try and put some weight back on. Get a little healthier before trying to actually rejoin civilization," I told him with a smile.

I still looked like something between a ghost and a skeleton. Being out in public right now might not be the best thing. And I wasn't so sure that Bucky and Steve wouldn't run from me if they saw me the way that I was. "Good girl. Get out of here," Logan said. Before I could leave I turned back to Logan and walked up to him. He opened his arms to me and wrapped me in a hug. As he loosened his grip I leaned up on my toes and pressed a small kiss to his cheek, almost against the edge of his mouth. "Thanks for everything, kid," Logan said.

Smiling at him one last time I nodded at him. "Anytime," I said softly. With that I turned and walked through the woods. I turned back a few times as I walked to check on Logan. He hadn't left yet. He stood in the same spot that I had left him in. It wasn't until I was about to disappear over a small hill that he gave me a wink and turned, running off. A small sigh escaped my lips as I began the trek back to New York.

Four Days Later...  
Brooklyn, New York

I made my way through the old housing area with soft steps. I didn't want to alert anyone that I was here. The last four days had been hell. Like Logan had said, the tracks were just two miles south of where we had been. They hadn't taken long to find. I'd walked on them for about two hours before a train had passed. From there I'd jumped on and rode it overnight, getting up on my own for the first time in seven years. The train had taken me as far as eastern Ohio. From there I'd stuck to the woods. Out there I'd been lucky enough to find a tattered old coat. It was the only amount of clothing that I could find. I was still wearing it.

That day I'd trekked through Ohio and found myself in Pennsylvania. It had taken me the entire third day to get through Pennsylvania. There wasn't much around the state to actually find myself held up with. I'd stolen a few pieces of fruit from outdoor markets and later that night I had managed to find a folded up five dollar bill on the ground. I'd found some small tavern and eaten there. A greasy cheeseburger and a mountain of fries with a large cola. I'd barely been able to move afterwards. I could barely remember ever eating like that.

Thankfully there was a public bathroom not far from there. I hadn't bothered sleeping last night. Instead I'd walked over to the bathroom and spent the night there, taking care of myself. I'd been collecting small supplies, stealing them from outdoor markets. I felt bad but I had to do something. I'd used a small sponge to wipe the dirt, Chronicle, and sweat off of me. A small razor had taken the hair off of my legs and a few other areas. A pair of scissors had cut my hair to a normal length. It was slightly uneven but it was good enough. It now fell just underneath my shoulders. I couldn't find a brush but the shampoo and conditioner I'd found was enough to take the giant knots out. It was still scraggly but it looked better.

I'd done a full assessment of myself that yellow in my eyes was slightly brighter than it had been before I'd left Stryker's place. They still looked too dull but they were better. And the red had gone down in them too. My hair was not the same disgusting rat's nest that it had been. My skin had tanned slightly from the long walks in the sun. It was still too pale but darker than it had been before. It was almost impossible to see the golden nerve endings underneath my skin now. They had darkened too, but they were still slightly visible.

My body had not yet filled out, not that I'd been expecting it to. It looked like I might have gained a pound or so but that still wasn't enough. I didn't look the way that I knew I could but I had waited long enough. In the early hours of the morning I had made it into New York. Hitching a ride on a train that was transporting coal I'd ridden out to Brooklyn. It was late afternoon judging by the sun and I was finally here. Walking through the old rows of apartment buildings my heart gave a painful twist as I walked up to the apartment building that had once been mine.

I'm home. My heart was pounding as I walked up the stairs to the level that Steve and Bucky both lived on. The place was more derelict than it was the last time that I had seen it. It was not as nice as it used to be. There were less people and the building almost looked like it was falling apart. But it was no matter. They were here. And that was all that mattered. I walked up the final flight and - even after seven years - automatically let my feet lead me over to Bucky's apartment.

But something was wrong. This whole thing was wrong. There were no signs of any life in the apartment. I couldn't hear their thoughts. Not through the telepathy or just with the advanced hearing. They weren't here. But as I looked in I realized that they weren't just out for the day. Nothing was in the apartment. There was no furniture in the apartment. I couldn't see a thing. My heart was pumping heavily as I walked over to Steve's apartment, only to be met with the same thing. There were no people in the apartment and there was nothing that could be seen. Where were they? I had just seen them at Stark Expo through Bucky's eyes a few days ago.

There was a soft clanking behind me and I turned back, almost expecting to see Bucky or Steve there. For a moment hope bubbled in my chest until I realized that it wasn't them. It was an older woman with a friendly smile on her face. "You looking for someone, dear?" She asked me.

Keeping my eyes aimed at the ground, glad that it was dark in the hall, I nodded at her. "Yes, actually. Steven Rogers lives here. James Barnes was just two doors down. Um they both lived here with their families. Do you know where they are? Any of them?" I asked her.

A sad smile crossed her face and she shook her head at me. "Oh dear. It must have been some time since you've been here," she said. I nodded at her. "James' mother died quite a few years ago. Maybe six or so. Flu took her." My God. Mrs. Barnes had died not long after I'd left. "His father died just over a year ago in an accident at Camp Lehigh. His sister was sent to a boarding school. Don't know what happened to the others. As for Steven, his mother and father both died around the same time, about five years ago. Sickness took them both," she told me.

Everyone. Everyone was gone. It hurt deep down to think about. The people that I had once considered as my family were gone. Even their siblings were gone. But I had to remember that it wasn't them that I was here for. I was here for the boys. "Do you know where they are? James and Steven?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

The older woman shrugged her shoulders at me. "I'm not quite sure. They both sold their homes after James' father died. I believe they left to live together but that was a year ago. I haven't heard from either of them." Gone. They were gone. And I had no clue where to look. "I think this place has too many memories," she said, looking all around her.

"Yes. It does," I said softly. Not just their parents but me. Everything that had happened to them. I almost couldn't blame them for leaving. "Thank you. I'll be on my way," I told the older woman, fleeing down the stairs as quickly as possible.

They had to still be in New York. I had seen them at the Stark Expo just days before. But no matter how much I tried to search for them I couldn't find them. I could see Steve sitting on a couch and laughing with Bucky - who was in the kitchen and sipping on a beer. I desperately tried to figure out where they were but I wasn't that strong yet. I couldn't tell. All I knew was that it was not the same place that we had grown up. And unless I wanted to go through every house in New York I might not ever figure out where they were.

So I headed away from the apartment complex and left towards the northern end of the state. The entire time that I walked, eventually hitting a woodsy area of the state, I tried to convince myself that it was for the best. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe this was some type of divine intervention telling me that it was for the best that I couldn't find Bucky and Steve. Maybe this was my punishment for being such a fool and going with Stryker. I hadn't wanted to see Bucky and Steve again for fear of hurting them, but maybe it was always me that would end up hurt.

Walking past an old farmhouse I headed through the field and over to the barn. It looked like whoever lived here didn't actually utilize the farm. It looked like they more just liked the space. So I figured that tonight I would sleep in the barn and be gone by the morning. Maybe I would head to an information center and see if I could find something out about Bucky and Steve. Or perhaps an Army recruitment center. I knew that they both wanted to go in. Maybe I would walk around the business center of Brooklyn. See if there was a chance that I could find them.

No matter what I owed them both an apology. A gun clicked behind me and I froze in my tracks. There was someone behind me. Clearly the owner of the home. "You'd best get off of my property," the man's scratchy voice called out to me.

Turning back I stared at him. He was an older man, tall too. He appeared to be somewhere in his mid-sixties. He had a wrinkled face and hard eyes. A military man no doubt. His brown eyes were looking over me. He had gone from staring at me with a mean glare to a curious glance. He was still aiming the gun at me but I noticed that his grip had loosened. "Go ahead. Shoot me," I told him.

The man looked appalled at me. He shook his head and lowered the gun. He still had his finger over the trigger but he looked less tempted to shoot me now. "I'm not going to kill a kid," he said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "You won't kill me. You won't even hurt me." It was the truth. I'd found that out right after Stryker's experiment on me. My pain receptors were gone. "Can you just point me in the direction of a hotel?" I asked.

It wasn't like I was going to actually be able to stay there. I didn't have any money. But maybe I could break into a room and manage to take a real shower. Perhaps I could even break into their kitchen. The man shook his head and dropped the gun. "Kid, you look like hell." Should have seen me a few days ago. "Come on inside. Get you something to eat. Take a shower," he told me.

He was motioning back to the farmhouse and I shook my head. The old man seemed nice enough but I wasn't going to go with him. I didn't know him. He didn't know what I was. I couldn't have what happened with Stryker to me happen again. It wouldn't. It wasn't in me to let that happen again. "You don't want me near you," I told him.

"Why? Because the police are looking for you?" He asked. My eyes widened and I let the electrical current run through my veins, keeping it just below the surface. A good shock might give some memory loss but it wouldn't kill him. I had to keep it in the back of my mind. Just in case. The man seemed to sense my hesitation. "Not too many people have yellow eyes." Oh. I'd forgotten about that. "Or match a physical description of a fugitive on the run. Thirteen years you've been in hiding. Not bad," the man told me, swinging the shotgun over his back.

He had a very nonchalant attitude about him. It was nothing like the almost desperate way that Stryker had once spoken to me. I stared at the man for a moment before looking him over. "You're in the Army," I stated.

He nodded at me and went into a brief salute. He held out his hand to shake mine but I ignored it. He didn't look offended. "Colonel Chester Philips. Good to meet you, Victoria Davies." My eye twitched slightly. I hadn't heard someone call me that in a long time. The man nodded back to his house and motioned over his head. "Come on in," he called back to me.

I followed him with the electrical current still running heavily under my skin. I stood a slight distance from him. He was just one man but I didn't want to test him. "You're not going to report me to the government?" I asked him.

If there was an chance that he would I was going to turn and run. I would never be held up in a lab like a test rat the way that I had been again. "Nah, never really liked the government." I almost snorted. He worked with the Army, what sense did that make? "You're a kid that's clearly in something bigger than herself. And look at you. You're starving and you look like you've been living in the woods. If I'd have thought that you were going to hurt me I would have shot you," he told me.

As we walked into his house he tossed the shotgun that he had been holding into a side closet carelessly. I watched as he walked into the kitchen and began to make himself coffee. "It wouldn't make a difference. It would only make me angry," I said.

The man turned to me and gave me a small smile. It was the first emotion on his face other than anger and a simple nonchalance. "You're not normal, are you, Victoria?" He asked me.

"Normal is subjective."

The man grinned at me and motioned me to a room in the back of his house. "Come with me." I walked with him, standing behind slightly. The electrical currents were still at the tips of my fingers. The man began to look through a cabinet in a big wooden desk before grabbing a manila envelope and handing it to me. "I haven't looked at this file in a long time. Reports say that we should immediately report you to the FBI if you're ever found. But I never did like to follow the rules," he told me with a small smile.

I opened the file quickly and realized that it was a file with my name on it. It had my picture and all sorts of information about me. It even had images of my childhood home, burned down. There were also the death certificates of my parents. My heart was beating quickly as I looked up at the man. He was watching me curiously. "How did you get this?" I asked him softly.

The man sighed and motioned me to follow him back into the kitchen we had just come from. "At the time of your escape everyone had it. Nearly every Colonel in the military had it. Every police department, hell your pictures were all over convenience stores in your area. No one thought that a little kid could make it as far as Brooklyn. How'd you hide for so long? You had to have been enrolled in school?" He asked me.

For a moment I stared at him. I didn't trust the man but I could tell that he wasn't bad. If there was one thing that I could thank Stryker for it was teaching me who is trustworthy and who isn't. "Yes. I was enrolled under another name," I answered plainly.

The man seemed pleased enough with my answer. "Smart. What do you go by now?" He asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back against the table that he had set out. "Nothing. I've been locked away for a number of years. Nowhere for me to run and no way for anyone to find me. Only got out recently. Headed straight for Brooklyn. Came out here when I couldn't find what I was looking for. Just trying to find some place to... be," I said softly.

He didn't need to know that I was still searching for two of my friends. Not yet. "Some of the things in that record say that you're pretty smart. Got a penchant for genetics," he told me.

Once more I shrugged. He wasn't wrong. I was extremely good with genetics. It was probably because my own genetics were scrambled. I wanted to see if I could learn more about it. See if I could find out why I was the way that I was. "I'm alright," I muttered.

The man stared at me for a moment before taking a step towards me. I backed away immediately and I noticed that he stepped back as well, clearly understand that he had overstepped his boundaries. I appreciated that he had stepped back. "What if I told you that I could give you a life? A job? A place to belong?" He asked me with a small smile.

My eyebrows shot to my forehead. No one could give me those things. I wasn't the right type of person to have a normal life. I never would be. "What do you mean?" I asked him slowly.

"Like I said, I'm a Colonel in the Army. I can pull some strings." He wanted to give me a job in the Army? "If you're as good with genetics as it seems that you are we could have some use for you. We have a doctor on site that is very good with genetics. We're working on a special project. I think you could be useful." My eyebrows knitted and the man seemed to catch his mistake. "As a consultant. We need someone that understands genetics. We have biologists and chemists and even some geneticists. But none like you. And if you're as... different as everyone claims that you are you could be useful to me for training the recruits," he added.

The things that he was saying were like a dream. It was a way for me to start the life that I had always wanted. But I couldn't trust him. Not after everything that had happened. I would not be that fool again. "I've been through a hell of a lot in the past seven years. You'll excuse me if I don't trust you right off the bat," I told the man after a moment of silence.

The man nodded at me. "Trust me or don't, that's your choice. I'm the only person that lives here. No one ever visits. The only time I leave is when I live at Camp Lehigh during training. You could come with me. Help out there. It's the Army. There are barracks. You'd live with the other women on site. No one would hurt you. You agree to this and I'll tell you about everything else that's going on with the project. Something tells me that you know that I'm being honest," the man told me.

After a long pause of the two of us staring at each other I dropped into his mind. I could see a training place. Camp Lehigh. The same place that Bucky's father and the other Army recruits trained. The man was shouting at the recruits and rolling his eyes as the men fell over. A few times I felt a bubble of amusement when they took particularly hard falls. There was even a science lab that he was in from time to time. A German scientist was trying to explain to him what it was but I could feel the man's confusion. He merely nodded and make it clear that he needed this done.

Finally I broke away from his mind. He wasn't lying. He really was being honest with me. I wished that I had been able to do that when I'd met Stryker. I wished that I'd thought to do it. "I do," I finally told the man. He nodded at me and extended a cup of coffee to me. After a moment I took it. "Why are you helping me?" I asked him.

The question had been slightly rude but the man didn't look offended. He merely smiled at me and walked over to the table. He motioned to the chair, almost asking if he could take a seat. After a moment I nodded. "I can be a bit of a hard-ass. Probably why I never married or had a family. But that doesn't mean that I don't love kids. Doesn't mean I don't love to help. It's why I joined the Army. It's why I do what I do when I'm there. Because I want to help. I know potential when I see it. I think that you have potential," he said.

"To help this project," I said drearily.

The man shook his head at me. "To be human. To have friends and family that surround you. No one deserves to be treated the way that you have been," he told me.

My eyes narrowed. "How do you know how I've been treated?" I snapped at him.

The man still didn't look offended by the way that I had spoken to him. "I'm an old man. I've seen a lot of eyes. Some are happy, some are sad, some are pained, and some are calm. But I've never seen a set of eyes like yours." I huffed. That was just because they were yellow. "There's nothing in them. Not a spark of life. Not a spark of love. I'd like to change that," he told me.

We sat together in silence for a moment before I finally spoke once more. "You sure you weren't a father?"

The man gave a soft smile and shook his head at me. "Positive," he said with a small chuckle. He looked better when he was smiling. "But if we're going to bring you into the Army we have to give you a different backstory. I can say that I took you in through adoption. After adoption, records are sealed and destroyed. We give you a new name. Victoria Philips. How is that?" He asked me.

I assumed that he meant that his last name was Phillips. At least I knew something to call him. "I'm willing to try it," I told him after a moment.

Philips nodded at me with a small smile. He stood to walk back into the kitchen. "That's all that I'm asking," he called over his shoulder.

As he walked around in the kitchen I called out to him once more. "Just know that if I sense that something is wrong, if for a minute I think that you're like the people that I just came from, I will kill you. And I promise you that. I'll never have what happened to me there happen to me again," I told Philips with complete seriousness.

"Good," he called. My eyebrows quirked. "Then we're on the same page. I have no intent to hurt you, Victoria. But I can see why you're suspicious. I know that I'm old but I would appreciate my death being put off for a few more years," he told me.

There was a small grin on his face and for a moment one threatened to pop up on mine too. I watched as Philips walked around the kitchen. He didn't seem to be a master chef or anything of the sorts but it looked better than anything else that I'd had in a long time. "What should I call you?" I asked him, realizing that I only knew his last name.

The man turned back to me with a slightly surprised face. "Yeah, that would help. Chester is fine," he told me and I nodded. "There's a spare bedroom upstairs. I take it you don't have anything with you?" He asked me. I shook my head. "We can take you out shopping tomorrow. Army Colonel's make a fair amount of money and I don't have any girls in my life to drain it." At his comment I couldn't help the small smile that turned up the corner of my lips. You can go upstairs and get ready. I've got dinner on the table. How do you like casserole?" He asked me.

In all honesty I couldn't remember ever having casserole. But it had to be better than starving to death. "Anything is better than dog food," I muttered under my breath. Chester looked slightly pained at my passing comment. I watched him work for a minute before calling out to him. "Chester? Can I ask you something?" He hummed back at me. "Do you know any recruits by the name of James Barnes or Steven Rogers?" I asked.

Chester glanced up to the ceiling for a moment before shaking his head at me. I let out a defeated sigh. "Neither sound familiar. But I'll keep an eye out. I get paperwork on every new recruit coming into Camp Lehigh. I'll let you know if I ever see them," he told me. I gave him a grateful nod. "Friends of yours?" He asked me.

"People that I owe an explanation to," I weakly explained.

For a moment I thought that he might press me to explain myself more but he only nodded. I appreciated that he wasn't going to pry. "Go ahead upstairs and get a bath or something in. I'll get you something to eat down here," he told me.

I stared at him for a moment before standing from the chair. Chester simply motioned over his shoulder at a set of stairs that seemed to lead to a large second floor. I stood and headed over, walking to the staircase. As I stood on the first step with my hand on the railing I turned back to Chester. "You know I'm dangerous to have here," I told him before walking up the stairs.

He turned back to me and smirked softly. "Good. I like danger," he said before turning back to his food. I grinned to myself before walking up the stairs to take the first shower I would have in seven years. Maybe Chester would turn out to be a bad man after all. But somehow I doubted it. His mind was innocent. He was good. And maybe, just maybe, he would be the second chance that I needed.


	7. Chapter Seven

One Year Later...

The shouting from downstairs was the only thing that made me want to move from the fluffy bed. Chester's scratchy voice was reaching me from the living room downstairs and I groaned, throwing a pillow over my head. The alarm clock on my bedside table was chirping loudly and I moaned in frustration. Chester had set the darn thing to wake me up every morning at the horribly early hour of six. I knew how to turn it off but I knew that all that would earn me was having my enrollment date in the United States Army pushed back. And that was not something that I wanted.

So I weakly rolled over and smacked the alarm. Slightly too hard as the metal bent under the pressure. I grimaced at the sight of the thing and stuffed it in the bedside table. Thankfully we would be leaving for Camp Lehigh - all the way out in New Jersey - today. That meant that I wouldn't get the question of why I needed another new alarm clock. Chester's voice rang throughout the large house hollering at me to get ready. We would be leaving in about two hours, judging by the schedule that was set out on my table. Chester had ensured that I knew exactly when I had to be ready and that I knew exactly what it was that I had to bring. I was notorious for being late and never having what I needed.

"Victoria! Are you up yet?" Chester's old voice echoed through the house.

Turning to the door - clothes in hand - I shouted back. "Hold your horses, old man! I'll be down in a little bit!" I could hear him rattling around in the kitchen and I smiled as I walked out of my bedroom and into the bathroom.

It wasn't that I was really even mean or rude to Chester. It was just the way that we spoke to each other. It had started as a few teasing comments to each other, but before long it had bloomed into that type of relationship. We couldn't be serious or polite to each other for too long. It came from wanting to keep our relationship friendly without being awkward. Many of Chester's colleagues thought that we acted just like father and daughter - and as far as they were concerned, we were. Chester and I didn't dare tell them the truth of our odd relationship.

The past year had been good for the both of us. Chester was a rather gruff man but I enjoyed it. His personality made for some good nights of witty banter held back and forth between the two of us. He was a traditional man who upheld strong values of loyalty and creating strong soldiers. But one funny thing about Chester was that he - unlike most of the other military men - believed that a strong and trained woman could be useful. It was because of this - and his ranking - that once I was out of my shower I would be on my way to Camp Lehigh.

While there I would have two jobs. My main job would be working in the labs. Dr. Abraham Erskine - who I had yet to meet - was working on some type of serum to create super-soldiers. They called it Operation Rebirth. He was a German scientist who was actually on our side for the war. Chester had told me that this serum that they were working on was enough to push normal human abilities to superhuman level. Advanced strength and speed, among others. Erskine evidently thought that I would be good for it. He had promised Chester that if I was able to help create the serum I would be given an honorary degree in Genetics from Harvard University. It would be near impossible for me to get a degree any other way. No prestigious university wanted to take a woman for a degree like genetics.

I only knew so much about Operation Rebirth. Chester had told me that Erskine would tell me more when I actually went to meet him. Evidently they had already been working on the serum for three years with very few advances. Before they could begin testing on live human subjects they would have to have the mortality rate to eighty-five percent. That meant that someone needed an eighty-five percent chance of survival. I was honestly surprised that it wasn't even higher. Oh well, it wasn't me going into that chamber.

The other thing that Chester wanted me at Camp Lehigh for was to train the new recruits. I was still curious how he thought that it was going to go over with the new recruits - having a woman instructing them. Although I had a feeling that the men wouldn't get a chance to say otherwise. Chester would not take it well if the men couldn't tolerate having a woman with them. He thought that this would be a good way for me to prove that I was more than just a wannabe scientist, keep my powers up while learning how to blend in, and teach the men to respect everyone - even those that they valued as less than themselves.

There would be a basic schedule that we would be following. I knew their daily schedule well enough. They would be awake at five-thirty sharp every morning. I had agreed to be awake at five. We'd see how well that would work. At six in the morning they would be ready for breakfast. Lunch would be at either eleven in the morning or noon - depending on what unit they were a part of. Dinner was at six. Training would last on average ten hours a day. Some days would be as short as eight hours. Lights out would be at nine o'clock. There were no exceptions. Unless they had nighttime duties or activities - which I would be overseeing, considering my advanced vision.

We would be living in Camp Lehigh for ten weeks with the recruits. Once they were done with their nine weeks they would be deployed. Most to Germany. Some to other places. The weaker ones would be staying at home, working on the bases. That would be determined on how well they did over the nine weeks - technically ten if you counted Zero Week. Zero Week was essentially the break-in period. It was for transition and adapting to Army life. It was also a good time for medical examinations - which I would also be present for. Week one was mostly designated for fall in period. It was the classroom learning. I would mostly be with Erskine for that week. In week two they met the Drill Sergeants and began to learn things like first aid and map reading.

Week three was where I would begin to be a looming pretense. It was endurance. Physical and mental. Mostly they would be simulating combat scenarios. Week four was all about marksmanship. Everything from cleaning the weapon to holding it, firing it, shooting from different positions, and how to breathe properly. Week five was a follow-up from week four. They would be firing for a completion certificate and performing on the Fit to Win Obstacle Course. Week six finally teaches the recruits to learn and help one another. It was all about camaraderie. An army is not just one person. It's exactly that - an army. Week seven focused on building up the confidence that recruits were slowly gaining. Hand grenade training, live fire, foot marching, and overall physical fitness. Week eight is Victory Forge, where we put to test everything that the recruits have learned over the past few weeks. It's a three day field retreat to prove that they have what it takes to be an Army Soldier. Week nine is always what they looked forward to. Graduation. Family and friends would always come to watch.

It had taken the higher-ups some convincing to let me in on the training but last month they had finally agreed. Of course that was only under the pretense that Chester supervise my sessions and I only train them for one hour a day. Something about not wanting to put additional stress on my feminine mind. I had enjoyed listening to Chester shout at the men until they had agreed to let me train the men for two hours every day. But it was still under his supervision. He had given me clearance to do anything that I wanted; with the exception of electrocuting them, dropping a boulder on them, lighting them on fire, invading their minds, and breaking their bones. He never lets me have any fun.

I understood why he was telling me that, though. No one knew about my mutations other than Chester. Chester had evidently met a mutant when he was younger and had become friends with her until her death - an accident. She had believed that she was impervious to disease. Cancer had taken her. He told me that I reminded him of her. He liked to encourage me to use my mutations and help perfect them. He was much easier than Stryker had been. Although he did yell at me every time I tried to read his mind and he found out. Most of the time he didn't know. And there had been quite a few disasters with the force fields. Many of Chester's old lamps were broken because I'd gotten overconfident.

As far as spending the last year with Chester, it had gone well. We had become literally everything that someone could imagine. Sometimes we were like siblings, picking on each other in every way imaginable. Sometimes we acted like husband and wife, shouting at each other all day long before hugging it out at night before we went to bed. Other times - most times - we were like a father and daughter. We supported each other without getting mushy, constantly called each other out on things that we did wrong, enjoyed embarrassing each other, but always loved each other. Chester was the father that I'd always wanted. One night I'd told him that. It was the only time I'd ever seen him emotional. In his words, I was the daughter that he'd never wanted, but gotten anyways. And he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

The only thing that hurt about my new life was that I hadn't heard from Logan since leaving him after escaping from Stryker's laboratory. A few months after our miraculous escape I had slipped into his mind. It was hard but I found him. The strangest thing was that he seemed to almost not even remember who he was. The inside of his mind had gone mostly dark. But he was still alive. I knew that he was. Once Chester passed on and I found myself out of work I had made it a point to go and find Logan, if nothing else just to see what had happened to him.

There had been no word from Stryker. As far as I knew, he was still alive. I had brought him up with Chester once and since he had been placed on a watch list of sorts. If he was still alive he was doing well hiding from the world. Of course over the last year I had been working hard to forget Stryker and everything that had happened to me during my time at Project X. Sometimes it felt like just a nightmare. Other times I would remember it all day long and have a hard time remembering that I was safe now. Chester was always good to help me realize that I was safe. He had promised not to let anything happen to me. And so far he had done just that.

Unfortunately there had also been no word from Bucky or Steve either. Apparently Chester had found some applications to the Army from Steve but none had been accepted. I was pretty sure that he'd been denied seven times or so. All due to medical problems. It hurt my heart to see that he was being turned away. Steve loved this country more than anything else I'd ever met. If anyone deserved to be out there defending it, it was him. Although I also knew why he was being turned away. It was safer for him to be a civilian. And I respected that. As far as Bucky, no word from him. It was probably because he was looking out for Steve. The thought made me smile. They were twenty-three and twenty-four years old but they still treated each other like children.

Hopping out of the shower, I wiped the steam off of the mirror and took a look at myself. I looked like a completely different person then I did when I was in Stryker's captivity. Despite the fact that I didn't age anymore I still looked older. Probably because I was no longer emaciated. Chester had cut my hair himself the first day that I was with him, just so that I didn't look like a wild animal. He had later taken me to a salon. It was currently back to its normal white-blonde and hung just below my shoulder-blades. It had a slight wave to it but today - as I brought the flames up around me to dry off - I began to curl it. I wanted to look as professional as possible.

A few months ago I had that I'd grown slightly over the past few years too. Due to the lack of food I hadn't gotten very tall. I was only five feet tall. A few inches below average. However what I lacked in height I made up for in shape. The curves had come in as I gained weight back. Of course they only got so big before the muscle would take over. It was thanks to my supercharged metabolism. They were just enough that having a shirt unbuttoned past one button would be considered 'inappropriate' for me. My eyes had gone back to their startling brilliant yellow color. I looked the right age, early twenties. (I had just recently turned twenty-two.) I wondered what people would think as I aged in years but never in appearance.

Walking away from the mirror I grabbed the clothes that I had laid out the night before. My bags were already packed with clothing, toiletries, a few journals, and guides that I had thought might be helpful. Chester had our security badges. The clothing that I had laid out wasn't really good for proving that I was a professional woman, rather that I could manage myself in the Army. The shirt was one that a woman would wear. Beige, with sleeves that went about a quarter of the way over my arms. It was a button down - with all but the very top button done up. On my legs were a pair of beige pants - not like the beige shirt that should have hit just below my knees - which the men would be wearing. I had on a pair of black boots that went around my ankles with my pants tucked in.

"Victoria! You done yet? Only got ten minutes until we have to leave!" Chester called up to me.

There was a reason that I'd waited so long to get ready. I knew that Chester would say something about what I was wearing and I wanted to make sure that we didn't have enough time for me to get changed. With my bags in hand I darted down the stairs and over to where Chester was making me a plate of eggs and bacon. I dropped the bags at the door before walking back over to the table and dropping down in my seat. Chester already had his bags at the door as he took a seat across from me.

I began to shovel the eggs into my mouth quickly. We were going to have to leave shortly. I could already hear the Army trucks outside getting ready to come in and grab our bags. Chester looked over at me and stared at my outfit. "You are aware that I left you proper garments to wear today?" Chester asked with his normal blank stare.

"The skirt is in my bag. I'll wear it when we're there, I swear! Just for today, let me wear this. Come on, you know that the men are going to have a cow if they see a woman in a skirt is going to be working with them. Training them," I added.

Chester stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Just today," he snapped. "Come in!" Chester yelled to the men through the screen door so that they could come in and begin loading our things.

The men from the trucks grabbed our bags and a few offered greetings to 'Colonel Phillips and Miss Phillips.' I smiled at them and looked over towards Chester. "Thanks, Dad," I chirped playfully before leading over and kissing Chester on the cheek. He grumbled and swatted me away.

The men walked back into the trucks and smiled at us. "We're ready to go Sir, Ma'am," one of the men wearing a dark suit called out to us.

We both nodded before standing and walking into the truck that was at the front of the pack. It was the one that would take us straight to the barracks. Chester and I would be living in the upper barracks. The ones that were reserved for higher-up members. Chester would be living in one wing and I would be living with another woman - whose name I had yet to learn - on another wing. I would meet her briefly before Chester would bring me to introduce me to Dr. Abraham Erskine. From there I would learn what it was that I was to do with Operation Rebirth. In the afternoon we would be starting Zero Week. We would meet the new recruits that we would be working with and getting to know each other. The last part had been at my own insistence. If we were going to be working as a team I thought that we should get to know each other.

Chester was currently driving the truck as I leaned back against the seat and let Chester's hat tip over my eyes, shading me from the rising sun. "Victoria." I glanced up through a cracked eyelid. "What was that boy's name? The one that you wanted to know if I ever saw his file?" Chester asked.

My heart gave a little skip. "Steven Rogers?" I asked.

Chester shook his head. "The other one," he said.

"J-James Buchanan Barnes," I said awkwardly, stumbling over my own words.

This time Chester nodded, glancing over at me briefly. I steeled my face. "That's the one. Born March 10th, 1917 to George M. and Winifred C. Barnes?" Chester asked me. Once more I nodded weakly. "Got a file in for him the other day. He'll be at Camp Lehigh for training," Chester told me.

Bile rose in my throat as I stared over at him. "Will he be in our division?"

Chester shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. We won't know until we actually meet the men under our care." Looking over into the mirror I saw that I had gone nearly stark white. "You alright, Victoria?" Chester asked me.

"Yeah. Just don't know if I'm ready to see him again," I said softly.

Chester was the one person that knew absolutely everything about me. He laid a hand on my knee and I smiled weakly. He knew the entire history between Bucky, Steve, and I. "Since you've been with me I thought that you've wanted to see them again. So that you could say something and explain why you left," Chest told me. Once more I nodded.

He wasn't wrong. I'd wanted to speak to them for years. Just to get a chance to try and explain myself. "I have. But... I don't know. Some part of me thought that I would never see them again. I haven't thought about what I want to say. I don't even know if I can tell them about myself. I can't tell them what I am and that means that I can't tell them why I left. I guess it was just something that always seemed so perfect in my mind but now that it's here I don't know what to do," I tried to explain.

"You love these boys?" Chester asked me.

"Of course."

"They love you?" I was pretty sure that they loved me. Any time that I had managed to slip into their minds it had seemed like they still loved me. Even long after I'd disappeared.

"I think so."

Chester took a turn and I glanced up to see the sign welcoming us into New Jersey. I smiled and laid my head back against the headrest, trying to beat back the nerves. "Then tell them what happened. They might not be as freaked out as you think."

"I can light myself on fire," I said dryly.

Chester gave me a small grin. "Maybe save that one until they make you mad," he told me. I laughed softly and shook my head. "Do me a favor. Speak to the boy," Chester told me.

It was almost identical to what Logan had once told me. I smiled and nodded at Chester. "Maybe once I see him. Give me time though. I'm not even sure where to start." Chester seemed pleased enough with that answer.

We drove in silence for nearly another ten minutes before Chester called out to me once more. I saw a sign for Camp Lehigh that was telling us that we were only a few minutes away. "Just make sure that his eyes stay above the shoulders," Chester growled. Laughing heartily, I grabbed him by the shoulders and smiled. He would have made a good father. He never did like the way that men looked at me.

The rest of the drive was made in a comfortable silence as we arrived at Camp Lehigh. Chester had seen this place plenty of times before. He himself had been trained here. But I had never been here before. As we drove into the gated area I looked around at my home for the next ten weeks. There were large oak trees all over the place and we drove in on a dirt road. There was a small platoon of about ten men running. Each saluted the car as we drove through. All of the buildings were large, rectangular, and grey. We passed what looked to be the dining hall first. Behind those were the barracks. Those buildings were the most evident around the camp. There was a weapons bunker as well and the entrance hall. We stopped there.

The men that had been driving behind us ushered us out of the truck. We all jumped out and began our walk towards the barracks. Most of the ones that we were passing were for the recruits. With each building we passed they got nicer and larger. I could tell that the one that Chester and I would be in was towards the back of the camp. It was the largest of them. It seemed to be able to hold at least eighty people, comfortably. I assumed that most of the women on site lived here. They were typically kept separately from the men, because living with men would be - as most things were - inappropriate.

We walked up to two men that were guarding the entrance. They were each holding clipboards in their hands. I assumed that they were going to tell us where we were assigned. "Colonel Chester Phillips and Honorary Sergeant Victoria Phillips," Chester said, motioning over to me. I cocked my eyebrows at him. I wasn't aware that we were calling me anything but my name.

"Women are not Sergeant's," the man on the right said. He was rather large and looked nasty. I snarled under my breath and glared at him. Thankfully Chester stepped up. I knew that it was not my place. Not while we were here.

"Do you have something to say to me about the way that we do things here?" Chester asked the man. "Because I'd be more than happy to explain the system to you," Chester continued. The man held a steady face but I knew that he was nervous. No one wanted to be on a Colonel's bad side. Especially not one as stern as Chester Phillips.

"No Colonel," the man said slowly. A few men standing around us snickered but quickly went back to their jobs. The men that were guarding the barracks took steps off to the side to allow us through.

The inside really wasn't much nicer than the outside. The walls were a deep brown and there were a few pictures hanging up. Most of them seemed to be previous Generals. The others just were landscapes. I assumed that it was to try and calm people down. Rooms were off of all of the wings. Each wing had its own specification and there were four wings. The first was for all high ranking men. The second was for women that worked mostly in records. The third were for the scientists and those in special divisions. The last wing was not labelled.

A man in a black suit walked us into the main area and motioned down the first hallway. "Colonel Chester Phillips. Wing One, Room Thirty-Two," the man said. Chester nodded. "Honorary Sergeant Victoria Phillips. Wing Four, Room Fifty-One," the man told me.

It was my turn to nod. Chester turned towards his hallway and I turned towards mine. "Go and get settled in," he told me as I took my bags from the men that had been walking with us. "I'll come get you and we can go see Dr. Erskine," Chester told me. I nodded and turned down the hallway. No one followed me. I watched as the doors passed and I stared at the numbers. Twenty-three... Thirty-six... Forty-five... Fifty-one!

Before throwing open the door I let my mind wander in. I couldn't see anything but I could sense another figure in the room. I assumed that it would be the woman that I would be living with. Chester had told me that her name was Peggy Carter. Pushing the door open, I walked inside. The beds were both made but one had things laid out on it already. One small black suitcase and a smaller case that I was sure was for toiletries. There were a few pairs of shoes lined up and on a hook on her side of the room was what appeared to be her nightgown and a robe. The bathroom door was closed, I assumed that she was in there. The shelves that were over the bed had a few things on it. A couple of books and a few paintings. One of her drawers in the bedside table was slightly ajar. Despite wanting to look inside I pushed the thoughts away. It was her private life.

A small voice from the bathroom called out to me. "Make yourself at home! I'll be out in just a moment," the woman called out to me. My eyebrow raised. Was she British? That was what her accent sounded like.

"No rush," I called back to her.

The room was actually rather large. We each had a decent enough space to ourselves. But it did appear that we would be sharing the bathroom. I unpacked my clothing first. It all went into a small wardrobe on my side of the room. A few smaller things - like my undergarments - went into the drawers in the nightstand. On my shelves I placed a few books - some for fun and others that were actually educational - and a set of dog-tags. Logan was the reason that I'd had them made. It was to remind me that someone had helped me, someone that I could never forget. One said Wolverine, the other said Savage. My toiletries stayed in the bag as I waited for Peggy to come out of the bathroom. I placed the one pair of heels that I owned, a pair of running shoes, and another pair of boots by the door.

I sat on the bed for a moment before leaning back down to my suitcase. I grabbed the one thing that I had thought would remain in there for the entire time that I was at Camp Lehigh. But something came over me. I grabbed the small photo frame and placed it next to the dog-tags. It was a black and white photograph of Steve, Bucky, and I. One day while I had been poking around in Bucky's old apartment - late at night so no one saw me - I found the photograph under Bucky's bed, pushed into the corner. He must have missed it when moving out.

The picture was from a trip to Coney Island when we were younger. Steve was in the background of the photo, looking like he might hurl. Bucky and I were laughing as we dragged him forward. We had just brought him on one of the insane roller coasters that he hated so much. Bucky had his arm placed around me and I was barely able to stand, laughing brightly. We all looked so happy. I smiled at the photo and pushed it back against the wall. At the same time the door to the bathroom opened. I turned back to see a very pretty woman smiling at me.

She was everything that someone would imagine from a young British - which I was still assuming she was - woman. She was rather tall, probably towering over me. She, unlike me, was dressed typically for a woman in the military. She was wearing a dark green blazer with two buttons buttoned and a white collared shirt underneath, buttoned up all the way, of course. A black tie was tucked in. A reasonably tight skirt was on her legs, going to just below the knee. Her hair was a soft brown and it fell in waves down to her shoulders. A small piece was twirled up. It looked very pretty. She had on bright red lipstick - the only makeup that I could see that she was wearing. She also had dark brown eyes that were currently assessing me just as I was to her.

We moved forward at the same time to shake hands. Her grip was tighter than I was expecting for a woman. I tightened mine a little as well. She was still smiling at you. "Lovely to meet you, Victoria Phillips," Peggy told me.

"Just Victoria, please. Vic or Vicky if you'd like," I told her. Peggy smiled at me.

"Margaret Carter, but just Peggy, please," she told me and I nodded at her. "Glad to see that you've unpacked. Let me know if you need me to move anything. How are you finding Camp Lehigh?" She asked.

"I haven't been here long. I just arrived with my father only about twenty minutes ago or so. So far it seems to be about what I've expected. Although I haven't seen many recruits around here," I told her.

She nodded at me and walked to sit over on her bed. I took a seat on mine. "They won't be here for a few hours. This is a transitional day. The beginning of Zero Week. They have to come and sign in and then we'll go to meet them. We can leave from here together if you'd like," Peggy offered.

I smiled at her. I had never had a girl friend before. This could be the start of a good friendship. "I think its best that we stick together. I have no doubt that these men won't take kindly to two women ordering them around," I told her with a grin.

She gave me a nod back that told me she'd already thought about that. "Yes I've realized that. How's your right-hook?" Peggy asked me.

For a moment I just stared at her, wondering if she was being serious. She cracked a small smile and I began to laugh softly. After a moment our quiet laughter had turned loud. "Probably better than most of theirs," I told her honestly. She smiled and nodded at me. "I have somewhere to be for a while this morning but this afternoon I'll return here and we can go together."

"Well I'll be here until it's time to go. Might I just say - and I hope you don't take offense - your eyes are stunning," she said with a smile. For a moment my eyes narrowed at her. Was she making fun of me? Peggy seemed to realize that she had said something that might have offended me. "I wasn't joking! I've just never seen eyes like yours before. They're beautiful," she told me with a small smile.

She seemed to be honest but I wasn't sure that I could believe her. So I slipped into her mind. Yellow eyes, I've never seen them before on someone. I wonder how she got them. Much more fascinating than brown eyes. I smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you." She smiled back, seeing that I had forgiven her comment. "I'm sorry about that. My nickname in High School was Yellow Eyes," I told her.

Peggy frowned at my words. "It's stunning how cruel kids can be. I understand, when I came here people were constantly questioning why I had even bothered coming. Calling me Queenie and Your Majesty. Although I suppose Yellow Eyes is worse," she said, giving me a sympathetic smile.

"We didn't deserve either one of those nicknames," I told her with a smile that she responded to. "Pardon my asking, and you don't have to answer, but why did you come here?" I asked her.

The question didn't seem to offend her as she smiled at me. "It's somewhat of a long story," she told me.

I smiled back at her. "I have time," I told her gently, letting her know that telling me how she got here was her choice.

"Well I was raised in England. In 1939 I was a member of the British Royal Military. Unfortunately I was a woman and that meant engaging in more simplistic office work. But by 1940 I was working as a code-breaker in Bletchley Park. I-I was engaged to Fred Wells, who worked with me. The man that I worked for, Mr. Edwards, informed me that I had been recommended for the Special Operations Executive. I was a fool at the time. I had been tricked into believing that a woman should not fight, so I turned down the offer." I smiled at Peggy and grabbed her hands. She looked up at me with a slightly surprised face.

"I completely understand that. Believing that you're a woman and our place is in the kitchen. It's why we're here. You and I, we're going to change that. It starts today," I told her with a small smile.

Peggy gave me a bright one back. "Yes we are. Anyways I introduced my fiancé to my brother Michael at our engagement party." Glancing down quickly I saw that she wasn't wearing a ring. "It broke my heart but Michael believed that Fred was not good enough for her me. He thought that I had more potential." Peggy gave a bitter smile. "It turned out that he was the one who had recommended me to be a field agent. We discussed if the wedding was truly what I wanted. Michael told me that as it wasn't yet my wedding day, I still had time to change her mind. I was a fool. In spite of his assurances that I was meant to be a fighter, I refused to listen and stormed away. I continued to focus on my upcoming preparations were cut short when we were informed that Michael had been killed fighting in the war. I never got to tell him that he was right," Peggy said, tears building in her eyes.

I had never been good with crying before but I knew that someone had to say something to her. So I got up and took a seat on her bed. I grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Peggy, he knows. He knows that you loved and appreciated him. And he's watching you right now. He's smiling down at you. He's proud," I told her.

She smiled and wiped the back of her eyes. "Thank you. When he died I realized I had lost the only person who truly understood who she was. But it prompted me to reverse my earlier decision and pursue the field agent position. My marriage was called off. I eventually joined MI5. As an MI5 operative, I was loaned here. To the Strategic Scientific Reserve. I'm an advisor now. In November of 1940 I infiltrated Castle Kaufmann, it's the headquarters of the SS General Johann Schmidt."

The name rang a bell. Chester had told me about him before. "He's the leader of the HYDRA division, isn't he?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I'm not sure how much you know about it yet. But yes. He is the leader of HYDRA, Adolf Hitler's top secret science division. I disguised as a maid Eva. I freed the captured Abraham Erskine. You know who he is, I assume?" She asked me. I nodded. Soon afterwards I was assigned as a liaison from the British government to help you Americans combat the Nazis. Now I'm serving under your father. For now I just do what he needs me to do. Once we're ready for human test subjects for Operation Rebirth I'll be working directly with you and your father," she explained.

We sat in silence for a moment before I nodded. "That's quite the adventurous life you've had there," I told her with a smile. Peggy laughed and nodded at me. Peggy stood and began to look at the things that were on my shelves. She turned to me when she realized that I was watching her.

"I'm so sorry. Here I am prying through your things while you're sitting right there," she told me abashedly, coming to sit back with me.

I waved her off and motioned back to the shelves. "Please. Feel free. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't already looked through your things." Peggy smiled at me before walking over to my shelves once more and looking through the few things that I had stacked up.

Her hands traveled over my books. She stopped at a few and opened them up before placing them back, exactly where they had been. She was sure not to knock anything out of place. She picked up a book on human mutation and stared at it curiously for a moment. "I'm no fool but I don't understand half of this. You do?" She asked me.

Nodding at her, I leaned back against her bed. It seemed that we had gotten comfortable with each other enough to at least slightly invade each other's private space. "Yes. Genetics and mutation, they're my specialty," I told her.

She grinned down at me. "Good that you're here then. Why did you get into mutation?" She asked after a moment.

"Humanity has slowly evolved through the years. Blue eyes? They're a mutation. Being born with an extra toe or one too few fingers. All mutations. But there is evidence that humanity has recently taken a large... jump in mutations. People being born with certain abilities. I've never met one before but I'd like to see if it's actually possible," I told her, blatantly lying.

Peggy missed the lie. I waited for her to see how she gauged the news of people being born with strange abilities. "What do you mean by certain abilities?" She asked me.

"All sorts of things. Sometimes it can be something as simple as advanced strength. Better vision, advanced speed. Things like that. But there are some bigger ones. Invisibility, the ability to read minds, control over the elements. There are so many more possibilities. That's just a few of them," I told her. She was wide-eyed and curious.

"You believe that this is real?" She asked me. I nodded. "I'd love to meet one. Just to see what it's like and see what they're like. Can you imagine? A human that's more than a human. They could even help us win the war. I suppose that's part of what Operation Rebirth is. Mutation," she said quickly.

I smiled at her. "That's exactly what it's about," I told her.

She went back to look at the shelves that held my things. Her hands ran over the dog-tags for a moment and I watched as she picked them up. She read over each one carefully. "Wolverine. Savage," she said slowly. "What are these? If you don't mind me asking," she said softly.

"That's... a long story. One day I'm sure that I'll tell you," I told her with a smile.

She nodded and didn't bother saying anything else about the dog-tags. She seemed to pick up on the fact that they were not a story that I was willing to share as of right now. She looked over a few of my other things before settling on the photograph of Bucky, Steve, and I. She picked up the picture and a small smile slipped over her face. "This is cute. Who are they?" She asked as she came to sit with me once more.

"They were my best friends. I moved away from them when I was younger. That's Steven Rogers. We just call him Steve. And that one is James Barnes. Everyone calls him Bucky," I told her with a small smile. "I lost contact with them when I moved. I haven't seen them in about eight years. I tried tracking them down once but it didn't really work," I told her, the smile fading from my mouth.

She frowned at me and laid a hand on my knee. "Perhaps the day will come that you see them again." I nodded at her and sighed. "He's quite handsome," Peggy continued, a small grin on her face as she looked at Bucky.

My face immediately went red. "Uh yeah - yeah, I-I suppose he is," I stammered stupidly.

Saving me from any more of the awkward conversation - which I was sure that Peggy wouldn't have let go - Chester walked in. He looked at both of us and nodded. "I see that you're getting on well," he said, to which the both of us nodded. "Agent Carter, go ahead and get together the files on our new recruits, will you?" Peggy nodded and stood.

She placed the photograph back on the shelf and stood at Chester's side. "Yes, Colonel. I'll see you at Zero Week Commencement, Vicky," Peggy called back to me before leaving the room, two men in tow.

"You ready?" Chester asked me.

"You know it, old man," I told him before standing and smoothing out the sheets on Peggy's bed. Chester watched me as I worked before moving to the side and allowing me to walk out of the room. We headed out of the barracks and I assumed that we were heading towards the Operation Rebirth building.

As we walked through the camp I noticed a few of the new recruits had arrived. Many were saluting Chester and those same men stared curiously at me before giving me little grins. I rolled my eyes and walked past them. I was not some little girl that worked in records. I could beat them all into the ground if I really wanted to. As I walked through the camp I heard a few of their thoughts. They were so loud that it was like they were screaming at me. Look at the dame. That's quite the bird. Pretty dish.

As sweet as most of the thoughts were I wanted to shout at them. I was not here to be their looker. I was here to get things done. To show that women belonged in the Army. To show that we were more than secretaries. And I was here to prove that mutants were not things to be hunted down for game. We could live like normal people. And I was going to be sure to do that. Between training the new recruits and developing the super-soldier serum, I was going to prove that I was more than just the little freak with yellow eyes.

Our small group stopped near a large building on the back corner of the camp. Very few people were back here. There were even signs urging people to stay out of this side of the camp. The building had six armed guards standing on the outside. All of the men that had been flanking us dropped away. It left only Chester, myself, and one other man. We walked into the building that was about twice the size of the barracks that I was living in. We were met by a few men in the front entrance hall. The man that was clearly Dr. Erskine stuck out like a sore thumb.

Dr. Abraham Erskine was a friendly-looking man that appeared to be in his late sixties or so. He had the typical appearance of a German man. Although it appeared that his time in the States had made him slightly more tanned than most Germans. He had a good bit of pepper colored scruff on his chin and cheeks that suited the exhausted scientist. He had white hair that was fading slightly in the middle. He also wore wired-rimmed glasses. He was currently in a maroon three-piece suit with a white lab coat over it. He was grinning brightly at both Chester and I.

Chester was the first man to walk forward. I followed him, keeping at a slight distance. "Erskine. This is my daughter, Victoria Phillips," Chester said, motioning back to me.

The doctor took a step forward. "Hallo Artz Erskine," I said, incorporating some German. I wasn't quite sure if he would appreciate it or not but I figured that I might as well try.

The man smiled brightly at me as he took my hand to shake. "Ah, a Deutsche speaker. Not many around here. Good to meet you, Fraulein Phillips," Erskine said, a thick German accent lining his words.

"Just Victoria, please," I told him.

Dr. Erskine smiled at me. He motioned for just Chester and myself to follow him. "Please. Follow me. Victoria, I'd like to show you to your area," Dr. Erskine said as we walked through the halls. They were dimly lit as we took a staircase down a few levels. This place was heavily protected. There were guards everywhere. They looked over Dr. Erskine but their gazes narrowed on Chester and myself.

"Did you say my area?" I asked as we descended over another level. We must have been at least five levels below the surface.

Dr. Erskine looked over at me and nodded. "Yes. Each one of my scientists will have their own areas to work. You will be heading the genetics and mutation division," Dr. Erskine said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

My heart soared. It felt like it was a balloon that might burst at any moment. "You - you're having me lead a division?" I asked Dr. Erskine.

He glanced over at me before sending Chester a pointed smile. "Ja, liebes. I don't think that anyone is more qualified." Chester grunted and I blushed slightly as Dr. Erskine tipped his head at me. Of course he knew what I was. It only made sense that he would take me on his team if he knew what I was. He knew that this type of engineering - genetic - was my specialty.

We walked down into the final level and I watched as the small hallway opened up into a large room. There were cubicles and desks everywhere. Each person was in a lab-coat - similar to Dr. Erskine. People were walking back and forth. Each one was holding a clipboard and barely watching where they were walking. A few men were even colliding with each other as they walked. They didn't bother to stop and apologize. There was a large raised area that seemed to hold a viewing area. Probably for once the serum was completed. Electrical panels were all over the building and I felt the electrical currents zipping from one area of the room to another. A few scientists stopped to glance at us before continuing on.

There were only a few women in the laboratory and they seemed to be receptionists that were picking up files. Everyone that actually seemed to work here were men. Figures. Dr Erskine motioned for me to follow him over to the corner of the room. "Chester, you may go take care of your recruits. I'll have Victoria up by the time Zero Week commences," Dr. Erskine said.

Chester gave me a quick glance. "You alright?" He asked me. I nodded and watched as he turned to leave. I noticed a few men watching him closely as he left the laboratory.

Once he was gone and the doors behind him closed once more, Dr. Erskine turned to me. "Would you care to meet your team?" Dr. Erskine asked me. I nodded excitedly, much to his amusement. He walked me over into the far corner of the lab and I saw a group of five men. They were all crowded around a whiteboard and arguing. They stopped immediately as Dr. Erskine walked up.

"Good morning, gentlemen. This is Victoria Phillips. She will be leading the Genetics and Mutation Section for Operation Rebirth." The jaws of the five men dropped. I had been expecting that.

The one man that had been arguing the loudest stepped forward. He had deep brown hair that was combed back neatly, although it was slightly ruffled, probably from fingering it as he worked. His bright blue eyes were staring at me accusingly. "Erskine, did you just say that she was leading this section?" The man asked.

Dr. Erskine turned to him and nodded. "Yes I did, John. Victoria is one of the brightest minds for both genetics and mutation. I guarantee she knows more than you do. She will be the head of this project. If you would care to say something against my choice I welcome you to. And the door is right there," Dr. Erskine said. I mouthed a 'thank you' to him before stepping forward. None of the men took his suggestion. "Good. I have a few things I need to check up on. Don't worry about getting any work done. Introduce yourselves. I will see you shortly, Victoria."

With that Dr. Erskine vanished through the edge of the small office that we were all in and I turned back to look at the men. "As Dr. Erskine said, my name is Victoria Phillips. It's a pleasure to meet you all," I told the men, despite the fact that I was not pleased at all to meet them.

"Why are you here?" The man, John, questioned.

I turned to stare at him awkwardly. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"What have you done to actually get yourself here? Where did you get your degree from?" He asked me.

A small blush was slowly coming to my face. "I don't have a degree." John and the other men chuckled. "No Universities will take a woman for a degree in Genetics. This is my only way of getting a degree. But that doesn't mean that I don't know more about genetics or mutation than you do," I said proudly.

Once more John laughed. "What could a woman know?" He teased.

"Beside the DNA present in the nucleus, where else is it present?" I asked. There was no answer. "The mitochondria. Where do we inherit our mitochondrial DNA from?" I asked. They all answered 'parents.' "Wrong. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother. Nuclear DNA comes from both parents. Bees are the one exception that inherit mitochondrial DNA from the father. Only two percent of the human genome contains information regarding the formation of proteins. All the rest are so called non-coding regions. Those are the regions that we must tap to create the successful formula. We'll need to use some form of radiation to enhance the process without causing harm but not Gamma. Gamma is too dangerous. Something lower. Perhaps combining it with the actual serum. If we can get our hands on something like Chronicle. I have a feeling we could work with that. Also we need to be making attempts to mutate the DNA strands without destroying them. That will be the hardest part." The men were all staring at me with blank faces.

They probably thought that I was just here because my 'father' was Chester Phillips. "Now should we stand here staring at each other for a while longer or should we learn to work together and figure this out? We're all a part of this country and we all want to defend it. If that means that you have to listen to the instructions of a woman I expect you to do just that. And if that means that I have to suck it up and deal with chauvinistic pigs that believe that I'd be of more use in the records office, I will do just that. Now would you care to introduce yourselves or should I just make up names for you?" I asked all in one breath.

A tall man with blonde hair and green eyes stepped forward first. His grip on my hand was tight. It was probably to the point that it would hurt the average woman, but I felt nothing. He was trying to be tough. "William Madison," he greeted. I smiled at him and tightened my grip, feeling the bones in his hand crunch. Pain flashed through his eyes before I released my grip.

He stepped back, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking out his hand. A man with black hair and blue eyes stepped forward next. He was the only one that was smiling at me. "Robert Price," he said as he shook my hand.

Once I had dropped his hand he stepped back and the next man came to take his place. "Joseph White," the next man greeted. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He was rather unremarkable. He barely touched my hand before dropping it and stepping back into line.

A moment later the last of the men stepped forward. A younger man that seemed far too small to be in the Army - even as a scientist - stepped forward. "George O'Neal." His voice was squeaky and matched his mousy look. He had brown hair and green eyes. I nodded at him and looked over at John, who had yet to come up to me.

He seemed to take the hint as he nodded at me. "John Allen," he called out. He didn't bother shaking my hand but I wasn't completely sure that I wanted him to. So I nodded and took a step backwards.

"Good to meet you, gentlemen. We'll be spending a good bit of time together. Some of my time will be split training the new recruits. I'll be spending one to two hours with them once they get to week three. Up until then I'll only be checking in on them from time to time. When I leave I'll leave behind instruction. We can get started tomorrow. I'd like you all to begin explaining to me what progress you've made so far when I arrive back here tomorrow morning. Until then you are all dismissed. Enjoy the festivities today," I said with a small smile.

They might not like me right now but I knew that I should be doing whatever I could to try and be friendly with them. If nothing else, cordial. Most of the men chirped back something along the line of, 'you too' or 'good evening' considering I wouldn't be seeing them until tomorrow. John had something else entirely to say.

"What could you possibly do to train the new recruits?" He asked me with a haughty laugh.

Just when I thought that we had made some progress, the other men laughed. I smiled and walked up to John with my hands clasped behind my back. He was grinning down at me. "I can show you, if you'd like," I offered with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

He smiled back at me with his arms crossed over his chest. "I make it a point not to hit girls."

Once more I smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder as I passed by. "Good. That makes two of us." The men all stared curiously after me as I walked out of the small office area and through the laboratory. Dr. Erskine was standing over a few vials of what I assumed were blood. I wasn't sure whose it was though.

"You are heading to Zero Week?" Dr. Erskine asked me.

"Ja," I responded to him. He grinned up at me. "What time do you want me in the office tomorrow?" I asked after a moment.

"Eight would be preferable." I nodded at him, letting him know that eight wouldn't be a problem. "Enjoy meeting your new recruits. I will see you tomorrow, Fraulein," Dr. Erskine said. I waved back to him before stepping out of the laboratory and making my way up the stairs. Chester was already waiting for me in the lobby. He motioned for me to follow him. The sun was setting in the sky. It must have been later than I had been expecting. The days would pass quickly here with so much to do.

As we walked out to meet the other recruits I realized that the camp was completely filled now. Men in uniform were running every which-way and many seemed to be lost. There were Officers standing every few yards to direct new recruits. Some were saying goodbye to friends that had been assigned to different divisions. They would all be under command of different Sergeant's and Officer's. Chester and I made our way under the tent that was currently set up for Phillips. Underneath were two lines of smaller lettering. One read 'Phillips - Junior' and the other read 'Carter - Junior'. There were already a few men standing around. As I glanced through I saw that there were about twenty or so men milling about.

Chester walked up to the front of the tent - the men still hadn't noticed him. Peggy came up on my other side and I smiled at her for a moment before turning back to the men, a solid glance on my face. These men couldn't have anything extra to laugh at me for. The camp was startlingly loud as men were trying to find their divisions and leaders. It was good to see that the men that we would be dealing with were all introducing themselves to each other. There were so many of them that it was next to impossible to pick out who was who.

Giving a quick glance over at Chester, he finally nodded. I let out a high-pitched whistle and the men suddenly ceased all movement. They fell into line almost immediately. "Gentlemen. My name is Colonel Chester Phillips. You will address me only as Colonel. Is that clear?" Chester called out, more authoritative than I had heard him pretty much since I had known him.

"Yes, Colonel," the men all answered back in synchronization.

"Good." Chester was walking up and down the line of recruits. Peggy and I were still standing at the edge of the line. We were both standing tall and proud with our hands knitted behind our backs. "I will be overseeing the majority of your training. I'll be assisted by these two. Ladies, introduce yourselves." All eyes shot curiously over to Peggy and I.

I motioned for Peggy to introduce herself first. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division. You will be working under my supervision along with Colonel Phillips and Sergeant Phillips," she said, motioning backwards to myself.

"As Agent Carter said, I'll be working with you as well. You'll be spending most of your time with Agent Carter and Colonel Phillips. I'll begin overseeing the majority of your training beginning week three. My name is Victoria Phillips," I called out to the men.

One of the men scoffed and looked over at us. "We have two women training us?" The man called out. I glanced over at him and stared curiously. He had shaved brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Marcus Cole," the man said proudly.

Another man spoke before I could say anything else. This comment was directed towards Peggy. "What's with the accent, Queen Victoria?" I growled under my breath. "Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army," he continued. Most of the other men laughed. "Why don't you two head back down to records where you belong," the man suggested.

Like his friend he had shaved brown hair. But his eyes were the same brown as his hair. Peggy and I both stared at the two men that had spoken for a moment before reacting. "What is your name?" She asked the other man.

"Jeremy Gaines, Your Majesty," he answered, just as proudly as Marcus had said it.

Peggy gave me a nod that told me that she was thinking the same thing that I was. "Jeremy and Marcus, please step forward." Both men glanced at each other for a moment before laughing and stepping forward. Jeremy was standing in front of Peggy while Marcus was standing in front of me. "Stand with your right foot forward," I instructed.

The two men laughed. "We gonna wrestle? Gonna show me some moves, doll? I got a few that I think you'll like," Marcus told me. I could hear Jeremy teasing Peggy the same way. We turned to each other for a moment before nodding at each other.

In the blink of an eye Peggy had pulled back and hit Jeremy square in the nose. He dropped to the ground, clutching his bleeding nose. Before Marcus got a chance to do anything else I grabbed him by the arm, in a crushing grip. He groaned in pain as I grabbed his shoulder and used his body weight to swing myself up. My legs went around Marcus's neck and I tightened them, cutting off his airway. As I continued to swing around him I used his body weight and my momentum to send him toppling to the ground. He hit roughly as I spun off of him, hitting the ground on my feet and staring down at him. He was clutching his neck, trying to get the air back to his lungs. The entire thing had happened in three seconds.

The men that were still in line were standing there and staring at us with wide eyes. Chester moved forward with a proud smirk on his face. "As you'll see, any words like that and you'll be sent straight to these two. They'll straighten you out. Now get off of your asses and get back in line," Chester snapped at Marcus and Jeremy, who sprung up and weakly limped back into line. "Introduce yourselves to Agent Carter and Sergeant Phillips. When you're done you'll be allowed dinner. Sleep well tonight. Training begins tomorrow in the medical offices," Chester said to them.

They nodded and I watched as he walked away. Peggy started from the far end of the line and I started from the opposite. I met all of the men. Most of them seemed more than willing to speak to us now that they'd seen what we would do if we decided that we didn't like the way that they acted with us. Most of the men were reasonably polite. Although I did hear a few thoughts that were less than pure. But since they were thoughts I realized that I couldn't do anything about it. So I merely continued down the line meeting the men - most of whose names would take me weeks to actually manage to remember - before coming to the last man.

I had been walking slowly, only stopping long enough to let the recruits tell me their names. But this man standing at the end of the line made me stop dead in my tracks. My face fell, my heart picked up its pace, and my hands began to sweat. I had known that he was here. Chester had told me that much. So why was it so hard to find myself standing face to face with him?

Here he was. After eight years, here he was. He was dressed in the typical soldier garb. He was wearing a pair of deep brown pants with black boots on his feet. His pants were tucked into them. On his top half was a black shirt that was tucked into the black pants. He was the same handsome man that I remembered from my childhood. He had gotten taller. He now towered over me. He was freshly shaved and his hair had been recently cut. It was brushed back over the top of his head. He looked older now, which made sense considering he was twenty-four. He was staring at me as if he had seen a ghost.

It's her... It has to be her. "Vika," Bucky said so low that I barely heard him.

He made to take a step forward to me but I backed off before he could. Peggy was looking at me with wide eyes and I realized that tears were forming in the corners of mine. Damn me. "A-Alright. Thank you for introducing yourselves. Agent Carter and I look forward to seeing the types of men you develop into over the next few weeks. You're dismissed. Get dinner and be ready for the first day of training tomorrow," I said.

The men began to dismiss themselves and Peggy started to walk over to me. Before she could, Bucky ran up to me. He kept a tiny bit of distance between us but he was definitely standing closer than anyone else would dare to. "Vika. Y-you're here. How?" He asked me.

My mouth opened to try and say something but nothing came out. It was only a stupid stutter. When I finally managed to say something, I wanted to smack myself for how stupid it was. "Hey Buck."

The look on Bucky's face was disbelieving. He opened his mouth and a small smile came out. He laughed softly as he shook his head. His hands went to burying themselves into his pockets and he stood with a confident swagger. "Eight years. I haven't seen you in eight years but the only thing that you can say to me is 'Hey Buck,'" Bucky said.

Suddenly the air felt overly suffocating and I had a burning desire to be anywhere but with Bucky. He reached out to me but I took a step backwards. "I have things that I need to get done. Have a good first day of training, James," I said, adopting my professional attitude. I needed to keep a distance from Bucky until I could figure out what I could do to make him forgive me.

The dismissal didn't go over well with him. "Hey! Vika," he ran back after me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Now you're back to calling me James? I don't think that I've ever heard you call me that. What happened to you?" He asked me softly.

"A lot," I said weakly. "A lot has happened over these eight years. Just know that I didn't leave without thinking it through. I made the decision that I thought was right. It just happened to not be," I said softly.

I turned to leave once more but Bucky beat me to it. "Have dinner with me," he called after me.

I turned back to him and shook my head. "We can't eat with the recruits. You should be introducing yourself to the others," I said to him, motioning around to the men that I was sure were trying to overhear the conversation. He'd be hearing about this all night.

Bucky leaned into me and smiled. It was the same smile that had made me melt a thousand times before. He reached out to me and placed a hand on the side of my arm. "One night, Vika. Have dinner with me. I think that you owe me that much."

His last words made a sharp pang go through my chest. He was right. If nothing else, I owed him dinner for one night. And he was still my friend. I still loved him. I just could barely look at him without remembering the mistake that had cost me seven years. And two friends... "Just for tonight. I'll meet you in the dining hall in a little bit," I told him before turning and stalking off.

Even as I walked away I let myself slip into his mind. She still loves me. She has to. She got away from me once. I'm not letting her go this time. As I walked away I couldn't help the small smile that came to my face. And as I walked towards the dining hall, Peggy came up to me. As we walked and waited for the men to come in she grilled me about Bucky and what had happened to us. I told her just a bit, enough to convince her that I was in love with him and was smart to take him up on dinner. She had also offered to eat with us. I had thought about it for a moment before turning her down. I liked Peggy and appreciated her, but this was one thing that I had to do by myself.

Bucky's P.O.V.

As Bucky walked back to the barracks to drop off his things before heading to dinner he thought about her. His Vika. He had her back. It made him smile the entire time that they were walking. A long eight years had passed since he had last seen her. He's always hoped that he would see her again. But something in the back of his mind had always told him that he wouldn't get to see her again. He had always thought that she was gone. He could love her as much as he wanted but she would be gone.

Now, here she was. He couldn't even begin to describe how strange it was to see her again, after all of these years. He had been at a complete loss for words when he'd seen her earlier. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she was doing here. She was a woman. Women were rarely allowed on the Army bases. And never as anything more than a secretary. She was a Sergeant. He couldn't imagine that she would have gone and enlisted in the Army without telling them. She would have been too young anyways. She was fourteen when she had disappeared. Women couldn't enlist until they were eighteen. And there was no way that she had become a Sergeant in four years. So what had happened?

He intended to get all of this out of her at some point or another. He wanted to know why she had left without a word to either Steve of himself. It drove him insane knowing that she really had left in perfectly good health. Seeing her right now he could tell that nothing physically was wrong with her. She hadn't been sick. She would have said something. He had to believe that she would have said something. And now here she was, almost looking at him like she was afraid of him. Or like she was afraid of saying something that she shouldn't.

Bucky dropped onto his bunk and laid his things out around him. He would straighten himself out when he came back tonight. As of right now he wanted to make sure that he was ready to see her again. He wanted to live up to the boy that she had known years ago. She certainly lived up to the woman that he had known years ago. She was just as pretty as he remembered. Her hair still fell the way that it used to. Almost white, hanging over her shoulders. She had curled it today, something he had rarely known her to do before. Her eyes were still the same brilliant yellow that he had always loved. He used to sometimes just like looking at them. She even looked like a woman now, although he would never say that to her. That would have been improper. He just wished that he'd gotten the chance to see her grow up.

Across the bunker men were getting changed for dinner and speaking to each other about what life would be like now that they were in the Army. Bucky had made friends with a few men from the other divisions but none yet from his own. "What about the dames that are supposed to be leading us," one of the men guffawed. Justin, he was pretty sure that his name was.

It was a slightly older man in his thirties who had made comments about every pretty bird that they had passed since coming into the camp. His friends, Carl, answered back. "Nice looking dames, could use someone to ring their bells," he said.

Bucky found his fists bunching together. Not just for Victoria, but for Agent Carter too. No man should disrespect a woman the way that they were. "You see what the one broad did to Marcus?" Another one of their friends, Harlan, asked. "Someone needs to put the bitch in her place."

Bucky had to admit that he'd been stunned when Victoria had attacked Marcus. That wasn't to say that he hadn't deserved it. And that wasn't to say that Bucky hadn't thoroughly enjoyed watching her do something like that. He liked seeing that she wasn't a soft little girl. He liked seeing a girl that could hold her own. But he'd been surprised enough when Agent Carter had hit Jeremy. When he had expected Victoria to hit Marcus as well she had done some type of move that he had never seen before. Victoria had always been tough. She could always beat him in races and when the pair used to wrestle for control of the radio she would almost always win. He had always enjoyed having a girl in his life that he didn't have to worry about hurting. The more that he watched her the more he wondered if he would have to worry about her hurting him.

"I'd be more than happy to show her what women should really be doing," Justin added, making lewd gestures down to his pants. Bucky broke out of his thoughts and began to button his shirt faster.

The men all laughed as Bucky began to change into a darker dress shirt. He found himself yanking at the buttons harder than necessary. "The broad is definitely a dish. She's got yellow eyes though. You see those things?" Carl asked.

Justin laughed and patted his friend on the back. "I don't give a rat's ass what her eyes look like. I just want to know what kind of noises she'd make," he laughed. Bucky accidentally snapped the bottom button of his shirt off. He tucked it in roughly anyways. He turned to leave before the men could make him any angrier.

"Hey Barnes!" Harlan called out. Bucky turned back to look at him with gritted teeth. "She seemed to know you. You get a little friendly with her? She as tough in the sack as she is out there?" Harlan asked with a wicked grin.

"I knew her when we were kids," Bucky answered shortly.

The men all stared at him strangely for a minute. It wasn't just the three of them. All over the bunker the men were talking about Victoria and Agent Carter. Most of the conversations weren't anything that should be said of two respectable young women. And he hated hearing how many of them had something to say about Victoria's eyes. He knew that they were always a soft spot for her. She hated how people looked at them. She would never realize that her eyes were his favorite thing about her.

Justin's voice brought him back into reality. "Well you might have known her when she was a kid but I ensure to know her as a real woman. What do you think? She a share crop?" Justin asked Bucky with a small smile.

In the back of his mind Bucky had somewhat been expecting Justin or one of his other friends to say something like that. But waiting for them to say it and hearing them actually say it were two different things. And Bucky was furious. He had heard far too many men say things like that about women through the years. It had always bothered him. But no one ever said anything like that about Vika. Not that he had ever heard. As the men laughed Bucky felt something in him snap. Despite the repercussions if they were caught, Bucky acted.

He went after Justin first. Harlan backed off, as did Carl. The other men had dropped their conversations to watch. Justin tried to get Bucky off of him but it didn't work. Bucky's hand was caught around Justin's shirt as he shoved him back against the metal walls. The men in the room were all egging him on and laughing. Bucky shoved Justin back against the wall before rearing back and hitting Justin square in the nose. Bucky dropped his grip on Justin, who went sliding to the floor. Bucky could tell that he was trying to stand back up but he couldn't. There were stars in his eyes as he leaned back against the wall. Blood was dripping out of his nose.

Bucky knew that he should have left it like that but he couldn't. So he leaned down in front of Justin and grabbed his collar. "Never speak about either one of those women like that again. Do you understand me?" Bucky snarled. The man just barely let out a little groan.

With nothing left to do, Bucky dropped Justin back against the wall and turned to leave the bunker. He had just walked out of the room - heading to his dinner with Vika - when he heard a call. "Private Barnes," he said Colonel Phillips call out. He groaned. Getting in trouble on the first day in camp was not something he wanted.

He turned back with a slightly guilty look on his face. "I'm sorry about that Colonel. It was unprofessional. I will accept the consequences of my actions," he said. He could have left the room but he had attacked Justin. He knew what it would earn him.

The corners of Colonel Phillips' lips turned up before his face fell back to being stoic. "What are you talking about? I didn't see a damn thing. Get to dinner," Colonel Phillips said. Bucky stared at the Colonel for a moment before nodding with a small smile and turning to walk away. "Private Barnes," he called out once more. He turned back and nodded. "My daughter means the world to me. Thank you," he said before turning and walking away.

"She means the world to me too, Colonel," Bucky said before turning to walk away. He swore that he saw Colonel Phillips smile once more as he walked through the camp. Bucky knew that Colonel Phillips was not Victoria's father. He knew that her parents had died when she was young. She had never told him how. But that didn't matter. He was glad that she had found a father figure that she seemed to love as much as he loved her. Now the only other thing that he needed to do was make her love him.

Victoria's P.O.V.

I was sitting nervously in the dining hall. Men and women were walking around everywhere, getting to know each other. A few men from the division that Peggy and I were leading had come up to say a quick greeting before walking off. They were the ones that I assumed would end up actually respecting me. Dr. Erskine and Peggy had stopped by for a while too while I waited. The doors finally opened once more and I turned back to see Bucky. He had changed his shirt so that it was now a deep blue dress shirt. I smiled weakly and looked down at the table. He looked good.

He grabbed a tray of food before coming over and sitting in front of me. He smiled at me before handing me a small chocolate cupcake. This was the one day that they would be allowed to have dessert. I smiled and laughed softly. We used to try and make cupcakes from time to time. They were always awful. "Remember those cupcakes that you used to make that were awful?" Bucky questioned.

I smiled and placed it on the edge of the tray. "I resent that. They were gross, they weren't awful," I said softly. Bucky laughed and began to chow down on his food. We sat in silence as I thought of what to say to him. Once I hadn't known when to shut up. Now I couldn't think of a damn thing to say. "Hey..." I said, trailing off when I couldn't finish the thought.

Bucky laughed once more. It was one of the things about him. He could always manage to smile. "All those years together and you were never at a loss for words. What changed?" He asked me.

"Perhaps the fact that I haven't seen you in eight years. Things have changed. We aren't the same people anymore. You're a grown man. You - you've moved on," I said weakly. Bucky almost flinched at my words.

"Do you really think that I ever moved on?" He asked me. There was a seriousness to his words that I didn't like. And I knew the truth. He had never moved on. Not really. He'd tried to date and he'd tried to forget about me but he couldn't. "You were my best friend. You and Steve. The two of us knew everything about you." I flinched slightly. He thought that he knew everything. In reality he knew nothing. "I thought that you would always be there." Another flinch. "You were always my favorite girl."

My eyebrows raised and I smiled as I popped another piece of chicken into my mouth. "Your favorite girl?" I asked softly.

Through all of the years that I had known Bucky I had never known his to regularly hang out with anyone other than Steve and myself. "Come on, Vika. You know that," he told me.

He reached across the table to grab my hands. For a moment I let him. The buzzing of electricity under my skin began to run rampant and I pulled back from him. The last thing that I wanted to do was electrocute him right after meeting him again. "Yeah. I do," I said softly. Bucky went to take back his hands before I realized that there was a slight red tinge to Bucky's hands. I grabbed them and examined them closely. "Do you have blood on your hands?" I asked softly.

My eyes had widened as I stared at Bucky. He bashfully smiled at me and nodded. "Oh, yeah. A few guys in there were saying some unsavory things about you. Had to straighten them out," he said, grabbing his hands back from me with a reassuring smile.

Smiling at him I shook my head. "I'm not a kid anymore. You don't have to always be coming to my rescue," I told him. And it was the truth. I could kill any person sitting in this room. But I wasn't going to tell him that.

"I'll always come to your rescue," he told me softly to make sure that none of the people in the dining hall could hear us. I glanced down at the metal table and saw that a brief pinkish tinge fled into the yellow in my eyes. I blinked quickly - trying to push it out - before glancing back up. Bucky was still smiling at me. "You haven't changed. Not really. Same old Vika," he said.

I smiled back. He was the same sweet-talking boy that I had always loved. "And you're the same old Bucky," I said softly.

A small smile lit up his face. "I knew that you could only call me James for so long," he teased. I laughed softly and shook my head.

"It just doesn't suit you."

The two of us chuckled for a moment before going back to our food. We are in silence for a few minutes before Bucky spoke once more. "Vika..." he trailed off. I glanced up and nodded. There was a pained look in his eye. "Why did you leave?" He asked.

I knew what a knife wound to the chest felt like. I knew what a bullet wound to the face felt like. I knew what it felt like to have pain receptors fried. Nothing was as painful as hearing Bucky's voice crack at the question. "Oh. It's - it's a long story," I said stupidly.

It was a bad answer. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth. "We have time," Bucky gently prodded. Perhaps it would have been better for me to tell him. But I couldn't. I had to lie. The day would come that I would tell him the truth - I could feel it. But that day wasn't yet.

"I can't tell you. Not yet. Just know that I didn't leave you or Steve without thinking for a long time about what would happen if I left. I left because I felt like I had to. There were things that I couldn't tell you both. Things that I still can't tell you. I left because I thought that I would be doing the world a favor... you a favor. I was wrong," I said softly.

Bucky looked completely confused but I knew that he wouldn't push it. Not with the promise that one day I would tell him what had happened. "Why would you have ever thought that leaving would be doing the world a favor? We both loved you. We were your family. And then you just vanished without a word," he told me.

The more that I heard other people say it the more I hated myself for ever doing it. I was such a fool for leaving. If I could go back and change it I would. But I couldn't I could only try to right things now. "Because there are things about me that you don't know. Things that make me dangerous."

Bucky didn't look like he believed me. "You aren't dangerous, Vika. You're the girl that stumbled into my apartment and changed my life." I smiled and shook my head. "You're the girl that always made me feel like a twit," he said and I laughed. He was a twit. "You're the girl that can't dance to save her life but will if you prod her enough. You're the girl that goes on roller coasters, and wears trousers, and picks fights with people ten times bigger than her just to prove that she's tough. You're the girl that I've always looked up to," he said with a smile.

They were things that no one else knew about me. They were things that no one would dare say to me other than Bucky. "Do you remember the day that you promised me that you would never leave me?" I asked him. He nodded. "Today I'm going to make the same promise to you. I'm never going to leave you. Not again. Because you always deserved better than that," I told him truthfully.

He stared at me for a moment before nodding. This was my way of making the past up to him. "No, Vika. I always deserved you. And I would have waited for you. Forever," he said.

There was a small twinge that went through my chest. "I went back to your apartment when I came back to New York last year. You were gone. So was Steve," I said softly, letting him know that I had tried to look for him.

He nodded at me and looked down at the table. "Yeah. Our parents have..."

I grabbed his hand and shook my head at him. "I know. One of your neighbors told me when I was looking for you two. I'm sorry to hear that. Your parents, Steve's too, they were all great people. They would be proud of you," I told him with a smile.

And it was the truth. They would be proud to see him like this. "We moved a few months after it all happened. Steve and I moved in together. We lived in a little apartment near the edge of Brooklyn. Lived there up until I enlisted," he told me.

Suddenly my thoughts came to a grinding halt. I knew what had happened to Steve and Bucky's parents, I knew what had happened to Bucky, but I had no clue what had happened to Steve. "What happened to Steve?" I asked.

Bucky smiled at me. "Steve is fine. He's still living in the apartment. Told him that I'd be back for the little punk later." I grinned into the cupcake. Steve and Bucky were always calling each other names. "He's tried enlisting a bunch of times. Keeps getting denied for health reasons. I can see that it hurts him every time," he said sadly.

Steve did have quite a few medical problems. Nothing dangerous but things that made him ineligible to be a soldier. He had asthma, his mother had fought tuberculosis, and he'd had scarlet fever, chronic colds, heart palpitations, nerve trouble, diabetes, scoliosis, and fatigue. I had always thought that it was funny that a guy like Bucky had become best friends with a guy like Steve. "But he's alright?" I asked.

All of those medical problems could mean trouble for Steve later in life. I just hoped that he would be fine for now. "He's fine. You know, he still has the asthma and everything else that you could imagine." I laughed under my breath and nodded. "But I like to tell him that all of those things are only going to make his comeback even better," he said proudly.

Grinning up at Bucky I went to tell him that Steve would be proud. But the scientific part of my brain kicked in before I could. I thought about the few files that I had read before about Operation Rebirth. They wanted men in top physical condition to be doing the super-soldier serum. But what if that wasn't a good idea? There wasn't much more that they could do. The reactions wouldn't be as drastic as they would in someone with minor diseases and medical hampering. Their DNA would be different too. If I could get blood work done on people of all medical standpoints I could make a big jump in the super-soldier serum.

"Disease..." I muttered, as thoughts were shooting through my head.

Bucky suddenly looked very worried for me. "Vika?" He asked softly.

Leaning forward in the chair I grabbed his hand and pressed a small kiss to Bucky's face. He could have just helped me drastically here. Bucky was smiling at me as I sat back in the chair. "Bucky, you're a genius! Thank you!" I shouted.

He was grinning at me but still looking slightly confused. "You're welcome?" Bucky asked more than said. I laughed softly. "Come on Vika, we always knew that I was the smart one," he said.

We both stared at each other for a moment before laughing. We all knew that out of Steve, Bucky, and I, it had been me by far that was the most intelligent. "If it helps you sleep better at night. Seriously, thanks. I've got another little project that I'm working on while I'm here and I think you might have just helped me figure something out," I told him.

He suddenly looked very proud of himself. "Well let me know if there's ever anything that I can do to help. You know where to find me," he said. He was right. I knew where his bunker was and I knew where he would be training.

I smiled and began to stand, grabbing the files that I had been walking around with. Chester had given them to me on each recruit. "I'll see you around," I said, turning to leave. Before I could though I felt a small stirring in my stomach. I turned back and spit it out before I could stop myself. "Bucky, do you want to have lunch tomorrow?" I asked him quickly.

Bucky grinned at me before shaking his head. "What happened to not being able to eat with the recruits?" He asked me.

Giving him a small smile back, I brushed my hair off of my face. It was falling in curls over my shoulders that were bothering me. I hated having it curled. I liked letting it fall naturally. "I never did like the rules," I teased.

Bucky grinned back at me and gave me a little wink that made an irritating flutter bounce around in my stomach. "Tomorrow it is. I'll be here around noon," he told me.

I nodded and gathered the rest of the files that were on the table with Bucky's help. "See you then." I turned to leave once more before turning back again. One day I'd actually get around to leaving. "Hey Bucky... One day I'll tell you what happened. Where I went. Why I came back. But that day isn't today," I told him with a smile.

The day was going to come when I told him all about Stryker and Project X. But I had to know that he wouldn't run the moment that I told him about myself. Although in the back of my mind I knew that he would never run. Bucky smiled at me. "You take as much time as you need. Tell me whenever you're ready. I'll be here to listen," he said. As I turned to walk away Bucky called after me. "Hey Vika, don't go disappearing on me now."

He wore a teasing grin that I smiled back at. "Why would I? Someone has to whip you into shape." Bucky laughed and nodded at me. "Get to bed, Recruit," I told him.

He went into a salute. "Ma'am yes, Ma'am," he called out. I giggled slightly before grabbing my things together and turned away from Bucky, giving him one last smile before leaving.

As I dashed from the dining room back towards the barracks I let my mind fill with all sorts of thoughts about what I was going to. First thing was to try and alter the serum. Someone already in top physical condition didn't have much to improve on. But someone with diseases and sicknesses... That might work. The second thing I needed to do was earn the respect of the men that I would be working with - scientists and recruits alike. The last thing that I needed to do was make up the last eight years to Bucky. He needed to know that the girl that he thought so highly of was deserving of his thoughts. A few minutes later as I laid in bed and giggled with Peggy about startling the recruits earlier I realized something. This was the first night in a long time that I had felt at peace.


	8. Chapter Eight

The bugle that was designated to wake the recruits up began to chirp loudly outside of Peggy and I's window, the fanfare blaring throughout the rest of the camp. As per usual, Peggy jumped up almost immediately. She was a good morning person. I certainly was not. Groaning under my breath, I grabbed the pillow that I had been sleeping on and drove my head under it.

For a while I was left in silence. The bugle continued to play for a few moments before cutting itself off. Outside of the window I could already hear the recruits jumping up and readying themselves for the day. At least they would just be in the classroom. Like every other day I would be forced to work from sun up until sun down. In the morning I would be in the laboratory doing blood work. After that would be some classroom time. I would be teaching the basics of languages to the recruits. And that was just until midday.

About five minutes after the bugle had begun to play - giving me just enough time to fall back asleep - I felt Peggy shaking my leg. She was much more of a morning person than I was. She would normally be up the second that the bugle began to play. I would normally roll out of bed about ten minutes later at her insistence. Sometimes when I wasn't feeling extremely lazy I would be able to wake up five minutes after the horn. Today I was not in the slightest mood to move. It had been a long and busy day yesterday.

Peggy didn't stop shaking my leg, despite being kicked once or twice. "Come on, Victoria, it's time to get up," she told me. I could hear the exasperation in her voice. She had only gotten in about an hour before me last night.

Groaning, I rolled over in the bed once more. "Five more minutes," I grumbled into the pillow.

Once more Peggy began to push against my legs. I groaned at her and kicked out once more. "Vicky, you need to be present for the last of the medical examinations." Peggy had recently begun calling me Vicky. I assumed that it was because we were becoming friends. Fast too. "And they're about to start," she added.

Of course they were. No one on this base understood anything about sleeping in. "We're into Week One now. Why are they still doing medical examinations?" I asked, knowing perfectly well why. Of course, I hadn't really been listening. I relied on Peggy and Chester to tell me everything later.

"You were at the meeting yesterday!" Peggy howled at me.

My face was still in the pillow so her voice was slightly muffled. I could hear the exasperation though. "I was sleeping," I mumbled once more.

Peggy scoffed. "Your eyes were open," she said.

That was the whole point. If my eyes were closed I would have gotten yelled at. "Yep," I said.

Peggy was silent for a moment before speaking again. "You can sleep with your eyes open?" She asked in disbelief. I made an awkward affirmative noise. It was one of the many things that I had leaned in Stryker's lab. "Okay, not important. Come on, Vicky! We can't be late again. We were already late on Tuesday," Peggy said.

We were late because of the exact same thing. I hadn't wanted to get up and Peggy had been busy trying to get me up. "No, damn it. They can't fire us," I told her honestly. "We're the only ones that know everything that we do know," I told her. It helped that we had Dr. Erskine and Chester on our side.

"Yes, but they hate us enough. They still believe that women shouldn't be anywhere in the Army but in the records room," she told me. I groaned at her. They would always think that. Even if we were on time every single day. "Victoria, damn it, get up!" Peggy shouted. It was one of the few times I'd heard her curse.

She yanked on my leg roughly and I kicked out at her once more. Peggy was tough. I knew that she could take it as long as it wasn't full-force. She stumbled back before groaning and grabbing onto my arm. This time she was smart enough to yank my torso away so that I was leaning half out of the bed. The pillow had been thrown to the ground. I squeaked awkwardly as I hung half out of the bed, desperate to get back up. Peggy was not going to give up though. She gave my leg a good yank and that was all it took.

"Ah!" I shouted as I went tumbling out of the bed. Not wanting to go down alone, I grabbed Peggy around the legs and pulled her with me. We hit the concrete ground in a mess of limbs and hair. I had landed spread-eagle while Peggy was just about upside down. "Oh you so deserved that," I told her.

We both laughed as we tried to disentangle ourselves from each other. Peggy clearly hadn't gotten ready yet. She was still in her blue silk pajamas. They were very similar to the ones that I normally wore. Not today though. Yesterday was laundry day but I had simply been too busy in the lab. And I didn't want to ask Peggy to do it. We weren't that close yet. So I had decided to do it at some point tomorrow. It meant that I was in a black slip that was meant to be worn underneath dresses. It was either that or my underwear.

We began to pull away from each other, laughing softly as we did, when a knock came at the door. Peggy shot up first. "Who is it?" She called out.

I was brushing the hair away from my face as I heard the voice respond. "The recruits," they called out. It was Bucky. I smiled softly to myself. "We were sent to come get the two of you. Victoria especially. She's needed down in the medical laboratories for blood work," he called out.

Damn it. I really hated that I had to go do something today. All I wanted was to sleep for a year. I was pretty sure that I deserved it after the day that I'd had. "Oh, just a second!" I called out to him.

Another voice called out through the door. "Victoria, I have something for you." It was Chester. How was it that everyone was already awake? The bugle had only rang out a few minutes ago.

"Hang on!" I shouted. I completely disentangled myself from Peggy, who was still attempting to straighten herself out after landing upside down. She looked extremely uncomfortable. Probably because she hadn't been expecting me to pull her to the ground.

Jumping up from the ground I walked over to open the door and tell the boys to wait. The good thing about Peggy and I was that we were always pretty fast. "Victoria, wait!" Peggy called out to me.

I turned back to her with a groan and threw my hair over my head. "Oh come on people, pick one or the other. I can either move really fast or really slow this morning," I told her before throwing open the door. She groaned behind me. Chester and Bucky were both standing there, wide-eyed. "What? Why are you staring at me?" I asked them, placing my hands on my hips.

Peggy walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I was going to suggest that you might want to get changed before you open the door," she said softly. I blushed and looked out to the other two men standing outside of the door. Bucky was looking away from me with a small blush on his face. His hands were knotted behind his back. Chester was glaring deeply at me.

How could I have forgotten what I was wearing? "Oh. Oh! I'll - uh - hang on a second!" I said awkwardly. I slammed the door shut in their faces and buried my head in my hands. "Oh my God! I can't believe I did that. I thought my Dad might kill me for a second," I moaned to her.

Peggy grinned at me as I dashed around the room and began to change. We were both girls. "I don't think it was Colonel Phillips' reaction that you need to worry about," Peggy told me with a small grin. She clearly thought that my predicament was amusing.

My shirt was halfway buttoned as I turned to her. "What do you mean?" I asked her.

She smiled at me and tossed me a deep green skirt from the corner of the room. I groaned and thanked her. As much as I wanted to wear pants tonight I knew that it was a special occasion for everyone that was a part of Operation Rebirth and that meant that I needed to be dressed up. "Did you see the way that Private Barnes was trying desperately to look anywhere but at you?" She asked me with a small grin.

Awkwardly I smiled at her. "Probably for the best. I'm not sure if it would have been me or my father that killed him," I told her. We both laughed softly as we continued to get ready for the day. "Okay, I'm going to get changed and try to pretend that all of that never happened," I told her. Once more we laughed.

Peggy was out in the main room finding her clothing for the day. Like me, Peggy had yet to do her laundry. At least she was smart enough to own more than two pairs of pajamas. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me, bringing my clothes with me. The door opened and Peggy tossed in a different one. Once more I groaned. I wasn't getting out of this day without dressing up. So I grabbed the green skirt and pulled it on. It was a bit shorter than I was expecting. It hit around my knees. The shirt was actually one of Peggy's. My shirt was a white button-down that was tucked into the skirt.

As I began to brush through my knotted hair I thought about what it was that I would have to do today. The moment that I was finished I was going to have to go out to the laboratory. The one in the medical bay. Not the one that I normally worked with. Although the blood that we were going to be drawing was for the Operation Rebirth project. We had just made the first of the batch of serums. We would be using it in the mixes of the blood and on rats. We all had a feeling that it wouldn't work, but we were going to try anyways.

If nothing else we had to see what the issues with the serum were. It was hard to tell what was hurting the serum and what was helping it. We needed live subjects but we couldn't take them until we had an eighty-five percent chance of survival. I didn't want it that low. Neither did Dr. Erskine. He wanted it at ninety-five. I had been a part of the project for seven days and it felt like we hadn't done anything. If anything it felt like we had taken a step backwards. I supposed that later today we would know. As far as I was concerned I had a feeling that a blood sample with weakness in the DNA would be our best shot.

But that was just this morning. Right after doing the blood tests I was going to have to go over to the classroom. I would be working with the new recruits while the blood samples were run on the rats. I would be doing the lab work later on tonight. This morning all I would be doing with the recruits would be teaching them the basics of languages that were commonly used around the world and I would be briefing the recruits on the other things that they would be learning this week.

And that was just what would be happening until lunch. After that I would be going to the laboratory to do my work. I wanted to say that I would be able to have lunch but I knew that I wouldn't have time. I was going to have to work. It was too bad. I enjoyed my infrequent lunches with Bucky. Over the last seven mornings we had eaten together three times since the first one. I had noticed that he'd managed to make some friends in his bunk. Although some of them still avoided him for what had happened when the men had insulted me and he had retaliated. The thought made me smile. I knew that he would always care for me.

Swooping my hair up into a high ponytail I walked over of the room. Peggy was currently in the bathroom. The door was cracked. "See you later, Peggy!" I called out to her.

The bathroom door swung out slightly and I stopped, turning back to her. "Victoria, did you want to get dinner tonight?" She asked me. Like Bucky, I'd been eating with Peggy quite a bit as well. In fact, most of my time had been spent with her since arriving at the base.

Giving her a soft smile, I shook my head. "I'd love to, but I can't. There's someone that Erskine wanted me to meet. I think his name is Howie or something like that," I told her. It was the only reason that I was dressing up today.

"Howard?" Peggy asked me.

That was it. "Yeah!" I chirped out to her. Howard Stark. The young man that ran Stark Enterprises. It was one of the most successful companies in the world. "That's it."

Peggy popped out of the bathroom as she pulled on her coat. I was slipping on a pair of heels that I could barely stand in. "You're meeting Howard Stark?" Peggy asked me. I nodded at her. "Best of luck," she said with a little snort.

My eyebrows raised as I stared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. It certainly didn't sound good. And it certainly sounded like she was not a Howard fan.

Peggy smiled at me and shook her head. "Nothing. I've heard that he's a very interesting man," she said.

Oh yeah. That definitely didn't sound good. "Well that makes me feel much better," I told her. Peggy laughed and I grabbed her arm briefly before walking out of the door. Bucky was clearly gone. Chester was standing at the other end of the hallway and glaring at me. I smiled at him as I walked over to him. "You look absolutely thrilled," I teased the older man.

"I'll kill him," Chester snarled under his breath. He meant Bucky for seeing me in a state that no man should ever see me in. At least no man that wasn't my husband.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "What for? It was my fault! Peggy was trying to get me out of bed and I fell over. I forgot that I was wearing that when I went to answer the door. Peggy tried to warn me. And Bucky didn't even look at me. He was looking away from me," I told him.

Chester snarled and folded his arms over his chest. "I'll still kill him for even being there," Chester said as we began to walk down the hallway.

Shaking my head at him, I walked past the guards to the bunk. "Because that makes lots of sense," I teased him. "Oh, it was my fault. And I don't think I've ever seen Bucky as embarrassed as he was right then," I told him.

And it was the truth. Bucky was always smooth and suave. But right then he had been red in the face and embarrassed beyond belief. "Good. Go to the medical bay. They're waiting for you to do the blood tests," he told me. I nodded and turned towards the bay. Before I could make it a few steps Chester called out to me once more. "Hang on!" I turned back and smiled at he grabbed my shirt and buttoned the top button.

Even though I'd only known him for a year, Chester was more of a father to me than my own father had ever been. "Thanks, old man," I said lowly before turning and walking away.

Chester hadn't mentioned where he would be going this morning. I assumed that he would be doing something with Operation Rebirth. Maybe he would either be talking to Erskine to see if there was new progress on the serum or maybe he was planning the dinner later with Howard Stark. I couldn't guess. As I walked towards the medical bay I nodded and smiled at a few of the men that were lingering around the lobby. Most of the soldiers in my unit were already there.

In the corner of the room sat Bucky. I gave a small nod at him before walking into the open room and heading up to the front desk. Two nurses were near the desk and I smiled at the two women. They rarely spoke to anyone except each other. Although they would give the occasional giggle to a flirtatious private. At the desk was a woman with curled blonde hair. It was actually blonde - unlike my near white. She had a pretty face with red lips. She was immaculately dressed too. She screamed perfection. It made my teeth grind together.

She glanced up from her files and gave me a pathetically fake smile. Even her teeth were perfect. "May we help you?" The receptionist asked politely. She seemed to be from Brooklyn.

Biting back a scathing comment, I attempted to speak politely with the woman. "I need a list of the medical records for the privates in Colonel Phillips' troop," I told the woman. She cocked her head at me and I rolled my eyes. I hadn't thought that it would be that difficult to comprehend. "We're doing the medical examinations today," I added.

She continued to stare at me like she had no clue what I meant. "I was told that it would be Sergeant Phillips picking up the medical records," she told me.

I rolled my eyes and nodded. She was nearly as bad as the men were. Why was it so hard to believe that a woman might hold a position of authority? "Yes. That's me," I said.

The receptionist raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. I wanted nothing more than to burn them off. "You are? You're a Sergeant?" She asked me in disbelief.

I nodded at her. The woman still didn't seem to completely believe me. I felt a figure walk up behind me but I didn't need to turn to tell who they were. I would always know that figure. "I can vouch for her, Miss," I heard Bucky tell the woman with a small smile.

His arms were on either side of me and I knocked him away gently. The receptionist at the desk suddenly smiled and I rolled my eyes. Her attitude had gone from nasty to perfectly content in a matter of seconds. In fact she now wore a bright smile. The disbelief in her voice had faded to a bright chirp. "Oh, well if a handsome young man like you says that she's trustworthy, I'll believe you," she said as she leaned forward.

Giving her a good once over I realized that two of her buttons were undone. I rolled my eyes and glared at her. She was just trying to hit on him. It made the fire in my veins begin to threaten to surface. "Bucky, you're in Bay Three. Go," I snapped at Bucky through clenched jaws. He gave the receptionist one last grin before turning away. I snatched the papers that were dangling in the receptionists hands and turned on my heels to leave. "Thank you," I added to her begrudgingly.

Storming away from the desk I nearly ran straight into Peggy. She was staring at me curiously. "You look happy," she told me with a small grin.

"Who the hell is that woman?" I growled at her.

Peggy turned back to see the receptionist before giving a wicked grin. "Ah, that's why you look so angry. I'd swear your eyes went red for a moment," she told me. I blushed and looked away for a moment. She could never know that she really had seen that. "That is one of my least favorite people on the base. Private Lorraine. She's half the reason that men believe that all we're good for is filing papers. What did she do to you?" Peggy asked me.

She wasn't the first woman I'd seen act like that on the base. Most of them did. Peggy and I were some of the few that didn't. "Oh, well, nothing. Not really," I mumbled to her.

The last thing that I wanted to admit was that I was jealous that even for a split second Bucky might have flirted with her. "I saw her speaking with James. I take it that's why," Peggy told me.

Once more a small blush filled over my face as I looked away. I hated thinking that Bucky could reduce me to a bumbling mess. "I have no reason to be angry at her for flirting with him. He's nothing more than my friend. I just don't like her," I growled through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure that's the reason," Peggy said with a little snort. I scoffed at her and turned to walk away. Before I could Peggy spoke once more. "Why don't you ask him to have dinner another night? Or maybe ask him to help you out with something," she suggested.

"No!" I snapped quickly. "No. I have no reason to ask him for any help. We're just friends. If he wants to go out on a date with her, he's more than welcome to," I told her.

A little shot of jealousy shot through my stomach at the thought of Bucky going on a date with someone like her. It was only because it would be someone like her. Right? "He wouldn't dare," Peggy said.

"Why's that?" I asked her.

Peggy smiled at me before shaking her head. "The only girl that he wants to have anything to do with is you," she told me. I rolled my eyes. That wasn't true. He just liked to mess with me. He was the type of guy that liked to go out with different girls. He'd settle down when he was ready.

"Shut up," I snapped at her. We both stared at each other before breaking into a small fit of giggles. "Alright, I have to go. I have a long day today. I'll see you tonight. Are you going to be there for dinner with Howard?" I asked her as I backed away, wobbling slightly on my heels.

She turned back to me and nodded. "I have a few things to take care of first but I'll be there a few minutes late. See you tonight," she told me.

I gave her a small wave before turning and walking through the halls. I walked into Bay Three and pushed open the door, stumbling slightly as I walked through the threshold. Bucky was standing in the corner and grinning at me as he gave me a once-over. "Are you seriously wearing heels?" He asked me.

To be fair, it was the first time that he had ever seen me in heels. I was pretty sure this was only the second or third time I'd ever worn them. "Is that so hard to believe?" I asked him.

"Well you look like you're about to fall over," he told me as I walked over to him. I stumbled slightly and he caught me. I blushed softly before kicking my heels off and shoving away from him gently.

"Shut up and sit down," I snapped at him, walking over to the desk. "Alright. Take a seat and roll up your left sleeve. I'm taking blood for both the staff here in the medical bay to have your records in the event of a medical emergency and also to ID you. I'll be taking one pint. Avoid any strenuous activities for the next few hours," I told him.

Bucky seated himself on the table and I watched as he rolled up his sleeve. "Yes, Ma'am," he said. I grinned and watched as the muscles in his arm contracted. "I didn't know that you knew much about medical stuff."

Not that he knew, but I knew a lot about pretty much everything. "I don't. But I do know how to take blood," I told him honestly. When I had been in Stryker's lab I had learned how. They had forced me to do it to myself enough times. "And we need blood samples over in the lab."

Bucky looked over at me and raised his eyebrows as I prepared the needle. "What for?" He asked.

I smiled at him and held my fingers over my lips. "It's a secret," I teased. Bucky laughed and opened his arm up to me. "Go ahead and open and close your fist for me a few times," I told him.

"Okay," he said. He began to open and close his fist and I watched as the vein began to rise to the surface. I flicked the syringe a few times and watched as Bucky's eyes followed it. He glanced up at me and gave a funny smile. "You know, you're cute when you're jealous," he teased me.

Glancing up at him, I snarled softly under my breath. "Shut up. I'm not jealous," I snapped at him. I let myself slip into his head for a second. She's so jealous. I rolled my eyes and stared down at the table. "You're a big boy. You can go out with whoever you like," I told him.

Even without being telepathic I could tell that amusement was flying around in his head. "So you wouldn't care if I took her out for dinner tonight?" Bucky asked me.

Yes. "No."

We sat in silence for a moment as I ground my teeth together. I was just finishing off the first vial. He watched as I retracted it and placed in a new vial. "Just so you know, I'd never ask her out," Bucky said. I couldn't help but to glance up and look at him. "She's not my type," he told me.

"You have a type?" I asked him.

I couldn't help the little bit of hurt that shot through my heart. Had he really been out with that many girls that he actually had a type? "Sure. I've always liked a girl that can hand a guy's ass to him," he told me. I chuckled under my breath and nodded. Peggy was pretty, she was smart, and she was tough. Any reasonable guy would like that.

Giving him the tiniest grin, I nodded at him. "Yeah, Peggy is pretty cool," I said.

I couldn't help the little twinge of hurt that shot through me at the thought that Bucky might actually like Peggy. "I'm not so sure that Agent Carter was the woman that I was thinking of," Bucky said, giving me a very pointed look. I blushed softly and looked away from him. He still didn't mean me. I was just the person that he happened to be looking at. "Would you like to get dinner tonight?" He asked me.

Not being able to help it, I giggled under my breath. "I must be a popular dinner date. You're the second person to ask me that," I told him with a small smile.

The smile that had been on his face since I'd walked into the room fell off. He suddenly seemed slightly upset. I wondered if it was at the thought that I was having dinner with someone else. "Who?" Bucky asked me. His tone was slightly defensive. I had to stop a smile as I slipped into his mind. Is she seeing someone? No. She would have told me.

Softly, I smiled to myself. Once I could control my face I glanced back up at him. "Dr. Erskine wants me to meet him. His name is Howard Stark." Bucky's jaw nearly dropped. "You know, the inventor. He's apparently a part of this project that I've been working on," I told him, trying not to give anything away.

"You're meeting Howard Stark?" He asked me in disbelief.

I couldn't help it. My eyebrows knit together and my jaw tightened. "Is it that surprising that I might be somewhat important?" I asked with more of a snap to my voice than I had meant.

Bucky seemed to know that he had screwed up. He grabbed my hand and sighed at me, brushing my hair back over my forehead. "You're the most important person that I know," he told me. I blushed softly and pushed him away gently, going back to the task at hand. "But Howard Stark? The guy is horsefeathers," he said.

I snorted under my breath. Bucky normally didn't curse. Perhaps it was just because I was the person meeting Howard. "I thought that you liked Howard Stark?" I asked. "You and Steve used to always go to the Stark Expo. You don't even know him," I attempted to defend him. Not that I knew him.

"I know that he's a two-timer," he said to his lap.

Smiling at him, I shook my head. Now it made perfect sense. "Ah, I get it. You think that he's going to hit on me," I told him, nudging him in the arm that I wasn't currently working with.

Bucky glanced up at me and nodded. "I know that he will. You're -" he ranted until I cut him off.

"I'm what?"

Bucky looked startled that I had said anything back. "Nothing. Just..." He said as he trailed off. We were left in an awkward silence after that. One that I wasn't fond of. I could have slipped into his mind but I knew that it wouldn't be wise. There were some things that I shouldn't know.

After a few minutes of silence passed I smiled at Bucky and patted his shoulder on the arm that wasn't being worked on. "You're almost done," I told him. He glanced up from his lap and I noticed his head spin. He was a little woozy as he tipped slightly on the seat. "Buck, you okay?" I asked, holding his upper arm tightly.

He leaned on me for a moment before nodding and pushing away from me gently. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good," he mumbled. I could hear the fatigue in his voice. "Just felt a little light-headed there for a second," he said, wiping a small bead of sweat off of his forehead.

I sighed deeply and pushed his hair back slightly. "Sorry. I've got to take a lot of blood. This is what Dr. Erskine wanted. Get some food in you after this and make sure that you sit for a few minutes. Don't start running around and stay out of the sun," I told him, reciting what I could remember from medical books.

Bucky looked over at me and smiled. "Yes, mother."

Smirking at him slightly, I pricked him the tiniest bit harder than I probably needed to. "Try not to insult the person holding a needle to your arm," I teased. Bucky grinned at me and nodded. I pulled out the needle once the final vial was empty and stepped away from him. "Alright, thanks for being a good patient. You're done. Head over to the classroom. I have a few more tests and then I'll be there," I told him.

"What are they teaching us today?" Bucky asked me after a moment as I began to slip the vials into their spot, labeling them with Bucky's name.

He was still sitting on the table as he waited to gain a little bit of strength back. "I'm not sure what you'll be learning all day today. But I do know that when I come in I'll be teaching you the basics of a few languages. Conversational. Nothing too in depth. It would do you well to remember them," I told him.

"What languages are they?" He asked.

I turned to him with a small smirk. "I guess you'll find out," I teased. Bucky smiled at me and nodded. I stood back up from the chair and walked over to him, motioning upwards. "Come on, up you go." Bucky nodded and stood. Although the moment that his feet hit the ground and he had all of the weight on his feet he fell. Thankfully I caught him in time. "Whoa! I got you. I got you," I said, pushing him back onto the chair. "Alright, you okay?" I asked him.

Bucky nodded and leaned slightly away from the chair so that he was just leaning back against it. I still stood with him, just in case he slipped again. "Yeah. Just got a little lightheaded there for a second," he told me with a small smile.

"That's nothing abnormal," I told him with a small smile. "I've taken out about a twelfth of the blood in your body. Don't worry, I'll always be there to catch you when you fall," I said softly, regretting it the moment that I said it.

He glanced up at me and stared curiously. "That should be the other way around," he said softly. We were still pressed together against the chair. I found myself pressed against him and I blushed softly.

This was not appropriate. I should not be standing this close to someone that I wasn't with. Someone that I was nothing more than friends with. Bucky brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. As he did he tugged me forward gently. As we stared at each other - me desperately trying to look anywhere but at him - I swore for a moment that I might kiss him.

But the only reason that he was doing anything like this was because he was lightheaded from losing too much blood. "You should get to class," I said softly, breaking the silence.

Bucky seemed ungrateful that I broke the silence but as I stepped back he nodded at me. My heart was thumping rapidly in my chest - at well over one hundred beats per minute - as was his. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll see you soon," he told me. This time when he stood he managed to walk out of the room. I still blushed, even as I watched him leave, before taking a moment to compose myself. I slipped on my heels before popping my head out of the door and calling out the next name.

After Bucky had left the Bay the rest of the blood tests went by quickly. Most of the men that came in said nothing to me. They simply sat around and let me do what needed to be done. A few of the men made small talk but most of them just let me do what needed to be done. The whole time that I was running the tests nothing was anywhere near as embarrassing as the fact that I had very nearly kissed Bucky.

It wasn't something that I thought that I would ever be able to comprehend. The fact that I almost kissed Bucky. The same Bucky that had always been there as a child. The same Bucky that I had left for years. The same Bucky that I wished that I could have apologized to a million times. It just didn't make sense. He was my best friend. He always would be my best friend. And that was the only thing that I wanted. We had nothing more than a good friendship. Some part of me in the back of my mind wished that we would have a chance to be together, but I knew that we wouldn't. There was nothing to us, despite whatever it was that Peggy thought.

It was nearly an hour after I had been working with Bucky that I finished up the last of the blood tests with the new privates. Gathering all the vials together and leaving the Bay - thankfully with the help of a higher-up Sergeant. He helped me over to the lab before I had to grab them all. As per usual, no one that didn't have strict clearance was allowed in the lab. Briefly I dropped off the vials with Dr. Erskine, giving him a brief promise that I would be back later that evening to have dinner with Howard Stark. Before I could make it another few steps he called out to me.

"Fraulein!" He called out to me. I nodded and turned back. He was still pouring over paperwork and blood vials. He looked exhausted. "You are ready for the dinner with Mr. Stark later tonight?" He asked me.

Debating on attempting to get out of the dinner - I quickly decided not to. He was the only reason that I was going to be getting a real degree. If he wanted me to dress up and go to a silly dinner for a few hours, I would. "Of course."

Dr. Erskine smiled at me and scooted a chair out so that I could sit down. "We will be leaving the base to eat. You do not need to wear that," he said, motioning to my outfit for the day.

I had thought that we would be eating here. That meant that I had decided to dress up for nothing. "You mean I dressed up today for nothing?" I asked. Erskine nodded at me. "Damn it," I muttered.

Dr. Erskine gave me a small smile. "Apologies, Fraulein. We will be at a dinner out in the middle of the city," he told me and I raised a brow. I had never been into the city for a dinner. I hadn't really ever been into the city at all. "Apparently it was at Mr. Stark's insistence. He has chosen to pay for all of us to eat," he told me.

My eyebrows once more raised. Dinner was expensive in the city and there were quite a few of us. I knew that Howard Stark was rich but was he really able to pay for a fancy dinner in the city for twenty of us? "All of us? There's almost twenty of us," I repeated my thoughts to Dr. Erskine.

Dr. Erskine smiled at me and nodded. "It is what happens when a man has more money than brains," he told me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

All of the men and women here seemed to think that Howard Stark was one of - if not the - smartest man in the technology and weapons industry. "I thought that you were saying the other night that Howard Stark has one of the brightest brains in the technology industry?" I asked him.

"I was," he said. I couldn't help it, I burst into a little fit of giggles. Dr. Erskine was usually rather demure and quiet but every once in a while he would make a good joke. "Now does that make you feel excited for tonight?" He asked me after a moment.

Giving him a teasing grin, I nodded. "The most excited I've been since getting here," I joked. It seemed strange thinking that my time with Bucky was one of the best parts about being here. "Well I'm hoping that it will go fast. I'm not very good around crowds. Okay, have a good day Dr. Erskine. I'll see you later," I said before turning to depart.

"Simply Abraham, Victoria," he told me and I smiled. I would be the only person to call him by his first name. Everyone else called him Dr. Erskine. "Have a nice day!" He called to me as I turned to leave.

"Gleichfalls," I responded before leaving through the open door.

The one thing that I was more freaked out about anything else - even more freaked out than over the fact that I had very nearly kissed Bucky only an hour ago - was the fact that I was going to be meeting Howard Stark. Despite the fact that I'd been slightly irritated with Bucky for not thinking that I was important enough to be meeting the man behind Stark Industries, I completely understood. Stark only met with the best in the industry. Why would he be wanting to meet with me? Abraham had told me that Stark had hand-picked the people that he wanted to meet with. So why me? Just because I was a woman?

As much as I would have loved to wonder even more about why I was important enough to be meeting Howard Stark I knew that there were better things to be doing. And as I walked into the auditorium that the recruits were all seated in, I knew that my thoughts needed to be served for a different purpose. Immediately thoughts from the recruits began to rush through my head but I pushed them all back. Just like usual, Bucky's stood out to me.

One day I have to get a letter to Steve to tell him that Vika's here. If anyone missed her more than me, it's him. My heart gave a painful twinge at the remembrance that even though I was back in Bucky's good graces, I was not back in Steve's. Just like I had sat down with Bucky and explained, as best I could, what had happened to me, I needed to do the same with Steve. Perhaps one day I'd ask Bucky where he lived now. I was sure that Abraham and Chester would allow me one day off of the base to go pay Steve a visit.

The recruits were still chatting as I turned and plastered a fake smile on my face. "Good morning, recruits," I called out. My voice echoed off of the walls.

Their voices all began at the exact same time. I knew that a normal person would have a hard time differentiating them. "Good morning, Sergeant Phillips," they all chirped. After a good scolding from Chester the other day - that had included lots of heavy weighs being thrown - the men had all learned to behave themselves. That didn't stop a few nasty comments being thrown around under their breath.

As I meandered around the front of the room I began to write across the board. "Today I'll be with you for about an hour or so. We're going to be teaching you the basics of a few different languages. You will write them all down and learn them and what they mean. You'll be tested at the end of the week," I said as my hands flew over the board.

"What the hell do we need to learn other languages for?" A recruit named Justin snapped. I rolled my eyes and continued to write across the board.

"I don't know," Bucky snapped loudly. I smirked and continued to write on the board. "Perhaps it's because you will - once you've finished your training - be deployed. You can be deployed to any section of the world. You could wind up in Italy, France, Germany, Russia, or a whole number of other places. How are you going to communicate? Grunting like the animal that you are?" Bucky continued.

I snorted loudly under my breath. I couldn't help it. At the same moment Chester walked into the room. The corners of his lips were turned up. "Victoria is right. You'll need to know these basic conversational terms and what languages they're from," Chester snapped. Conversations were immediately silenced. Everyone knew not to mess with Chester. "Begin, Victoria," he told me before walking to the back of the room.

Giving him a grateful nod, I turned towards the rest of the class and began the lesson. "We'll be starting with German first," I said. Snorts were exchanged throughout the room. "Do you all think that we should be speaking something else?" I asked.

As usual, no one wanted to speak out. "Nazi-loving whore," Harlan snapped from the back of the room. My eyes flamed red for a moment, and had I not known better I would have thought that Chester's did too. However, it was Bucky that spoke before either one of us could.

"What happens if you get caught by a Nazi? A group of them? If you can't even try to communicate with them, they kill you. This is helpful. At least someone can speak to them. Give them your names and try to speak to them," he said.

I could tell that Harlan was going to say something else nasty to Bucky I spoke. "Private Barnes is correct. If you don't think that this is worth your time I welcome you to walk out that door. You can rescind your spot in the Army and tell your parents that you couldn't work it out here just because you refuse to drop the chauvinistic attitude. Now, may I continue?" I asked him.

Harlan glared darkly at me for a moment before giving me a mocking salute. "Yes, Sergeant," he sneered.

Chester looked like he might say something but I shook my head. He was immature. It was fine. "We'll be starting simple. Hello and goodbye will be first. I'll say the words and you'll repeat them. Study the lists that you'll be getting tonight. Hello is simply hallo. Goodbye is auf wiedersehen. Repeat them," I ordered.

"Hallo. Auf wiedersehen," the group repeated.

They didn't quite get goodbye. I chuckled slightly at the botched German. "German is a reasonably difficult language. It will take a lot of practice. All I need is for you to get the basics down," I told them. There were a few nods. Others looked like they were ready to fall asleep. "Next up we're working on introducing ourselves. My name is, will be all that you have to say. Normally your name would follow. My name is. Ich heisse. Repeat it," I said.

"Ich heisse."

It was still slightly botched but it was better than it had been before. "Much better. The next thing that I want you all to work on is asking simple questions. We can start with 'Where am I?' Wo bin ich? Repeat it."

"Wo bin ich?"

That one wasn't bad either. It was the best that I had heard them so far. "Not bad. Let's move on. Next up... 'Who are you?' Wer bist du? Repeat it."

"Wer bist du?"

Once more I smiled. They were better than I had thought that they would be. I was grateful that languages came naturally to me. "Good. One last thing in German. We can move on to French afterwards. You'll be learning the same sayings. 'What do you want?' Was willst du? Repeat it."

"Was willst du?"

The recruits seemed less than thrilled at the thought that they had to learn German. I understood. This war was against Germany. Learning a foreign tongue might now have always seemed like the best thing. But it was important. Troops were captured and tortured and killed all of the time. Rarely did survivors even understand what was going on. Mostly because they couldn't understand what had happened. Despite their reservations, they did well with each of the languages. They did the best with French. I noticed that Bucky was trying extremely hard with all of the languages. He was accentuating all of the words. I couldn't help but to smile as I watched him.

Once we were done with French I had the recruits move on to Italian. They were decent with that. Only slightly worse than they were with French. I wasn't surprised. The words weren't difficult. It was the accents that were hard to mimic. They were definitely the worst with German. It was why I warned them that for their language test they would have to practice.

Russian was the last language that we decided to go over. I really did enjoy watching them attempt to try it. They weren't quite as bad with it as they were with German, but they definitely weren't the best. It had taken me the longest to learn. Of course, it had only taken me a few days in Stryker's presence. Mostly because I knew how much I would hurt myself if I couldn't learn it. We finally got to the end of the languages, repeating them about three or four times each before I decided that they were done for the day.

Giving them a little nod, I motioned towards the door. "You're dismissed. Get to your next class. I'll see you all later this week," I told them. I watched as the recruits filed through the door, each one of them complaining. "Private Barnes," I said as Bucky walked past me. I had to say his name that way, since there were so many others in the vicinity. He stood near me and I waited for the others to leave. "Thanks for that. I could have handled it," I told him.

He turned to me and gave a little nod. "Trust me, I know that you could have. That's the reason that I didn't let you," he told me and I raised my brows. "Although I might have enjoyed seeing Harlan get what you and Agent Carter gave Marcus and Jeremy last week."

"He would have gotten it worse," I told him. Bucky laughed softly as I motioned him away from me. "Head to your next class. I have to go to the laboratory to get some work done. See you later," I told him.

He smiled at me and picked up the small folder that he had with him for notes. The paper had a coffee stain on it and I snorted softly. "Bye, Vika. You free for breakfast tomorrow?" He asked as he walked backwards from the room.

"Sure," I told him. "Meet you there at six?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said with a wink before turning and leaving.

As I normally did when he left, I smiled to myself and placed my head in my hands for a moment. I wiped them over my face before turning and leaving the room. Unlike the recruits that were heading towards their next class, I was heading out towards the laboratory. No one really paid me any mind as I walked through the camp. With the time that passed I noticed that people had gotten used to both Peggy and myself being here. Although we still got looks in passing that either made me roll my eyes or want to slap them. As I walked into the lobby of the laboratory I gave Abraham a small smile.

"Good afternoon," I said as I walked towards the lab.

Giving him a small smile I walked to stand next to him. He laughed and brought me into him. He must have made some type of progress in the serum. He was never that happy unless he did. "Good afternoon, Fraulein. Mister Stark should be here soon. Are you ready to meet him?" He asked me with a teasing grin.

Of course he knew that I wasn't. "Is he really as much as a cow as everyone says that he is?" I asked. At that I heard even a few of the men that worked in the lab laugh. "I've been thinking about it all afternoon. No one has had anything good to say about him," I told him.

"He is eccentric. But that doesn't mean that he isn't a good man. A bright man too. Operation Rebirth needs minds like his," he told me.

My lips turned into a wicked grin. "I suppose that his money has nothing to do with it either, right?" I asked him.

Abraham laughed softly and nodded at me. "It certainly helps," he told me. Once more we laughed. I knew that Stark was a smart man but I doubted that Abraham would have wanted him around if he didn't have as much money as he did.

Once our laughter died down I nodded back towards the section of the laboratory that I worked in. "I'm going to run some of the blood samples for a little while. I'll be back soon. Just call me over here before Stark arrives," I told him. Abraham nodded me off and I turned around, walking towards my table.

As usual, papers and blood samples were spread all over it. Nothing was organized and I shook my head at myself. I really needed to clear the desk off some time soon. A figure appeared over my back and I turned back to see Robert - one of the men on my team. He was glancing over at the vial of Chronicle that was on my desk. I had taken a sample of it from myself when no one was paying attention. I had a feeling that if not radiation, the Chronicle might help me figure out how to create the proper amount of radiation.

Robert was looking over the Chronicle. He picked it up and stared sideways at it. "Is this blood green?" He asked me with a somewhat disbelieving tone.

Turning over, I felt my heart lodge in my throat. "It's a chemical reaction. Don't worry," I told him. He stared at me for a moment before nodding. Of anyone that I worked with, Robert was the one that spoke to me the most. "How have the others been coming along?" I asked after a beat of silence.

He shrugged as he began to rummage through unread newspapers on my desk. Erskine always dropped them for me to read but I never did. "Not bad. We still don't have any traction on the process. Each time we give it a try with the rats it completely depletes the DNA. Almost like it's going into over-drive," he told me.

I nodded. It was the same thing that I had been going through with my samples. "I have a theory but I need time. Do me a favor and run this sample under the reaction from different radiation levels," I said as I handed him a vial of blood.

Robert stared at me like I had lost my marbles. "Radiation?" He asked and I nodded. "Won't that damage the cells even more than the way they are now?" He asked.

There was a chance that it could, but it was the only guess that we had right now. And it was better than nothing. "Maybe. But if we can speed up the process we might be able to stop some of the damage done on the cells. I don't know if it will work. But give it a chance. Bring it to Erskine. He might know something to do," I instructed.

"Alright," Robert said before turning away and leaving towards his section of the lab.

For nearly two hours I went digging through the different sections of blood with every possible part of radiation that I could find. Nothing worked. No matter how hard I tried. Every time I tried to put a unit of blood with the radiation it was depleted within seconds. After a while I dug the palms of my hands into my eyes. Not a damn thing was working. We were going to be on this project for years before we made any progress. It had seemed that Erskine knew something more about the project than he was letting on. I wanted to ask but I had a feeling that it was a sensitive topic.

If nothing else, at least things were getting better with the other men that I worked with. It was more than could be said about the men in the platoon that Peggy and I had to deal with. John Allen - the first of the men that I had met here - was still as unfriendly as he had been the first time that I'd met him. He was extremely unfriendly. He made nasty comments about me and my ideas nearly every time together. I knew that it was because he hated that I was leading the team and not him.

Thankfully most of the other members of the team weren't nearly as nasty as he was. William Madison was the oldest member of the team. He was probably about Erskine's age. I could tell that he didn't really care for Erskine - presumably because he was German. I knew that plenty of people didn't trust Erskine because he wasn't an American. Many people felt the same way about Peggy. Thankfully William was one of the people that had those same feelings about both people but never bothered to actually say them out loud. He really didn't like me either but at least he was willing to work with me.

Then there was another one of the men that I worked with that I had just seen. Robert Price. He was definitely the nicest of the people that I worked with. He was the only one that would regularly ask me how I felt. He was the only one that bothered to speak to me in the first place. Although I knew that he still felt like I shouldn't be the person that was in charge of this division. They all thought that I should be working with someone like Lorraine. At least he didn't bother saying it. Although I'd heard in his thoughts before that he thought that he was smarter than me.

Another one of the men that I worked with was named Joseph White. Besides Robert, he was probably my favorite person in my division. But that was only for the reason that he really never spoke to me. He was rather intelligent, probably the smartest, save myself. He was the one person that always seemed to be able to follow what I was saying and he was the one person that didn't put down my ideas of radiation. Of course as I was debating the radiation discussion I watched as another vial of blood depleted to high toxicity levels - ones that would kill a test subject.

Thankfully there was only one other person that I had to deal with in the labs. It was better than the biology section - which had over twenty people. Of course they were all men. George O'Neal was the last person that I had to work with. He was the youngest person here beside myself. He seemed to be around thirty years old. I personally enjoyed watching him pretend to be as tough as the recruits. I knew that if we were to ever send him to the front lines he wouldn't last two minutes before getting a bullet lodged between his eyes. More than once I'd asked Bucky to set him straight. Every time I'd had to tell him that I was only kidding.

I smiled at the thought of Bucky doing anything for me as I placed a vial of blood back into the stack before standing. The men were all still working. "I'm going to go and get changed! I'll be back in a few minutes," I shouted out to Abraham - who was in the other room.

"In ordnung!" Abraham called back.

Departing with a little wave I turned and walked out of the building. The men that were standing guard at the door smiled and gave me a little nod. They had become a little friendlier with me lately. Probably because I'd threatened to rip another man's arms off if he touched me again. The guards saw me and apparently decided that I was their new favorite person. They were all nice enough and also seemed to agree with me that no one should screw with me.

As I walked over to the bunker I walked in and began to rifle through the drawers. There wasn't a damn thing in mine that I was able to wear. Nothing was nice enough that I could actually wear to a night out into the city. I rolled my eyes and began to rifle through Peggy's things. Before I grabbed something that looked like it might fit, I wrote out a note on her desk. 'Don't have anything nice enough to wear. I'll have it dry cleaned. Thank you! - Victoria.' Once I'd gone into her drawer I grabbed a dress on the top of her drawer.

It was pretty nice and I was surprised that it actually fit. She was nearly half a foot taller than me. It was a pretty silk dress that went down to the floor and flowed slightly. It was probably slightly more skin than I needed to be showing. But I still liked it. The dress had a neck that went down to show the tiniest bit of cleavage and I blushed. The shoulder straps were just wide enough to cover about half of my shoulders. The color was pretty though. It was a soft blue and I smiled, giving a small twirl. I hadn't worn a dress in years.

I kept on the pair of heels that I had been wearing before letting my hair fall around my shoulders. My hair was already twisted up and as it fell it fell in soft waves. I fluttered it around my shoulders and walked out of the building, immediately running straight into Bucky. He was wearing a green shirt and brown pants. It looked like he had just come back from a run. We looked like two extremely different people.

Bucky stared at me with wide eyes for a moment before letting out a high-pitched whistle. "Looking good, Vika," he told me with a little laugh.

My face lit up a slight red and I smiled at him. "Thanks. I didn't realize that we were apparently going out to dinner in the city. I didn't think that anything I had was nice enough so I went and borrowed something from Peggy. You don't think that I went over the top or anything?" I asked softly.

He grabbed my hand and bowed slightly in front of me so that he could press a chaste kiss to the back of my hand. "You look beautiful," he told me with a small smile.

Once more I blushed and had to fight the pink shade from coming into my eyes. "You always did know exactly what to say to me," I told him as I twirled the skirt of the dress around my ankles.

"Just because I've known you for so long. I'll always be there for you, Vika. And I hope that I'll always know exactly what to say to you," he told me with a small smile. "You should dress like that more often," he teased.

I couldn't help it. I snorted under my breath and shook my head. "I wouldn't let you hear my father say anything like that," I teased him. And it was the complete truth. Chester would kill Bucky if he ever heard him say something like that.

He gave me a small grin and nodded. "Just kidding. Have a good dinner and I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." I nodded and turned to leave. "And do me a favor. Stay away from Howard Stark. He - uh - he doesn't know you like I do," he told me, a small blush filling his face.

Smiling softly at him, I nudged him gently, trying to make sure that the neckline on Peggy's dress wasn't too low. "Sure thing, Dad," I teased gently.

He stared at me for a moment before smiling. "I'm not sure that a Dad is quite what I want to be to you," he told me.

That time it was my turn to blush. I glanced down at the ground and smiled to myself, waiting for the pink tinge in my eyes to go down. Once I finally managed to calm myself down I looked up and smiled at him. I had to play it off. "Say goodbye in Italian, Bucky," I teased him.

Briefly I slipped into his mind. Don't say the wrong thing. Don't disappoint her. "Addio," he said softly before giving me a small wink.

Once more I gave him a small smile. He was completely right. I had to say that I was rather impressed. "Good job, Bucky. I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to be up too late. Training is only going to get harder from here on out," I said before turning and walking back to the laboratory.

"I know it's going to be tough. I've got you to whoop my ass!" He shouted as I walked away. I snorted under my breath and rolled my eyes as we walked through the camp.

Walking back into the lab I headed through the doors and saw that most everyone was already standing around, all in their dinner clothes. Even Abraham was dressed up. It was the first time that I'd seen him in something other than a lab coat. He looked good in his beige suit. He had even shaved. All of the men that I worked with, and all of the others, were all dressed in their finest clothing. I knew that later on Peggy would come and I finally wouldn't be the only woman here.

Abraham finally turned towards me and smiled as he gave me a once-over. Chester was standing next to him and looked somewhere in between impressed at the way that I had dressed and scowling over how much skin I was showing. "Fraulein Victoria! You look beautiful," he said as he led me into a small spin. "Please come and meet Mr. Stark," he said, motioning me after him.

"Joy," I muttered to myself.

We walked forward through the lab and I stared ahead of me. I wasn't quite sure where anyone was. Of who Howard Stark was. I'd never seen him before. No one ever told me who he was or what he looked like. They all just talked about his attitude. It was what led me to believe that he was probably pretty good-looking. The only time that I'd ever seen him before was in a picture from the newspaper. He had just barely been a teenager at the time. Now he was a full-grown adult in his mid-twenties. He was just a few years older than me.

We rounded a corner and Abraham motioned me over to a man that should have been exactly what I was expecting. With a slight hint of embarrassment, I realized that Howard Stark was actually rather attractive. He looked about twenty-five or so. He had dark black hair that was slicked back over his head in a neat comb-over. His eyes were dark brown and traveling over each one of us in the room. His mustache was twitching with minor amusement. He was wearing a black suit that was tailored to fit with his every little movement. His eyes finally tracked over to me and I realized that he was giving me the same once-over that I was giving him.

For the first time in a long time I felt incredibly stupid as I searched for something to say to him. "Hello. You must be Victoria. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said lowly. I smiled at him and watched as he leaned over to grab my hand. I extended it out to him and blushed as he kissed the back of my hand. It had taken Bucky fifteen years to do that. I hadn't known Howard for fifteen seconds.

"Mr. Stark," I said as he came back to stand up and glance in my eyes. His were filled with curiosity. "The pleasure is mine," I added, remembering my manners.

The man smiled at me and shook his head. "Mr. Stark is my father. Just Howard will do," he told me.

Once more a stupid blush filled my face. Howard looked at me the way that a man would look at his wife. I wondered if his stare was always that intense with everyone that he knew. "Victoria here is the daughter of Chester Phillips. Colonel Chester Phillips," Abraham said.

It seemed that Howard already knew Abraham and probably knew Chester too. He looked over at the two of us and smirked. "Odd. I didn't know that Chester had a daughter. Or that he was ever married," he said. Chester's jaws tightened slightly. "But either way, clearly you are the one that got the looks," he told me.

I chuckled slightly and shook my head. I hadn't even gotten my looks from my birth parents. "Chester Phillips is my adoptive father. I've been with him since I was very young," I lied easily. "He's still my father, no matter that we don't share DNA. He's taken good care of me over the years. And he hasn't bothered telling anyone about me to not raise questions," I recited our story that I was supposed to tell anyone that asked.

Howard was watching me with a bright smile the entire time. Once I stopped speaking he moved into me slightly and I coughed awkwardly. "How very sweet of him. Beautiful eyes you have, Victoria," he told me.

"Thank you, Howard."

For whatever reason, the air around us had somehow gotten extremely thick. Abraham stepped in between the two of us and smiled, motioning towards the doors. "Come now, everyone. Let's eat," he said. It was good to have everyone's eyes off of me and their minds back to the food.

We began to walk out of the building and towards the car. I noticed that there was one car that I had never seen before. It must have been Howard's. He had a 1939 Jaguar SS 100. "I can lead everyone out to the restaurant. Victoria, would you care to ride with me?" He asked me and my heart skipped a beat.

He really wanted me to ride with him? "She would -" Chester began before I cut him off.

"Love to," I interrupted, smiling at Howard. He grinned back at me. Grabbing Chester by the arm, I pulled him away from the others for a moment. "Play nice with him. He's the one person that can fund this entire thing. Don't say anything rude. I think that I can handle a car ride with him," I told him with a small smile.

If Howard wanted me to ride with him and that would get him to continue funding Operation Rebirth, I would ride with him for ten minutes. "You more than have my permission to light his ass on fire if he does anything to you," he told me. I chuckled softly and shook my head.

"You're a good Dad, old man," I teased before giving Chester a soft kiss on the cheek and turning away. I walked back over to Howard, who led me to his car. Everyone began hopping into their seats. Howard walked me over to the passenger door and held it open for me. I jumped in and waited for him to hop into the driver's seat. "This is a nice car, Howard," I said as he started up the engine.

Howard turned over to me and smiled. "Oh if you like this you should see the entire collection," he told me.

"You have a collection of cars?" I asked.

Howard nodded at me as he revved the engine and peeled out of Camp Lehigh. As we drove down the road I crossed my legs and glanced over at Howard. He was in between watching the road and watching me. "Of course. I always wanted a car growing up. When I started Stark Enterprises and got my first check a car was the first thing that I went out to buy," he told me.

I couldn't help but to smile and laugh softly. "Not bad. I've never actually gotten a check before," I said. No one had ever given me money. The only thing that I wanted was a place for me to call my own. "The only thing that I ever wanted was a beach house," I said softly.

Howard glanced over at me, away from the road. "Beach house?" He asked, his lips turning upwards slightly.

I shook my hands at myself. "Yeah. The one thing that I wanted growing up was to go to the beach. But my birth parents were embarrassed of me. So I never got to go. And then I got in with the wrong crowd. Didn't even see the sun for years. Now I'm back in the real world and still nowhere near the beach," I told him.

Howard grinned slightly as we drove through the edge of the city. Camp Lehigh must have been closer to the city then I had thought that it was. "Tell you what, this thing works out for you and you'll make enough money for ten beach houses," he told me.

Suddenly a small frown fell over my face. That wasn't really what I had meant. "Money doesn't mean anything to me, Howard. I never had money. I grew up with another family. They didn't have money. My parents had money but I didn't exactly spend very long with them. And Chester... I never felt like I could take money from him," I said softly.

I wasn't sure what it was, but something about Howard made me feel like I could talk to him. Maybe it was because he wasn't Bucky, who I was terrified would judge me. But he also wasn't the men on the base that looked at me like I was nothing more than a piece of meat. "Why's that?" Howard finally asked.

"He's done enough for me. He saved me from myself," I said, remembering our first conversation out in the field behind his house. "The last thing that I need is to be taking his hard-earned money for something that I don't even need," I told him honestly.

As much as I loved the thought of a beach house, I didn't want to bankrupt Chester. He'd done enough for me. "Saved you from yourself? I can't believe that you ever did something that you needed saving," Howard told me.

"Trust me, I can handle myself."

He grinned at the road for a moment before turning to glance at me. "So I've heard. I got a nice long warning from Chester Phillips that if I touched or looked at his daughter the wrong way, he would be the last of my worries," he said. I couldn't help but to laugh softly and nod. Chester really was my father.

After a moment I finally relaxed fully. After a while I felt like I could finally completely relax around him. I could hear his thoughts. Smart girl. Clever girl. Not once did he mention what I looked like in his thoughts. "And that's the truth," I told him.

Howard smirked once more. "Tough girl, huh?"

I gave a teasing grin over to him. "That make you nervous?"

"The complete opposite. I like a girl that can take care of herself," he told me. A small smile fell over my face. As strange as Howard Stark was, he in some ways reminded me of Bucky. And Bucky was my home.

But was he really the type of guy that wanted a tough girl. I thought that he would have wanted a girl that needed to be saved by the man. "I have to say, I'm surprised. I would have thought that you were the kind of guy that wanted the damsel in distress. I would have thought that you wanted to be the guy that comes to a girl's rescue," I said.

We drove in silence for a moment before Howard spoke again. "I wouldn't mind coming to her rescue. But I also like having a woman that knows how to handle herself when she gets into something," he told me.

I couldn't help it. It was probably rather rude of me but I snorted loudly. Howard laughed like hearing a woman snort was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. Although, it might be. No females ever snorted. It wasn't proper. Although I couldn't help it. After the laughter died down I finally shook my head at him. "What kind of trouble could a woman get herself into in the kitchen?" I asked facetiously

Clearly Howard heard the little groan in my voice. He turned to me with a little grin. "I somehow doubt that you're the kind of woman that wants to find herself in the kitchen for the rest of her life," he told me. I turned to him with a raised brow. He didn't know anything about me. "I doubt you'd do well with that."

Smiling slightly under my breath, I nodded. Even without the Pyrokinesis I would probably set a kitchen on fire. "I suppose that's true. The last thing that I want is to live in the kitchen for the rest of my life. I want to be out in the world. I want to save people," I said honestly. I wanted to prove that I wasn't just a girl that belonged in the kitchen or in the records room. "I want to prove that I'm better than being in the kitchen and being some man's baby-maker."

The car began to slow as we drove through the city and towards the restaurant. "And I think that you're perfectly capable of that. You're not the type of girl that wants to sit and do what a man tells you. And that's what makes you different," he said.

"Some people say that being different is a bad thing," I told him.

Howard glanced over at me as we stopped at a red light. "I disagree. I think that being different is the best thing. Everyone thought that I was different when I wanted to start a company as a child. Now I'm a millionaire and everyone wants to be me," he said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes. He was good and he knew it. "So what do you want to be?" He asked me as the light turned green.

"A hero," I answered, feeling foolish.

Howard didn't laugh, he merely gave me a wide grin. "You look like a hero. You look like the kind of girl that knows exactly what to do, even if it's the hard thing," he told me.

After another beat of silence I glanced over at him. He was watching the road and I narrowed my eyes, letting myself slip into his mind. She's good. Better than I thought that she would be. I raised my brows once more. What the hell did that mean? "You seem to know a lot about a girl that you just met a few minutes ago," I said.

Once more Howard glanced over at me. "I might know more about you than you think," he said as he drove up to the restaurant. We were out in front of the valet parking. Howard placed the car in park and motioned out of my window. "This is it," he told me, motioning over to it.

The restaurant was huge. It was built into the bottom floor of a skyscraper and had wait staff all along the outside doors. They were taking coats. I suddenly felt extremely stupid. Should I have borrowed a coat as well? Howard climbed out of the car and walked around to my side. Just as I was about to open the door and climb out, Howard opened the door and extended his hand. I grabbed it and let him pull me from the car. The moment that he did I saw lights from cameras begin to flash towards the two of us.

Someone's thoughts were loud as I continued to walk up towards the entrance of the restaurant. Got it! Howard Stark: New Flame? The readers will love it.

I rolled my eyes as we continued to walk. Wonderful. "I could have done that myself," I told Howard.

He grabbed my hand and placed it on his arm as we walked up. It was pretty obvious as we walked that Howard was the type of person that had been raised in high-class society. I'd never understood how people managed to remember all of the rules in places like this. "Not when you're with me," Howard said.

I couldn't help it. A small smile slipped over my face as I walked inside the restaurant. Crystal chandeliers were all over the ceiling and the places were immaculately set. Behind me a few of our company were beginning to file in. Howard handed one of the men at the door his coat before grabbing me by the arm once more. "This is the nicest place I've ever been," I said softly.

Once more Howard grinned down at me. He waved the greeter off to set out a table. "Stick with me, kid. This is nothing compared to all of the places that you'll see," he told me.

I laughed as we were walked towards the back of the room. There was a large table set out and I took a seat next to Howard in the middle of the table. Chester was on one side of me and Howard was on the other. He didn't sit until he had pushed in my chair for me. Once we were all seated Chester turned over to look at me. Immediately Howard ordered everyone at the table a glass of some expensive-sounding wine.

The rest of Operation Rebirth sat at the table a moment later. One seat opposite me was left open for Peggy, I assumed. Chester leaned over to me and I glanced at him. "How was he?" He asked me, referring to Howard.

"Believe it or not, he was a perfect gentleman," I told him.

A look of surprise fell over Chester's face. As surprised as he could look. Normally he was completely stoic or he just looked bored. "You're sure?" He asked me.

"Yes, old man," I said as I rolled my eyes. A waiter handed Howard a bottle of the red wine and I watched as he poured me a glass. "Thank you," I told him.

We all went back to our glasses once people had picked out their dinners. I had ordered the least-offensive thing on the menu. It seemed like something completely normal. Just chicken. The group went over to drinking their wine as Howard turned to speak to me. "Victoria, how did you get into this line of work?" He asked.

The conversations at the table went silent. "I've always found genetics fascinating. Mutation too. I mean, just think about some of the things that people right here have. Mutations. Everyone with blue eyes. You are all connected by one common ancestor that created the blue-eye gene. Originally everyone had brown eyes. Red hair and freckles. They're mutations too. But imagine what could happen if humanity took a huge leap."

"What do you mean?" Howard asked.

I smiled at the proud look on Abraham's face. "I mean, exactly what Operation Rebirth is all about. Placing a normal human into that chamber and watching them come out with these abilities. A man strong enough to throw a truck. Take two bullets to the heart and keep fighting. Slowed down aging process. The possibilities are endless," I said.

Howard leaned forward to look at me. "You don't think that any of this is far-fetched?" He asked. By the look in his eyes, I could tell that he didn't think that any of this was far-fetched.

"You're asking that to a woman with yellow eyes and nearly white hair," I said. I was slightly surprised when my comment earned scattered laughter. "If I could be born looking like this, perhaps there's a chance that I could create someone strong enough to lift a car," I said.

To my surprise it wasn't Howard or Abraham that spoke up. It was one of my least favorite people on the planet. "We aren't creating some sort of Frankenstein's Monster," John snapped. I gave a slight flinch that thankfully no one saw. "Perhaps someone stronger and smarter than the average soldier. That's it," he said.

My eyebrows narrowed at him but it was Abraham that spoke before I could. "What do you mean by Frankenstein's Monster?" He asked softly. All conversations at the table halted.

John shifted and took a slow sip of his wine. Howard and I followed. Faster than I meant to, I drained the glass. Howard laughed under his breath and poured me another. "You've all heard the rumors about people that can do these strange things. All it is is the Devil speaking," he said. I rolled my eyes. "There's no such thing as someone that can lift a truck or read minds," he said.

Is that so? Some part of me wanted to slip into his mind to prove him wrong but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. "Is your mind so small that you can't believe that a strange phenomenon like mutation exists?" I snapped.

Once more all eyes turned over to me. John's head shot over to me and he looked like he might get up to strangle me. "No one's ever seen or heard of anything like that," John argued with me.

It was the truth. But there was a reason that no one had heard of the mutants. We couldn't be discovered. People hated us. We were considered dangerous. We would be hunted down and shot in the streets. Stryker had been evidence of that. "Doesn't mean that it doesn't exist," I said.

This time it was Howard that stepped in. "She begs a good point," he said. All eyes turned to him and I let out a little breath. I didn't want eyes on me any more. "Can you see oxygen?" Howard asked. John said nothing in response. "Then how do you know it exists? Sometimes you just need to believe in something," Howard said.

Giving in slightly, I leaned over and placed a hand on Howard's arm as a way of thanks. "The theory of mutation is the one reason that Operation Rebirth may actually work," Abraham said, assisting my argument.

"So we're just going to be turning someone else into a freak?" John scoffed.

Before I could open my mouth to say something cruel, Howard spoke. "If the mutants are real there is no reason to be calling them freaks. The only reason that they'd be hiding is because of people like you," Howard snapped. It was the first time that I'd seen him with an emotion other than amusement on his face. "The people that believe that they're less than human," he told John.

There was a fire in his eyes that almost made me happy to see. "They are less than human," John said. My hands twitched slightly. It was almost the same damn thing that Stryker had once said to me.

"No. They'd be stronger," I said, unable to keep myself from saying anything. Chester and Abraham were watching me closely. "For more than just the physical. Also for the reason that they have to hide all the time. They can't show anyone who they really are," I said lowly.

John leaned over across the table from me. "You sound like you're speaking from experience," he hissed.

He couldn't know. I was never going to tell him what I was. He would turn it into a nightmare for me. "I'm no different than you. However the yellow eyes might as well make me a mutant. The way that people stare at me. The way that they whisper," I said softly.

The conversation dropped off to nothing after that. No one really seemed to know anything to say. So we all went silent and picked at our food. It was about five minutes before I saw Peggy walking up to the table. She wore a small smile on her face, oblivious to the tense air. "Hello everyone. Sorry I'm late. Victoria, that dress looks gorgeous on you." I smiled a tight smile at her. "Did I miss anything?" She asked as she took the seat across from us.

"No," I answered quickly.

The conversation was tense for a little while after that. It was about five or ten minutes before Howard was able to drive the conversation back to something nice. We chatted about the different kinds of ways that we could get the project to work. There was nothing that seemed to work on every spectrum. Howard seemed to think that with work the serum could be finished in a matter of months. About six at the earliest. We were all hoping to have it done in about a year. Thankfully John said nothing after his earlier comments.

Dinner ended about an hour after we'd arrived and I found myself in better spirits then I had been before. We all were laughing as we drove back to Camp Lehigh. It was about nine at night when we arrived back. I went straight to change with Peggy, but she went to bed. I grabbed a pair of normal clothes and placed Peggy's dress in my laundry pile. When I arrived back in the laboratory I wasn't surprised to see that I was the only person there. I was determined to work out the kinks in the serum. It seemed like every time we found one issue in the serum to fix, we wound up with ten more. Behind me a door opened and closed.

I turned back to tell Abraham that I would lock up when I was done, however when I turned back I saw that it wasn't Abraham. It was Howard. He was walking towards my desk. He glanced over the stack of unread newspapers and smirked, tossing them to the side. "You don't read the paper," he commented.

I didn't bother looking up from the paper that I was scribbling on. "Nothing in there that concerns me," I muttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Howard said. I was about to snap at him to leave me alone when he plopped down a paper right in front of me.

The paper that he'd placed on the table was one that I'd seen before. But it was one that I hadn't seen in years. It was old and had clearly been read quite a few times. It was folded in at least twenty different places and had what looked to be coffee spills on it. It was dated December 24th, 1928. My heart was beating slightly faster than it should have been as I read the headline. Family dies in tragic house fire: cause unknown. But I did know. I did know how the mother and father had died. I knew that the little girl hadn't really died at all. I knew that even though she was presumed dead, she was perfectly well alive. Howard was watching me closely as I stared at the paper.

"Should this mean something to me?" I asked Howard with a bored voice.

He didn't look up at me. Instead he pulled a few papers from inside the paper and began reading over them. "Victoria Davies. Born October 21st, 1920. Presumed dead in a fire. Although it's curious," he said. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Just a few years later another girl named Victoria Rogers pops up in a public school in Brooklyn. No birth records and no official adoption records. Through school records it was stated that she was also born on October 21st, 1920. And then, almost eight years later, Victoria Phillips pops up in Camp Lehigh with her 'father' Chester Phillips. Also no adoption record. Still born on October 21st, 1920," he said.

He placed down papers with records that I had never seen before. Some were school records and others were eye-witness accounts from people. Did Howard know who I was? Probably. Play it off, Victoria. "So there were lots of girls born with the name Victoria on October 21st, 1920," I said softly.

Howard smirked at me and took another step towards me. I could feel him nearly pressed against me. The electricity beneath my veins was buzzing excitedly. I had a feeling that if Howard didn't take a step away from me I might accidentally electrocute him. "Perhaps. Or perhaps there was one girl that was better at hiding than anyone else. I've done some research on Victoria Phillips. No records exist of her up until a year ago," he told me.

Of course not. Chester Phillips hadn't met me before a year ago. But that would not have been a wise choice for me to say. "Interesting. Perhaps the adoption had something to do with it," I said, still staring down at the paper I'd been writing on. Not that I could focus on it now. "What do you want, Howard?" I snapped after a moment.

Despite not looking at him, I knew that he was smirking at me. "I want the pleasure of speaking to Victoria Davies," he told me. That time I couldn't help it. I turned back quickly, meeting his chest. A stern glare was spread over my face.

He knew. I slipped into his mind just to make sure before I said anything. Gotcha. Damn it. "There are very few people that have the privilege of knowing who I am," I told him lowly. No one else was in the building but I could never be too careful. "You were not supposed to be one of them," I snapped. Had someone told him or had he figured it out himself?

Howard shrugged at me. "It's not exactly a well-kept secret. How many people have yellow eyes and white hair?" He asked me. I narrowed my gaze. My hair wasn't white. It was just close. He had a fair point though. I was always surprised that more people couldn't put it together. "Or you could just look through old papers. How many people still know that you're alive? That you were only hiding for all of these years?" He asked me after a moment.

"An answer for an answer. How'd you figure it out?" I asked. "And why do you care?" I added after a moment.

This time Howard looked rather proud of himself. "It wasn't that hard. Like I said, there aren't too many girls on the planet with yellow eyes and nearly white hair. Surprised no one else managed to figure it out," he told me.

I gave myself a moment to compose myself. "As I said, very few people know who I am. On this base, only Chester Phillips and Dr. Erskine," I told him. Now him too, I suppose. "The only reason that no one ever knew who I was is because I'm very good at faking deaths and leaving no trails. I faked my death in the fire. Years later there would be no real record of Victoria Rogers ever existing. Only a figment of a few people's imagination. One day the same will happen to Victoria Rogers," I told him honestly.

I would never age. One day I would have to ensure that no one remembered Victoria Phillips. As time went on, my versions of Victoria would live and die with no one remembering her. It was the way that my life was destined to go. Howard took a step forward and sighed at me. "I don't think that Victoria will ever have to give up her identity again. I care because I'm curious about you. I don't want to hurt you," he told me.

Suddenly a sad look crossed over his face. I scoffed and shook my head at him. I'd made the mistake of believing that lie one too many times. "Too many people have told me that before," I said.

Howard nodded. "You mean Colonel William Stryker," he said. My eyes widened at his answer. He knew who he was? "I have resources. One of those found the Weapon X building that you were kept at for seven years. It's long abandoned," he told me. I suddenly felt like I might throw up the rather large dinner that I'd had. "As smart as those men are, their files are not well hidden. They were found when William Stryker was killed and all of his bases were searched," he told me.

Now I definitely felt sick. "He's dead?" I asked softly.

The only person that deserved to kill William Stryker was me. Perhaps Logan too. Howard nodded. "Officially, yes." I raised a brow. That couldn't mean anything good. "William Stryker has been put on label as being deceased due to infection," he told me.

Infection? I couldn't remember Stryker ever wanting to leave the Weapon X facility. He was never much of an outdoors man. "From what?" I asked when I realized that I had been silent for too long.

"He was found walking down a street. His feet were bleeding," Howard told me. Once more I raised my eyebrows. None of this story was adding up. "When he was asked what he was doing, he simply responded with, 'As I was told.' I assume that you know what that means," he told me. And suddenly everything clicked.

By now I'd managed to figure it out. Howard clearly knew more about the world than he was letting on. He certainly knew about me. He knew who I was and he knew how I'd managed to stay hidden for as long as I had. And if he knew about the Weapon X Program he knew what I was. He knew that mutants existed and he knew that I was one of them. Maybe it was the reason that he had been so quick to jump to my defense at dinner tonight. One day I would have to thank him for doing that.

"A mutant told him to walk until his feet bled," I answered.

Howard nodded at me. I couldn't help but to wonder what other mutant knew how to control minds. It wasn't really a common one that I had heard of. "That's what it appears to be. He's being held in a military base for questioning about the death of General Munson." I wasn't sure who that was. "It's believed that he killed him a few months ago."

None of that meant anything to me. The only thing that I cared about was that Stryker was still alive. I could still live up to my promise to kill him. "So he's still alive?" I asked after a beat.

For a moment I saw hesitation in Howard's eyes. But he finally nodded at me. "Between you and me, yes. Victoria, I'm trying to help you because I know what you've been through. I know what awful things that you've seen. And I'm telling you this because I think that you'll want to see him again one day," he told me.

My jaws tightened. "If I ever see him again, I'll rip his heart out of his chest," I snarled under my breath.

Howard nodded at me, clearly not surprised by my comment. If he knew what I had been through he knew that I had a good reason to say that. "As you very well have the right to do. Another thing. There are two men that I believe you may know. One goes by the alias Logan - no last name. His mutant name is Wolverine," he told me.

My heart lodged in my throat. I hadn't heard from Logan since I had left him that day. I'd been worried about him for nearly a year. "Yes. What do you know about him?" I asked quickly.

"Not much," he said. Howard suddenly looked afraid to speak. Once more my heart rate skyrocketed. Logan had to be alright. We'd fought so hard to get free from Stryker. "Stryker was insisting that Logan was shot in the back of the head when he was trying to escape and it killed him. Shot in the head with an adamantium bullet," he told me.

No. That didn't work. Logan - like me - had the regenerative mutation. A bullet to the back of the head wouldn't kill him. It would probably hurt like hell but it wouldn't kill him. Although there was something that it might do. Something that might put everything together. "That wouldn't kill him. But that would explain why I can't get through to him. It could cause massive memory loss. He wouldn't remember me. My thoughts would be like a passing voice," I said, mostly to myself rather than Howard.

He seemed to know a fair bit about mutation but I could tell that he was nowhere near as good with it as I was. Of course, most people weren't. "I don't know all that happened," Howard said, looking slightly guilty.

He had no reason to be. He'd told me so much more in these few minutes together then people had told me that I had known for years. "When did this happen?" I asked.

"Very recently. A few months ago," he told me. I nodded at him. That was the first time that I had tried to contact Logan. I'd wanted to see if he'd managed to evade Stryker and get repentance for his late wife. "There's another man that you may want to track down someday. His name is Remy Etienne LeBeau," Howard said. Who the hell is that? "Better known as Gambit."

I still wasn't one hundred percent sure who Gambit was, but I was smart enough to know that he was just like me. "Another mutant," I said softly.

Howard nodded his head. "Yes. He was evidently with Logan briefly before the altercation with Logan took place," he told me and I nodded. If anyone could give me answers as to what had happened to Logan and where he'd gone, Gambit could. "I can only answer a few of your questions. He may be able to answer more," Howard said.

And he was completely right about that. When the day came that I could take some time off I would have to hunt the two men down. "Thank you, Howard. For everything," I said honestly. "I never thought that I would see Stryker again. I never thought that I would want to. But maybe this could be a good thing. I still have a few things to say to him."

The electricity surfaced for a moment, creating a small spark that Howard didn't see, and I forced it back down. "Would it be worth it?" Howard asked me.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

Stryker had done so much to me in the seven years that I had been with him. I owed it to myself to end his life. I was one of the many people that deserved to see him die. "People are afraid of you," Howard said after a moment's hesitation.

I narrowed my eyes and turned to look at him. He was standing extremely close to me and giving me a hard look. "But you aren't," I said softly.

He was the only person that knew what I was that had displayed no fear or hate to me other than Abraham and Chester. It was something refreshing. It made me wonder if everyone on the base would react the same way. Howard grinned at me. "I have no reason to be."

Scoffing softly at him, I shook my head. He had every reason and every right to be afraid of me. "I could melt the flesh off of your bones," I said darkly.

Howard grinned and stepped a tiny bit closer to me. If he took another step we would be pressed up against each other. And that was definitely not appropriate. "You could. But you won't," he told me. "Because despite what you think about yourself and despite what everyone says about you, you are a good person. You want to fit into this world," he told me.

Once more I scoffed. One thing that I would never be was normal. I would never fit in with everyone else. "Like you said, not many people with yellow eyes and nearly white hair. I'll never fit into this world," I said.

Howard grinned at me and shook his head. "I always thought that being different was the best," he told me. I laughed softly and shook my head. I supposed that no matter how good-looking and charming Howard was, he was different. And he used that to his advantage. Perhaps it was coming time for me to do the same.

Unable to say anything else, I turned back to my desk and continued scribbling out the reactions of radiation. Howard was reading over my shoulder probably trying to read my work. "Would you like to take a look?" I asked, knowing that he wanted to. He leaned in behind me and practically pressed himself against me. I could feel the heat through his suit. Or maybe it was the fire in my veins. "Howard? A little personal space. I promise I will light your ass on fire," I snarled, not really meaning the threat.

Howard chuckled and continued to stand behind me. I knew that he wasn't going to move. Mostly because he knew that it was bothering me. "Oh, come on. We both know that you won't," he told me and I snorted. He wasn't wrong. "And really? You're the only person that would ever deny me," he told me.

"Well get used to it," I told him. He was a good man but I didn't want him. Because you want Bucky. Shut up! I turned to tell Howard to get lost or help me but I lost my voice when I found myself trapped in between his arms. Despite both of us glaring at each other we knew that it was a good joke between friends. "I have no interest in you," I told him.

Howard grinned at me and leaned in. "That'll change. It always changes," he told me. I let out an ugly snort that anyone else would have scolded me for. Howard grinned at me. "Or is it because of Private Barnes?" He asked me with a little sing-song tone to his voice.

I coughed awkwardly and tried to push the pink tone in my eyes out. Howard was watching me with a wide grin. "How do you know about him?" I asked softly.

It was obvious that Howard knew that he had gotten to me. His smile was bright. "Saw him walking by earlier. A man made a comment about you and Barnes stepped in almost immediately," he told me. I snorted under my breath and shook my head. That was Bucky for you. Always stepping in to my defense. "Figured that if he felt that strongly about you, the feelings must be mutual," Howard continued.

Perhaps he wasn't as smart as people said that he was. There was nothing going on in between the two of us. "We're just friends. Childhood friends. He doesn't want to hear the men here talk about me the way that they do since we grew up together. We're like siblings," I argued weakly.

"How long do you think that you'll manage to keep telling yourself that?" Howard asked me brightly.

"Forever."

Howard smirked and moved in towards me. "I have a suggestion," he said. I raised my brows at him and nodded for him to continue. "You could always kiss me," he said as my jaw nearly dropped. "Barnes too. Then you'd know whether or not your feelings for Barnes are real. Or you could fall in love with me," he teased.

He was not serious. Actually he was. "We're not here to talk about my non-existent love life," I snapped, trying to end the conversation. "Either help me or get out."

"I could help you with both," he teased me. I glared darkly and shook my head at him. Not tonight. Not ever. "Just a suggestion. You'll warm up to me," he told me.

A small grin formed as my face as I let the flames slip to the tips of my fingers. I placed it on the top of the suit jacket and trailed my fingers slowly down his chest, leaving char marks in the path. The flames continued to lick softly at the jacket and I brushed it off. The jacket was ruined but Howard didn't seem to mind. He was still smiling at me. Howard was a billionaire. He could pay for a new one.

He brushed off the little char marks on his jacket and slid it over his shoulders. It left him in only his vest and a white button-down. "Neat trick," he said.

Once more I smirked. "I have neater." And it was the truth. There were some pretty neat tricks that I could show him. And being a man of silence, he would probably love them.

"One day you'll have to show me."

"I will."

Howard glanced over at his suit and sighed. "You know that this suit is extremely expensive," he told me as he pulled up a chair to work beside me.

"It was," I responded. Howard chuckled softly as he leaned back against the counter, still trying to make himself look good. I rolled my eyes and shoved the papers at his chest. "Now get over here and do what you're supposed to. Help me," I growled. This time he actually read over the papers and allowed me to explain all of the findings we had so far. And as we worked and laughed long into the night I realized that maybe there were more good people in the world outside of Bucky, Chester, and Abraham.


	9. Chapter Nine

In the background of the small room I could hear Peggy getting ready for the day. One of the best things about her was that she was rather quiet in the mornings. She knew that I always liked to sleep in as long as possible. And she knew that between Operation Rebirth and training the new recruits, I was exhausted. That meant that I slept as much as possible when I could.

At this point we were a few days into week two. It was one of the least entertaining weeks in training but it did mean that I was a little less stressed. Most of my stress came from my time in Abraham's lab. The rest of my time was spent back and forth between training the new recruits and helping Howard figure out how to keep the Super Soldier Serum accurate while being non-lethal. In the meantime it was teaching first aid and map-reading to the recruits. It was incredible how many of them were bad about it.

My knee began to shake as Peggy pushed me around in the bed. I groaned and stuffed my face into the pillow. "Vicky," Peggy called to me, exasperation in her voice, "come on, you wanted me to wake you up at six to get breakfast with Private Barnes."

There was no way that it was already six. I had come in at two in the morning last night. I could have sworn that I had only been in bed for about an hour. "And what time is it?" I asked her groggily.

She paused for a moment before laying her hand on my shoulder. "It is now six-oh-three," Peggy told me.

She had to be joking. I was just praying that she was kidding. I was supposed to be meeting Bucky at six. My head shot up and I saw the curious look Peggy was giving me. "What? Damn it!" I howled before shooting up.

On the far side of the room I heard Peggy laughing. She always did enjoy watching me panic. Which was easy considering that I was almost always late. And today was just going to be another day that I was going to be late. It didn't change the fact that I felt terrible. I rarely cared whether I showed up to training or the lab on time. The one thing that I hated being late for was Bucky. He was always five minutes early - something that he had already learned - and I was always five minutes late.

As I dashed around the room I fell over nearly every ten seconds. Peggy was sitting on her bed, brushing through her hair as she laughed. I yanked on a pair of trousers and nearly ripped the seams before buttoning my shirt as fast as I could. I missed the middle button twice before succeeding. As I was pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail at the same time as I was attempting to brush my teeth I heard Peggy speak once more.

"You know, I've never seen someone so excited to get ready when they think that they'll be late for something that wasn't a date," Peggy called out to me.

My hair fell as I glanced over at her and I rolled my eyes at myself. Every moment that I took to redo a process of getting ready was only another moment that I was late to meet Bucky. "It's not a date!" I snapped at her.

Over the past two weeks or so it had been both her and Howard's motivation in life to get me to admit that I was in love with Bucky or if nothing else, just to get me to admit that our little meetings were dates. "It is a date, Victoria," Peggy insisted.

I turned to her with a little snarl on my lips. "No it isn't!" I howled at her, realizing that I was being slightly too loud. "I don't like him, he's just my friend," I said, much softer this time.

"Then why don't you accept Howard's offer of a date?" She asked me.

I groaned softly under my breath. She wasn't exactly wrong. Since dinner about a week and a half ago Howard had been continuously asking me to go out with him. The first time had been the night after the dinner. He had wanted me to go with him into town. I'd told him no. All because we were business partners. All through the last week or so Howard had tried to get me to go on a date with him. From everything to just taking a walk around the base, to going into town, to going to having a drink with him in his room.

With all of my being I had denied the last part. The whole time I had told him that it was because we were professional partners or because I was too drowned in work to go out with him. He kept telling me that it was because I really wanted to go out on a date with Bucky. Each time he told me that I shouted at him louder than the first. Of course that only earned me another question on why I really wouldn't go out with him.

"Because Howard is a cow!" I shouted, continuing trying to defend that I wasn't really interested in going out with Bucky.

Peggy smiled at me and shook her head. She was getting ready as well, just not as frantically as I was. "Or perhaps it's because you have feelings for someone else?" She asked softly this time. She didn't seem to want to push me too far or too hard.

Under my breath I let out a few curses that were directed at her before turning over to where Peggy was sitting at her vanity. "I think that you and Howard need to go out on a date. You're both determined to get me to go out on a date with a guy that I feel nothing more towards than platonic friendship," I told her.

Once more she smiled at me. I knew that I was driving both her and Howard nuts by not admitting my - nonexistent - feelings for Bucky. "You're in an awful bit of a hurry for a breakfast with someone that you feel nothing towards more than platonic friendship," Peggy pointed out.

As I slipped my shoes onto my feet, attempting not to fall over in the process, I turned a glare on her. She was so useless. They are were. "Because it's rude to be late to something that you made plans for," I insisted.

The two of us stood and stared at each other for a moment before there was a soft knock on the door. I could tell that it wasn't Chester. He always gave one sharp knock. This was a short and goofy sounding knock. "I'll get it," Peggy told me as I did up my laces. "Good morning, Howard," she said as she stepped backwards.

I groaned softly. He always seemed to have the worst timing of anyone I knew. "Good morning, Peggy. Is Victoria -" he asked before cutting him off when he spotted me. "Ah! There you are," he chirped.

"I'm late," I called out before he could say anything or annoy me. Besides, he was only going to make me even later. "I'll see you in the lab later!" I called out as I rushed to the door.

Before I could get too far though, Howard held out a hand to stop me. "Wait a moment, Victoria," Howard called out. I still continued to dash around the room, grabbing the few files and papers that I needed. "I wanted to see if you would care to come by Stark Industries later today? There are a few things that I would like to show you," Howard offered.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks. "Really?" I asked him weakly. Stark Industries was huge. And Howard Stark never offered anyone personal tours there.

Howard gave me a small grin. "Absolutely. I could use a second opinion on a few things," he told me.

A bright smile filled my face. That certainly would be incredible. It would just be another step towards being something more than a woman who really belonged in the kitchen. "You know what, I would love that. I should be ready to go after dinner. Just give me a few minutes so that I can get changed before we go," I told him.

Howard gave me a sleazy grin and for a moment I regretted saying anything at all. "You're going to wear something nice for me?" He asked me.

"You wish," I snapped.

The two of us had a deep stare-down for a few moments. Neither one of us seemed to be willing to break the stare-off that we had started. "Victoria, weren't you late to be somewhere?" Peggy asked, finally breaking the awkward silence in the room.

"Oh!" I chirped stupidly before turning and heading out of the door. "See you guys later!" I yelled loudly as I ran out of the door. Everyone that had been standing in the hallway backed against the walls as I dashed out of the bunker and over towards the dining hall.

A few of the women that worked in records were all glaring at me. I could hear their thoughts in my head. What is she doing? She looks like a fool. My teeth grit together as her thoughts only got worse and worse. I rolled my eyes and continued to dash through the camp. As I found myself about twenty feet from the entrance I picked up speed and burst through the doors. At the table that we normally sat at was Bucky. He looked slightly tired, leaning over a cup of coffee and reading through notes.

The notes were from the map-reading class that I had been assisting in teaching. I walked up to the table - not before taking a few deep breaths and brushing back my hair - and tapped Bucky on the shoulder. He glanced up at me and a small smile slipped over his face.

He dropped the coffee that he was holding back onto the table and stood as I took a seat next to him. "Well there you are. I almost thought that you were going to bail on me this morning," he told me with a slightly teasing note to his voice.

Some part of me figured that he probably had thought that I'd abandoned him. I attempted to read Bucky's mind as little as possible. I had stopped trying to do it when I'd once tapped into his thoughts and heard a few thoughts about me that had turned my irises pink for hours. I hadn't been able to look at a person for hours and the one person that had seen them - of course, Howard - had easily figured out why. It only led to questioning me for hours on who had done it and how they had done it.

"Oh you think so little of me," I finally teased Bucky. He grinned and handed me a second cup of coffee. "Sorry about everything. Peggy was trying to wake me up but I wanted to sleep. I guess I thought that it wasn't as late as it was," I told him softly.

Despite being a professional, time management was not one of my better skills. "You always were bad about getting up when the alarm went off," Bucky told me.

"I was not that bad," I argued.

Bucky snorted and shook his head at me. "Vika you must have come to class late at least a hundred times because you have overslept," he said.

And that was the truth. There were so many tardy marks on my old report cards that it wasn't even funny. One time Mrs. Rogers had shouted at me for nearly an hour because I'd missed more than sixty percent of roll calls. One more tardy mark and I would have had a truancy officer called on me. Thankfully I hadn't been late again that year. Of course that was only thanks to Steve and Bucky.

We had gone through a few close calls though. Even all A's wasn't enough to keep me out of trouble with the teachers. "And whose job was it to make sure that I didn't oversleep?" I asked Bucky.

He glanced up at me from his eggs and shook his head at me. "I don't like trying to wake you up. You're mean when I try to wake you up," he told me.

"I am not!" I shouted.

"Yes you are!" He shouted back at me. That wasn't the truth. I knew that I wasn't that bad. Maybe I got a little violent when people woke me up but I really wasn't that bad. "One time you kicked me clear across the room," Bucky told me. Oops.

My face burned slightly and I looked down. I remembered that day. It wasn't the first time that I had done that. I had kicked him across the room a few times. Steve too. Once I had nearly broken Steve's ribs. After that it had only been Bucky to wake me up. Or it would have been Steve, but he would shout at me from across the room. Bucky was always the only one that would be willing to walk up to me and actually touch me to try and wake me up.

Bucky didn't seem offended in the slightest. He was grinning at me like he was slightly proud. "And that was the day that I knew that I would never want to mess with you," he said.

A small grin fell over my face too. Next week he was going to know just how much he really shouldn't mess with me. "You know that next week I get to teach you guys how to do the hands-on portion of training. We're going to be teaching you to defend yourselves and the country," I told Bucky and he nodded, a determined look on his face. This was always the week that the recruits looked forward to the most. "And maybe, just maybe, you'll have to fight me," I teased him gently.

But it was the truth. I was the one person that no one was going to be able to beat. I would also help teach them that appearances don't matter. That they could end up fighting anyone. Chester had made me promise that I either wouldn't fight or take it easy on them. Peggy agreed with me that we were going to be teaching them without holding back. But we wouldn't kill them either. Howard told me to fight them all out. I told him that we wouldn't be left with any soldiers if I did that.

Breaking my thoughts, Bucky shook his head at me. "I'm not going to lay a hand on you," he told me. I rolled my eyes. Gentlemanly as always.

My eyes brightened slightly. "Too chicken?" I teased gently.

Bucky leaned forward to the point where I thought that it might have been considered inappropriate if someone were watching. Not that I cared. They all just thought that I was the yellow-eyed freak anyways. "Wouldn't want to damage that beautiful face," he told me.

His hands wrapped around a loose strand of my hair and gave it a little tug - just the way that he had when we were kids. It gave me a different feeling now. One that I wasn't so sure that I liked. It felt strange. "I'm not so sure that it would be my face that you'd need to be worried about," I told him, trying to shove away my thoughts.

Once more Bucky leaned into me. He placed a hand on my shoulder that I knew was supposed to be challenging. "Is that a challenge?" He asked me.

"That, my friend, is a promise."

If we were going to fight I definitely wasn't going to take it easy on him. We were going to fight for real and I was going to win. But he had damn well better not take it easy on me. I had always hated that. "I always liked a girl that could take care of herself," Bucky said.

A strange pang went through my chest. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't because I cared for him. "Oh? You find any girls that can take care of themselves?" I asked him.

Don't be obvious. Don't be obvious. "I've got my eye on one," he told me with a slightly sly look in his face.

Despite trying desperately not to blush, I glanced down at the table for a moment and blinked away the pink tinge that had come in my eyes. It wasn't me. He didn't mean me. Why would he? After a few minutes I glanced back up with an even look. "She's lucky."

Something akin to a shadow fell over Bucky's face as he shook his head at me. "I'm not so sure that she knows," he told me softly.

My voice dropped as well. All of the other conversations that were going on in the hall dropped off and it felt like we were the only two people in here. "Perhaps you should tell her," I whispered.

Bucky nodded slowly at me. "Perhaps. But what if it changes things between us?" He asked me.

Was there a chance that he could be talking about me? I refused to go into his mind and see. There were certain things that I didn't want to do. And that was one of them. If I wanted to know the answer I was going to have to go out there and find it myself. My mind began to wander. Would things change between us? Could they? I wasn't sure. And what if it really wasn't me that he was talking about? But what if it is? Did I want it to be? Yes.

Awkwardly I nodded at him. This wasn't the conversation that I had meant to have. "I suppose you'll never know unless you say something to her. What if I make you a promise?" I asked slowly. One way or another I was going to get the answer out of him.

"What kind of promise?" He asked me.

"When training is over and you get your orders, you tell her how you feel." Bucky's eyes widened slightly and I had to press myself not to slip into his mind. "Don't the men bring a picture with them of their girls?" I asked him. After a moment Bucky nodded. "You ask her for one of herself."

In the back of my mind I wondered if one day Bucky was going to ask me for a picture of myself. Neither you idiot! He doesn't like you. "Do you think that she'd say yes?" He asked me after a moment.

I turned to him with a soft blush coloring my face. I would say yes. But it wasn't about me. It was about him. "I think that she'd be insane not to," I told him honestly.

And like that, the air had become far too awkward for either one of us to be able to handle anymore. When Bucky spoke once more, I was glad that it wasn't about Howard, or either one of our love life, or a continuation of the conversation that we had been having before. "So uh... What are you up to for the day?" He asked me.

I was desperate to talk about something other than our strange relationship. "Spending a little bit of time in the morning in the labs. Trying to get some more work done. Helping you and the other recruits in the afternoon. Tonight I'm heading with Howard to Stark Industries," I told him my plans for the day.

Bucky's eyes narrowed and I raised my brows at him. "You call him Howard?" He asked me.

My eyebrows knitted. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Why?" I repeated dumbly.

Bucky nodded at me. "Yeah. Why?" He asked.

What the hell kind of question was asking me why I called Howard by his name? Was there a chance that he was jealous? "Because he's my friend," I told Bucky.

Once more his eyebrows narrowed. "You went to dinner with him last week," Bucky said. After a moment I nodded at him. He knew that we'd been out to dinner. I had told him about that. "I see the two of you together all the time. And now you're going to Stark Industries with him this week? Are the two of you...?" He trailed off.

Was he asking me if the two of us were together? That was stupid. I was never going to be in a relationship with Howard. He was a good man but he was not the type of guy that I wanted. "Together?" I finally risked asking him.

"You are?" Bucky asked me. I saw a strange flash of hurt flit across his face.

Damn it. Not what I meant to do. "No! No," I said softer, when I realized that I had drawn some attention to the two of us. Relief filled Bucky's face. "Howard is a good man - better than he lets on - but he's not really my type. We're just friends. And he's funding the project that I'm working on. I need to play nice with him. Plus if I can weasel my way into a job in Stark Industries when I'm done with my work here... I mean, Bucky, can you imagine that?" I asked him slowly.

What I really wanted was to be completely normal. I didn't want to be a mutant. But the other thing that I wanted was to become a real person in this world. Someone worth something. More than someone that had accidentally killed their parents. Someone more than a woman that belonged in the kitchen or as a baby-maker. There were so many things that I wanted. Getting a degree in Genetics from Harvard and starting to work with Howard Stark at Stark Enterprises was the start to my life.

"It would be everything that you've ever wanted," Bucky said, breaking me from my thoughts. I let out a little sigh and nodded. Not everything.

"Do you remember everything that I've ever wanted?" I asked him.

After a beat of silence, Bucky nodded at me. "I remember lots of things about you. Probably some things that you don't even remember. You used to purposely pull at the ends of your hair all day to try and get the curls out that my mother would do for you," he told me.

A small smile formed on my lips. He was right. I would tug at them all day until they were pin straight. It wasn't a popular style but it was the way that I liked it. "I can't believe you remember that," I said softly.

He had no idea what it meant to me that he remembered the little things like that. "Of course. You always looked so desperate to get them out," he told me. I chuckled softly. I was always desperate to get them out. "I remember that we took a trip to Coney Island and you and I forced Steve to go on The Cyclone," he said.

A barking laugh that was extremely embarrassing escaped my mouth. "Do you remember what the two of us were doing while Steve kept throwing up?" I asked him with a sly smile.

Poor Steve had been bent over the trash can as the two of us had laughed for hours and hours. The two of us had made a stupid bet while Steve had been out for the count. "We made a bet to see who could go on it the longest before throwing up," Bucky told me with another smirk.

It was so true. The two of us had gone on The Cyclone over and over again until one of us had thrown up. It was probably a bad idea but it was one of the best days that I could remember. "And who won that bet?" I asked Bucky with a little sing-song note to my voice.

Bucky snarled at me. He had always hated losing to me when we were kids. But somewhere in the back of my mind I had a feeling that he actually liked seeing me win. "You did. But I let you win," Bucky defended himself.

My jaw dropped open and I shook my head at him. "You did not!" I snapped. "I won that bet fair and square. The Thunderbolt and Tornado too!" I added. They were two more roller coasters that we had dragged Steve on. The entire time that we had dragged him from ride to ride I was sure that he was getting closer and closer to collapsing. "I thought Steve was going to lose his mind when we kept dragging him on those rides," I said with a small laugh.

Bucky laughed too. "I could never believe that you were the one that wanted to ride them over and over again." He was right. It was me that had kept dragging him on all of the rides. "I remember that you were the only girl in line," he added.

And he was completely right. I had always been the only girl in the lines. All of the boys had been staring at me like I was insane. "We had a good time together when we were kids, didn't we?" I asked him after a moment.

"Yeah, we did," Bucky said with a small nod. He then leaned forward into me. "That doesn't mean that we can't have a good time together as adults too," he told me with a soft smile.

I knew that it meant that he wanted the two of us to be the same friends that we were when we were kids. But things were changing. They always would change. "No, it doesn't. But things are going to change, Bucky. Things always change. You're going to go off to war. Steve... I still haven't spoken to Steve in years. And I'm going to be stuck here. We're all going to go different ways and you... You're - We..."

The last thing that I wanted to tell Bucky was that I was afraid that he was going to lose his life. He was strong. He had to be okay. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to live if he wasn't okay. "You're afraid of what's going to happen to me," Bucky finally pieced together.

Of course, you doofus. "Why shouldn't I be?" I snapped at him, slightly meaner than I meant to. "People are dying every day, Bucky. More and more. Hundreds of American soldiers die every day. What if you're deployed to Germany?" I asked, panic settling in.

I would go in with him but I knew that we couldn't. I was a woman. I barely belonged here at Camp Lehigh, I certainly didn't belong on the front lines. "I'll go out there and fight. That's the reason that I'm here, Vika," he told me. Bucky leaned forward and grabbed my hands. I sighed softly. "And I've got something worth living for," he told me as a little wink.

Once more I let out a little laugh. We all had something worth living for. I had Bucky and Steve worth living for. And Stryker. One day I would exact my revenge on him. For everything that he had done to me. "You deserve to get to grow old and have a family," I told Bucky softly.

"That's not to say that you don't."

Everyone deserved to get old and have a family but I wasn't one of those people. I never would be. Not because of what I am. "Of course not but -" I said before being cut off by Bucky.

"But what?" He interrupted me.

Nothing that I could tell him. No way. He would run from me, he would hate me, he would be afraid of me. "Nothing. I don't know. Sometimes it just feels like we live so much in the now that we forget that one day we are going to grow old and grow apart," I said sadly.

I had just gotten Bucky back and perhaps one day I would get Steve back as well. But that wasn't to say that I would keep them forever. One day they were going to move on from me. "No," Bucky snapped.

My eyebrows raised. "No?" I asked.

Bucky nodded at me with a proud look on his face. "No," he repeated. Once more I raised my eyebrows. What the hell did he mean, no? "You and I are going to live with Steve with twenty cats," he told me.

The two of us stared at each other for a moment before letting out barking laughs. That would be a disaster. Steve swelled up like a balloon when he was near them. And Bucky had nearly killed Old Ms. Cotter's cat when it had shredded his shoes that had been left outside. "Steve is allergic to cats. And you hate them," I pointed out.

The smile that was on Bucky's face still didn't wear off. "So you'll have the house to yourself for the most part," Bucky said. A small laugh escaped my mouth and I shook my head.

There was no way that I was ever going to have a good life. Steve and Bucky, they would. But not me. "Come on. We all know that you're going to be the first one to find some pretty girl to marry. You'll have a nice little family and white picket fence," I told him with a little nudge to the shoulder.

Bucky shook his head at me, a sudden darkness falling over his face. "I don't know. I'm not the one with some billionaire pining after them," he said grouchily.

A sudden smile broke over my face. I knew that look. It was the same look that I had gotten when Lorraine had been flirting with Bucky the other week. "Are you jealous?" I asked him with a teasing note to my voice.

His face fell into a bored stare. "You really think that he wants anything innocent from you?" Bucky snapped at me. I smiled to myself and shook my head. The two of us were working on a project together. Despite his frequent attempts to flirt with me, I knew that he wasn't really serious. "Vika he doesn't want anything from you that you should want," Bucky told me once more.

And speak of the Devil, and he shall appear. Once more I laughed as Howard came to stand behind me, laying a hand on my shoulder. Bucky tensed as he sent a deep glare to the man. "Victoria. I'll pick you up from the lab this afternoon?" He asked me.

I could see that he was giving a look to Bucky out of the corner of his eyes. "Um no, actually. The classrooms. I'll be helping the privates this afternoon," I said awkwardly, knowing that the longer that Howard stood here and the longer that he held his hand on my shoulder, the angrier Bucky was getting.

Howard nodded at me. "That's fine. I'll see you this afternoon, Victoria." Howard then turned over to Bucky. He grinned at my friend. "Private..." he trailed off.

He knew Bucky's name. He knew that this was the guy that he was continuously trying to get me to ask on a date. He was just doing this to push my buttons. "Barnes. Bucky," he introduced himself.

Howard's deep brown eyes began to twinkle and I rolled my eyes. Nothing good was going to come of this. "Ah... Victoria speaks very highly of you," he told Bucky.

Bucky's eyes lit up slightly. He turned to look at me with a devious little smile and I groaned under my breath. There was never going to be a happy medium with these two. They were either going to hate each other and pull me back and forth or they were going to both love me and constantly tease me. "Does she?" Bucky asked Howard, even though he was facing me.

Howard nodded, not that Bucky was looking at him. "She does. In fact it's very rarely that I see someone speak so highly of someone else that they aren't romantically linked with," Howard said.

And that's enough of that. "Howard!" I barked. Bucky was wearing a small grin on his face and Howard was looking at me with a teasing grin. "There's work to be done in the lab. Come on," I said, standing from the table. My hand wrapped around Howard's arm and I yanked him away, feeling his shoulder briefly pop out of place at the force. "Bye, Bucky!" I called back over my shoulder.

I had to get the two of us out of here before Howard made things any more awkward. "Breakfast tomorrow?" Bucky called out to me before I could get away.

"Of course."

"Be on time tomorrow?"

A smirk formed on my lips. "Of course not."

From behind me I could feel Howard vibrating with laughter. "Have a good day of training Private Barnes," Howard called back as we walked away. Even without looking away I could feel Bucky's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. As the two of us walked towards the lab Howard hooked an arm around my shoulder.

Glancing up at Howard with a raised eyebrow I folded my arms across my chest. This was nothing good. He was planning something. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

Howard was grinning at the walkway in front of us. "Don't turn back now but your friend is staring daggers through my back," he told me.

Idiot. Was that really why he had hooked his arm around me? Because he wanted to make Bucky jealous? If he was even jealous. It was just because he didn't like Howard or the way that he acted. "I think that I miss the point of how this is a good thing," I told him.

"He thinks that there's something going on here and I promise you that he'll go on and make his first move," Howard told me.

They were deaf. They all must have been deaf. How many times did I have to tell them that I wasn't interested in Bucky or vice versa? "I don't need him to make the first move! There's nothing going on between the two of us so there's no moves to make," I snapped quickly.

Howard merely gave me a little grin. He didn't seem the least bit bothered with my little snap. Mostly because he knew that I wasn't going to do anything out here. "Tell that to someone that can't see right through you," Howard told me as we walked out of the mess hall. "The way that he looks at you is the same way that my father used to look at my mother," he added, softer this time.

Once we were clear of Bucky's line of sight I noticed that Howard's arm dropped from around my shoulder. "We're friends. We've been friends since we were kids. I met him when I was eight and his and Steve's families took me in when I had nowhere else to go. We're practically family," I argued weakly.

"Maybe. But not family like brother and sister," he told me and I raised my brows. I was like Steve's sister. I always had been. And I was like Bucky's sister. I had to be. "More like husband and wife. How do you think that Victoria Barnes sounds?" Howard asked with a little grin.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Chester was near us. And he had clearly overheard Howard's comment. He turned back to us with a stern glare. "How old are you? Shut your mouth!" I shouted at him.

Of course, things never seemed to work out for me. Chester walked up beside us with his arms folded over his chest. "What did you just say?" He asked Howard.

Before Howard could open his mouth and say anything to make things worse, I grabbed Howard by the arm and began to pull him away. "Nothing, old man. Howard spewing steam. I'll be going to Stark Industries later today. Don't wait up," I told him.

Chester narrowed his eyes at the two of us. "And what time will you be back by?" He asked me.

I groaned under my breath. It was really like my father was asking me what time I would be back from a date with a boy that he didn't trust. "It's not a date!" I snapped loudly.

Probably too loud seeing as some men turned back to look at me. I could hear their thoughts. Most of them were wondering how I had managed to snag Howard Stark. "That's right. If there's someone that you should be talking to about a date it's -" Howard began before I cut him off.

"Shut your mouth!"

Why was it that none of my so-called 'friends' would let the whole Bucky situation go? "Who?" Chester asked, a deep frown marring his face.

"No one!" I shouted before Howard could make things any worse. "Dad, go and... do whatever it is that your job is," I said weakly, already frazzled from everything else. "You! Come on! We have work that we need to get done," I snapped at Howard, dragging him away from the scene. "Why don't you try to be useful for once in your life?" I asked, once we were out of earshot of anyone else.

Howard shrugged his shoulders as we walked towards the lab. "I'm being plenty useful," he told me.

"You're one of the most useless people that I've met in my entire life," I replied.

Thankfully Howard decided that silence would be his best bet for a while. The two of us walked over towards the lab and I smiled at a few of the men that were from my division. Slowly they were opening up to me. A few of them still hated me and most didn't like the fact that I knew more about - well, everything - then them. Most of them were acclimating to me and I'd noticed that a few of them even started speaking to me without prompt. Although I did still hear their thoughts from time to time and they were rarely savory.

As we walked into the laboratory we took a seat at the table that we normally worked at. Like usual there were things spread everywhere. Some were tests that had been run over the last few days, others were blood samples, and there was still a stack of newspapers that hadn't been opened. I had burned the newspaper that Howard had left about the fire that I had caused years ago. No one needed to see that.

The team was already there. Very few even bothered to look up from their paperwork to say something to me. Not that it bothered me. This time I knew that it wasn't because they were being rude. This time I knew that it was because they were busy and they didn't want to distract themselves. I didn't blame them. Plus, they were in their zone. I got to travel back and forth from the labs pretty frequently seeing as I also worked with the recruits. They were in the labs from sun-up to sun-down.

In the back of my mind I knew that the men didn't like me walking around and seeing what they were doing. But that didn't matter. I had to make sure that we were making something at least akin to progress. John growled as I stood over him and I rolled my eyes. He seemed to be writing out the code for the DNA that we were attempting to replicate. It didn't look quite right but I didn't want to say anything. John already hated me and I knew that saying something to him would only earn me a shouting match for the next hour or so.

And there was work to be done. So instead I moved to the next person. William moved to the side of his work and began to explain it to me. He seemed to be working with coding, attempting to ensure that nothing would mutate the DNA dangerously. As for now, it looked extremely dangerous to me. We were going to turn the poor test subject green, or give him three extra arms, or an eye on the end of their nose.

Still though, I didn't bother to say anything to him. We all knew that nothing good was going to happen unless we made some major progress. I went to Robert next. The two of us were actually the only ones on the team that could chat like we were friends. He was breaking down the elements in the super soldier serum, trying to determine if anything should be changed. It looked like a lot of it was too dangerous. We needed something to stabilize the effects of the serum.

And that was the problem. What the hell were we supposed to do to stabilize the effects of the serum? So far we had no ideas that were plausible. The radiation was still too dangerous. At Joseph's table I saw that he was looking for new elements to put into the serum. He also seemed to be looking back and forth through radiation types. Nothing that we wanted to do would work. Some were too weak and others were too strong. There was nothing that was in the middle and I didn't know how to make a new form of radiation.

Maybe that was something that either Abraham or Howard would be able to figure out. This was nothing that I would be able to figure out for myself. Or the others. It wasn't what we were trained in. George was currently scribbling down a bunch of formulas. None of them made any sense to me. Numbers were in the wrong place and most of the formulas were written backwards. I rolled my eyes and strutted away from him. That didn't exactly seem like a conversation that I wanted to get involved with.

Howard was still at my desk working on a piece of drafting paper as I walked over and took a seat next to him. I began to flip through the blood samples but I didn't get very far. A moment after I had been seated I saw Abraham peek his head around the corner. "Howard. Victoria. Might I speak with you for a moment?" He asked.

Glancing up at Howard, the two of us nodded and stood from our spots at the table. "Certainly," I told him before turning back to the other men. "Continue working. Everything looks good," I half-lied.

The three of us headed out towards Abraham's office. "Anyone making any progress?" Abraham asked me as we walked.

I sighed softly and shook my head. "Like a snail, you know. Every once in a while we do something that makes sense. But it seems like each time we take one step forward we take another two steps backwards. We'll get there eventually. We just need time," I explained slowly.

The truth was, what we were doing took time. We were trying to completely change someone's DNA. It wasn't going to happen overnight. "She's right. But this is the way that we knew that this was going to work. We're starting essentially from scratch. It's like my inventions. They take time, but eventually they do work," Howard added on as we walked.

The three of us walked into Abraham's office and I moved into the chair as he closed the door. Abraham walked back around us and took a seat at the desk. Howard and I followed a moment later. Abraham had his hands folded together with a small sigh. He definitely looked like he was waiting to tell us something. I forced myself not to slip into his mind. He was going to tell us. He just needed to get himself up to it.

A full two minutes passed before Abraham finally spoke. "I must tell you both something. The serum was a success once before," he finally said.

Well that definitely wasn't what I was expecting. But that didn't make any sense. Why were we trying to figure out something that had been completed? I glanced over at Howard but he seemed as lost as I was. "So why are we experimenting with it if it's already been a success?" I finally asked.

The topic clearly made Abraham uncomfortable. "Because... it changes the person that has been affected. It amplifies a person's key traits. It is dangerous to replicate the serum as is."

"It amplifies traits of their personality?" I asked him.

Abraham nodded at me. "Yes. That appeared to be what it was. Johann Schmidt believed that he was ready for the serum." He was the head of the HYDRA Science Division with the Nazi's. Peggy had mentioned to me that she had rescued Abraham from him. "I thought that it might have been ready too. But there were physical effects. There is a reason that he is called the Red Skull," Abraham said softly.

Did he really have a red skull? Maybe one day I would find out. And if so, that made him like me. "He sounds like a mutant," I said softly.

Abraham glanced over at me and nodded. We could talk about mutation with only the three of us around. "In many ways he is. But he was given his powers. He wasn't born with them. We simply call men like him 'enhanced'. It's what makes him different to you," he explained to me.

Once more I nodded. Were there other people like him? Why would anyone want to be like him? I understood wanting to be strong or smart. But to really become a mutant? That was pointless. Mutants were terrifying. The world didn't know about them and even if the world did know about them, they would hate them. We weren't really even real people. A red skull would petrify people. My yellow eyes were bad enough.

"Oh I certainly hope that's not the only thing that makes us different," I said softly. Howard smiled at me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "So we need something that counteracts the physical changes made to the soldier who undergoes the transformation. I mean, muscles and whatnot are no big deal, but a red face might not go over well," I explained, mostly to myself.

It wouldn't be that bad to appear as a super soldier. But red faces and yellow eyes were not something that anyone wanted. "And that's the problem. We need something to counteract the effects. The radiation level that we used with Schmidt was too high. But anything lower would be too low. We would never get the desired effect."

There was a chance that we could try and use gamma rays. But would they be too high? They might give the same kind of effect that Schmidt had gotten. "Would gamma radiation work?" I asked.

"No," Howard immediately answered. "Gamma radiation is extremely unstable. We couldn't risk it. Chances are we'd get another Red Skull. Or something even worse. What about something in the middle?" He asked.

Was there even something in the middle? "By all means, if you can figure out something in the middle, be my guest. It might just help," Abraham said.

"Are you using strictly the radiation waves?" I asked him.

Perhaps the issue here was that we were acting on the radiation too heavily. Maybe if we could break the process up into components it would be less harsh on the body. But was it possible? "The serum as well," Abraham told me.

"What if we break it up into pieces?" I asked. Both men turned to me with raised eyebrows. "It sounds like the serum itself is simply too much for the human body to handle without mutating dangerously - in some form. So let's break it up. Allow the mutations to spread more evenly over the body. We could give part of the compound intravenously and another part orally. Then hit the body with the radiation," I said.

Both men were staring at each other, clearly trying to determine whether or not it was a plausible solution. After a moment, Howard began to nod. "That actually might work. It definitely sounds plausible," he finally said.

"There's still one problem," I said softly. I hated to be the buzzkill but it was the truth. "The radiation levels that are too high are still going to damage to the body. We have to find a way to use the waves without damaging the person. And we need to find a way to contain it. We can't have radiation waves blasting out all over the place. We have people here. Real Army recruits," I said softly.

Pushing an image of a dead Bucky out of my mind I sighed. He wanted to be here. He was a good man. I just had to remind myself that he was capable. "Leave the containment part to me. You brought me here to do what I do best. And building is what I do best. I can design a type of chamber," Howard offered.

"Let me bring the radiation idea over to my team. See if we can figure something out," I added.

Howard stood from his chair and motioned for me to stand with him. "I'll go with you and see what I can contribute. In the meantime, you have some drafting paper that I can use?" He asked me. I nodded at him. More was in the trash than anything else but I did have some. "Better get started on that chamber. It will take a while to actually design and build it," Howard informed Abraham.

Abraham nodded with a pleased smile. "Well done to both of you. Get started on the work. I'll come check back with you later," he said.

The three of us all turned to go our separate ways before Howard stopped us. "Wait. There are actually still two problems. You said that a person's key traits are amplified," Howard said to Abraham, who nodded. "We can't use someone like Schmidt. We have to find someone pure of heart," he continued.

"Which is why you're here," I pointed out to Abraham. "You and Chester are working to find someone that is pure of heart. Someone that only wants what's best for the country."

Abraham turned to me and smiled. "Precisely, Fraulein. Someone here - maybe not yet - but someone will make the perfect super soldier," he said. I nodded softly. One day we would find the right person. But we had to be careful. We couldn't afford another Red Skull. "Until then we continue working. Until we can find someone worthy of stepping into that chamber."

Once more we all turned to leave. But before we could I turned back once more. "Abraham? Before we leave, what's the level of risk we need before allowing ourselves to begin testing?" I asked curiously.

Whether or not I knew the person that would be stepping into that chamber I was going to have to make sure that they wouldn't die. "Eighty-five percent."

"That's too low," I muttered softly. That left a fifteen percent chance that whoever went into the chamber wouldn't make it out. "We should have it up to ninety percent. At the lowest," I suggested.

"Well I was looking through those files last night. Right now the risk is below ten percent. We've got a lot of work to do before this starts making sense," Howard said and I nodded. He was right. It was still probably going to be about a year before we got this thing working. "Come on."

The two of us said goodbye to Abraham and walked back into my little studio. The men were still working away. Some of them looked like they were about to fall asleep. I knew that they worked all through the night and I figured that they were exhausted. Thankfully Howard was around when I pitched the radiation idea to the team. They rarely took my ideas seriously without either Howard or Abraham there to back me up. Despite the fact that I was the leader of our team.

But so went being a woman in the forties. No men ever wanted to take me seriously. Although it seemed like today it wasn't just the fact that I was a woman. None of the five of my teammates seemed to think that the radiation was a good idea. I understood. It didn't sound right. Radiation sounded dangerous. It typically was dangerous. People were warned to stay away from it. Although the men did agree that it was time to try something. We couldn't stay in the design phase forever. And so went the plan to create a new form of radiation. Something that Howard was assisting with.

My legs were tucked under myself as I scribbled down the coding for the human genome, attempting to manipulate it. "Victoria," Howard called out and I hummed, "what time did you need to go to the classrooms?"

"One," I answered immediately, still not looking up from my paperwork. "Why?" I asked.

Howard snorted as he continued scribbling down his design for the radiation chamber. "It's twelve fifty-six," he told me nonchalantly.

My pen dropped against the table as I rolled my eyes at myself. "Damn it!" I snarled before untangling my legs and jumping off of the chair. "See you later, Howard. Bye guys, keep up the good work! I'll see you all in here again tomorrow," I called out to my team.

"Bye, Victoria," the men all muttered, not bothering to look up from their papers.

Not that it bothered me. Howard was still chuckling and I whacked him over the head with one of his rolled up newspapers before darting from the room. Abraham was standing near the doors and I chirped a greeting in German to him before running off. Chester was there as well, speaking with Peggy, and the two laughed at my obvious haste to get to the classrooms. Peggy had just left the classrooms for the day. She was heading to the recruiting offices for the day to look for new recruits for the next training season.

As I dashed through the camp I finally ran into the classrooms, twenty seconds before I needed to be there. I smiled to myself and walked over to where Bucky was reading a map. "This doesn't make any sense. The map says that Berlin is east of Anhalt but it looks to me like it's actually west," he muttered to me as I walked up.

I stared sideways at the map and grinned. Three days of training with maps and he still couldn't read them properly. "Perhaps it would make a little more sense if you were holding the map correctly," I said. Bucky's head shot up. "See that little N down there? That's to show which direction is north. In the years that I've been reading maps, north is typically pointing upwards," I teased.

Bucky glanced up at me with a blank stare. He glanced down at the map once more before flipping the map and letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Aren't you clever?" He asked me.

I gave him a small smile. "At least I can read a map," I teased.

Bucky laughed and gave me a little nudge. I giggled as I leaned over and yanked the map from Bucky. "And isn't that why I'm in this class?" He asked me.

"Which you clearly need to be in if you're holding the map upside down."

He gave me a sharp glare that I knew was just meant to tease me. "Okay so the map was upside down for one minute. That isn't the worst thing that I could have done," he told me.

"Of course not. But it might really screw you over if you're trying to head to Berlin and wind up in Anhalt," I told him with a little grin.

Once more Bucky laughed and gave me another shove. This time I wasn't prepared for it as I was leaning over a map of Italy. When Bucky shoved into me I tripped and fell against the table. Thankfully he caught me and righted the two of us against the table that all of the maps were laid on. He had me pressed back against the counter and our hips were gently grazing each other. My eyes began to fade into a soft pink and I looked away, stuttering softly.

Bucky's hands were on my hips and he gently let me go, brushing my hair that had fallen out of my bun back and tucking it behind my ears. We were standing right up against each other and when I glanced back up at Bucky - after making sure to push the pink tinge out of my eyes - I realized that our lips were just a few inches away from each other. For a moment I wanted to lean in. And for a fleeting moment I heard Bucky's thoughts. It was the first time in a long time that I had heard his thoughts so loud.

Just do it.

Did he really just say that? Did he want to kiss me? We never got the chance. At another table a recruit named Harry dropped a few rulers, startling everyone. Bucky and I jumped back from each other, coughing and mumbling apologies. Neither one of us could manage to look each other in the eye. Not after what had just almost happened. Not after I had nearly made myself a laughing stock.

The two of us gave each other an awkward little smile before I departed. "I - I - uh - I gotta go. Teach the others. Keep reading the maps. You're doing well," I muttered stupidly before dashing off.

For the first time in a long time I saw a blush colored over Bucky's face. I was sure that I had never seen him blush before. I smiled into my lap as I took a seat near Jeremy and began to explain the compass rose. Even as I explained everything I could hear Bucky's thoughts. Not that I meant to hear them. Why the hell didn't you just do it, dingus? I let out a little giggle as I went back to work with Jeremy, doing everything in my power to not think of the almost kiss.

What would have even happened? Nothing. I would have embarrassed myself. First of all, everyone else was watching me. Bucky would be removed from my division and I would be forced to leave the camp. Or at least I would no longer be allowed to associate with Bucky. The other terrible thing would have been that I knew that Bucky had some experience. He had kissed people before. Just a few. But me? Nothing. Not with being in Stryker's lab for seven years. I hadn't had time to kiss anyone.

But now that I was getting older - hell, I was twenty-one - I realized that maybe it was time for me to have my first kiss. Maybe it was something that I would have to discuss with Peggy. She had obviously already had hers. She was engaged at one point. Of course she had already had her first kiss. I wanted to get it over with. But I wasn't sure that I would want it to be with Bucky. What if he laughed at me for having no experience? What if I looked like a fool? Like things weren't awkward enough between us.

Distracting me from my thoughts - thankfully - one of the drill sergeants began to shout for the recruits to begin quizzing themselves on the medical advice that they had learned over the past few days. Every day they were quizzed on a little more. At the end of the week they would be putting it to practical use. I knew that it wasn't the most amusing time of training but it was something vital for them to know. It would be the difference between someone dying and someone living.

Jeremy stood and walked over to another drill sergeant. Instead it was Bucky that took a seat with me. He seemed perfectly fine after the near kiss. It was something that bothered me to the core. Why the hell was he okay after we had nearly kissed? How could he not be thinking about it? Because he's used to kissing people and not making a big deal over it. Perhaps I was just being a big baby.

Attempting to push the intrusive thoughts out of my mind, I took a seat at a table with Bucky and sat across from him, crossing my legs and bringing out a writing pad. "Okay. What are some things that you could use to make a splint with when you have no medical equipment with you?" I asked.

"You could use a bayonet, rifle, entrenching tool, tent poles and stakes, or a web belt," he told me.

I smiled. Every morning at breakfast I saw him reading over the notes that he had. He was determined to do well in the Army. I was just glad that Abraham hadn't bothered looking over Bucky for the super soldier serum. Probably because he knew what he meant to me and he knew that I would never let him into that chamber. Not without knowing whether or not he would survive.

"Well done," I finally told Bucky. "What's the quickest way to splint a broken leg?" I asked.

"Tie the broken leg securely to the unbroken leg."

All of his responses came almost automatically. I was so proud of him. He had come a long way from the boy that could barely motivate himself to get up and go to high school in the mornings. "Good. How many pressure points, which can be used to control bleeding with fingers, thumbs or hands are there on the human body?" I asked.

This one took him a little longer. "Eleven."

"Yes," I told him with a little smile. I wondered what he would think if he realized that the pressure points would never work on me. "How high should an injured limb be elevated above the heart to control bleeding?" I asked.

"Two to four inches."

I scribbled down a few notes about him and his answers. "Mm-hmm. If a casualty were suspected of having a neck/spinal injury or severe head trauma, which method would you use for opening an airway?"

"The jaw thrust technique."

"Nice. What are two basic types of fractures?"

I certainly hoped that he knew this one. This was definitely one of the easier ones. "Open - compound - and closed - simple," he told me.

I gave him a little nod. "Not bad," I said. He gave me a bright smile. I knew that he was proud of himself. I was proud of him too. "What are the three types of bleeding?" I asked after a beat.

"Arterial- Blood is bright red and will spurt with each heartbeat. Venous- Blood is dark red and flows in a steady stream. Capillary- Blood oozes from the wound."

Another right answer. "Alright. Name four common points for checking pulse."

"Carotid- The side of the neck. Femoral- The groin. Radial- The wrist. Posterial Tibial- Ankle."

"Okay. What is the first indication of frostbite?" I asked.

It was another one of the easier questions that I could give him. He would get this one right too. "Skin becomes numb and white particles/patches form on it."

"Well done. You'll get more questions with the other Drill Sergeants as time goes on," I told him. And it was the truth. Over the next few days I needed to be in the labs more. I had to be there more often. We needed to try and get some traction for the Operation Rebirth project. "You'll be fine though. It seems like someone's been studying," I teased Bucky.

He laughed under his breath and nudged me. "I knew that you were going to be here watching us. The last thing that I wanted was to look stupid in front of you," he said.

I grabbed his hand and nudged him roughly. "You'll always look stupid in front of me," I told him.

The two of us laughed softly as I began to close my notes on Bucky's performance. He was watching me with a bright smile. "You always did know how to make me feel better." And that one made me laugh too. "What exactly are you getting out of being here?" Bucky asked me after a moment.

I knew what he meant. He was asking me why I had come here in the first place. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't being paid to be here. "This project that we're working on. If we can complete it successfully Dr. Erskine will petition for me to earn a degree in Genetics from Harvard University," I said with a small smile.

It was the one thing that I wanted in this world. I really wanted to be a woman that could actually manage to do something good with my life. "Harvard?" Bucky asked, sounding impressed. I nodded at him. "Geez, Vika."

"Yeah. Isn't that pretty great?" I asked him with a small smile.

He nodded back at me. He was wearing a small smile that I knew told me that he was as proud of me as I was of him. "It's incredible. I hope that it works out for you," he said.

"I do too," I said softly. It didn't change the fact that I was nervous that the project might never work. "As long as this project is a success it should work. But we're still a long way from getting it to work."

Bucky leaned forward and laid a hand on my shoulder. It warmed me slightly. I had never been overly affectionate but Bucky knew how to get it out of me. "If anyone can do it I know that it's you," he told me. I smiled and giggled softly. His smile dropped off of his face and was replaced with a little snarl. I knitted my brows together. "There's your friend."

I turned back for a moment to see that Howard was walking through the hallway. "Jealousy is not a good look on you, my friend," I said with a teasing note as I turned back to him.

His face dropped and he scowled at me. "I'm not jealous. You're my best friend, Vika. And I don't like the way that guy looks at you," he told me.

The only way that Howard looked at me was like a friend that wanted to get his other friend in trouble. "Okay, how about you take a walk around on the base and I can tell you about all the girls that are looking at you with looks that are a little less than savory?" I snapped.

Whoops. That definitely wasn't the way that I wanted that to come out. "And who has the green-eyed monster now?" Bucky asked me with a little smile.

"I am not jealous," I snarled under my breath. Yes you are. I wasn't quite sure if it was my thoughts or his that I was hearing. "I just think that you deserve someone that cares about you and loves you because they know what an amazing person you are. Not just because you have a cute face," I told him.

Damn me! She thinks that I have a cute face? "You think that I have a cute face?" Bucky asked me with a little grin.

How was I always the smartest person that I knew until I got around Bucky? "I think that you're a pain in the ass," I told him with a little roll of my eyes.

Finally Howard walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I noticed Bucky's stance immediately tense up. "Victoria, are you ready to leave?" Howard asked me.

I nodded. Bucky glanced back at the table with dark eyes. I knew that he was pissed. He hated that I hung out with Howard. Just the way that I would hate it if he hung around Peggy. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Keep studying Bucky, I'm not going to take it easy on you," I teased him with a little wink.

Bucky definitely looked happy that I had at least given him a little tease. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he teased me before glancing over to Howard and giving him a curt nod. "Mr. Stark."

Howard gave him a nod back. But this time I realized that he was wearing a little smile on his face. He knew that being around me was making Bucky jealous. I wanted to smack him. "Private Barnes," Howard greeted before taking me by the hand and leading me away from Howard. I had never been so happy that Bucky didn't have Pyrokinesis. Howard would have definitely been on fire by now. Perhaps me too. "Now, might I take you on that tour of Stark Industries?" Howard asked as we walked off.

"Nothing would make me happier except, of course, if you people would stop insisting that I have feelings for Bucky!" I shouted softly enough to make sure that Bucky couldn't hear me. That was the last thing that I needed.

Howard merely grinned at me. "You know, we might stop trying to get the two of you together if you'd actually admit your feelings for each other," he told me. I couldn't help the little eye-roll that came out.

The two of them were really never going to come up. I was going to have to get them to give this up somehow but I had no clue how to go about that. "What feelings? We've been best friends since childhood. That's it," I snapped at him.

"I don't have to be a mind reader to know that that is a complete lie," Howard told me as we walked out of the gate to his car - another one. I had seen at least four cars that he owned since meeting him.

"The technical term is telepath."

Howard turned a bored and irritated look on me. "The technical term is you can win any fight that you've ever gotten into yet you're too afraid to go and tell that boy that you care for him," he argued with me.

Perhaps that was the truth but I did not want to have to tell him that. "Do you have an off button?" I snapped at him, not wanting to listen to this conversation all the way to Stark Industries.

Howard grinned at me and nodded. "Sure." Well that didn't bode well for me. "You're more than welcome to try and find it," he told me with a sleazy grin.

Part of me knew that it was just a joke but that didn't mean that I wasn't debating electrocuting him. "You're a cow," I growled. He chuckled softly as I placed my hand around his arm and sent a little spark of electricity over his arm. He jumped at the slight pain and I snorted as we walked over to his car.

It was one of the nicer ones of his that I had seen. He had a Delahaye 135 convertible. Chester had one before he sold it in the months leading up to leaving for Camp Lehigh. Howard opened the door and allowed me to slide across the bench seat. A moment later he took the driver's seat and whisked the two of us off. He certainly did enjoy that the car could press almost ninety miles per hour. It was faster than his other cars. We drove down the road and I turned back to wave off Chester.

Our conversation as we drove through the country - and eventually the city - was an easy one. As much as Howard and I liked to mess with each other and laugh, the two of us really were good friends. My time here would have been a lot different without him. I loved Peggy too. I had never had a real girl friend before so I genuinely enjoyed having her around. And it was nice to have another woman on the base that was something more than a secretary. I knew that she - like me - was excited for the physical part of training. It would give us the chance to show off that we were stronger even than we let on.

Nearly half an hour after we had left Camp Lehigh, Howard and I drove up the high-security road that led to Stark Industries. Howard cut himself off from a conversation about why he began Stark Industries to let me take in the building. I smiled softly. It was pretty impressive that a building of this size had been constructed in such a short period of time.

The front of the warehouse was rather long. It was about three of the bunkers long and had Stark Industries written across the front right side of the building in large, black, letters. On the left side of the warehouse was a large white hangar. It must have been where he kept planes or larger machines. Behind the front building was a large walkway with a helicopter landing pad on the back of the building. It was all enclosed. A large fountain stood at the front of the building and I smiled as it began to shift colors.

While the building was impressive it still had the Stark flair. Howard stopped the car and allowed me to walk through the front hall of the building. It opened up into a large hallway that was full of what appeared to be projects that Howard was working on. There were simple things like learning refrigerators and vacuum cleaners that could operate by themselves. There were the more impressive like robotic arms and automatic inflating tires.

Up on the ceiling were some of the planes that I recognized from the reports. They were the planes that Howard had designed to attack the Japanese after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. "This place is incredible," I said to Howard under my breath as the machines in the room continued to move on their own account.

A moment later Howard placed a gentle hand on my back and began to nudge me out of the center of the room. Instead he gently pushed me over onto the far edge of the room where a strange substance was sitting in a glass case. It seemed to be a metallic substance and I grinned softly. The blue tinge in the cylindrical tube was what gave the element away almost automatically. It also screamed that Howard had to be rich. It was one of the most expensive substances in the world.

I turned to Howard with a curious gaze. "That's Vibranium, isn't it?" I asked.

He looked more than a little impressed that I knew what it was. Stryker was the reason that I knew what it was. Before he had settled on using Adamantium - which was cheaper and easier to find, along with being just as strong - he had debated on using Vibranium.

"Yes it is," Howard finally said. I glanced over at him with a little smile as I took another step towards the metal. He didn't seem bothered by me. "You know what it is?" He asked me.

I nodded at him. "Sure. It's one of the strongest metals on Earth. It almost is. The only thing that can compete against it is Adamantium. That's what's plating my bones." Howard raised an eyebrow at me. "Stryker thought that Vibranium might work too but even he has his limits. It was hard for him to find any. After all, they've only ever found it in Wakanda," I recited like it was from a textbook.

It was one of the good things that Stryker had done for me. He had made sure that I knew everything about everything. "Good girl. You'll make a good worker here for me. After only three years Stark Industries is one of the largest companies in the country. Having a mutant might help me even more," he said.

My eyes narrowed at him. No one ever had called me a mutant other than Stryker. It sounded a little weird. I still attempted a joke, not wanting to let Howard know that it had bothered me. "And you just automatically think that I'm going to work for you?" I asked him.

He grinned at me softly. "I think that you're going to work with me," Howard told me. I laughed softly and shook my head. That didn't have a half-bad ring to it. "We're two of the brightest minds that I know of. Together we can do a lot of good in the world."

"And what do you think that you're doing with a large supply of Vibranium?" I asked.

It was the most that I had ever seen in one place. This had to be upward of ten million dollars. "Making a weapon," he told me. I raised my eyebrows at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "Something that will help the military. The Army. I know that somehow it's going to help. It's nearly indestructible and lightweight. It could stop an attack from the Nazi's," he told me.

Lightweight and indestructible were two of the main things that Vibranium was known for. "It's expensive too," I commented.

"And that's where it helps to have a billionaire on our side," Howard told me with a small smirk.

The two of us walked forward until we were standing underneath the planes. I glanced up at them. Howard was still looking at me. "These are the planes that you helped design after the Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor," I said more than asked.

He nodded at me. "Yes they are. They are some of the things that earned me a spot on the Operation Rebirth team. Now I work, trying to develop special weapons."

After a moment I turned over to him and smirked. "No one would ever know that you really aren't a self-centered, arrogant, pompous, jerk," I told him.

He let out a guffawing laugh. "I think that might be the nicest thing that you've ever said to me," he told me. It probably was one of the nicest things that I had ever said to him. I giggled softly and nudged against Howard's chest. He grabbed my lower back and began nudging me over into the next room. If I had thought that the other room was impressive, I knew nothing. "These are some of the things that I'll be showcasing at the next Modern Marvels of Tomorrow exhibition," Howard said.

His voice echoed off of the walls. I smiled and walked to the far corner where a car was sitting on the platform. It didn't look like any car that I had ever seen before. It was similar to a Porsche 904. The car was a deep red and I smiled at it as I took a step towards it. It was called the Mark V and I laughed softly. As I walked up towards it I realized exactly what the car was - and why it was missing any tires. It was a flying car.

Although as I walked forward I realized that it wasn't a flying car. It was actually a hovering car. Or at least, that's what it said on the plaque. "A hovering car? Does it work?" I asked Howard.

Howard grinned at me. "Well, it hovers." That was a major no. "It's just a prototype. It crashes all the time and most of the time I'm sure that it's never going to work. But it's a start in the right direction," he told me.

That was the best way to think about it. One day the car would work. But this was just the beginning. The same way the super soldier serum was working right now. "May I see it?" I asked him.

"Absolutely," Howard said, looking pleased.

Howard walked over to a stand next to the car. Buttons popped up and I watched as he began to key in programs for the car. The lights on the car began to turn on and it let out a loud creak. Tires began to unfold from underneath the car and I smiled. They were metallic. Not tires. The car began to hover a few inches off of the ground, emanating a gold light. It got about a foot off of the ground before it began to groan and the lights began to flicker around it.

Without much warning the car dropped out of the air. Before it could hit the ground - the last thing that I wanted to do was damage his invention - I caught it with a gust of wind. The car began to hover once more, not completely stable, and I glanced over at Howard to see that he was watching it with wide eyes. The mutation was clearly incredible to him. I laughed softly and floated the car around every corner of the room. Up into the corners of the room and sweeping across the floor.

I let it fly for about two minutes before letting it hover softly to the ground. It gave a small groan and I watched as sparks began to shoot up. I jumped back and snorted at Howard. He was staring at me with wide eyes. "That's incredible," he said softly.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. "That's nothing, really. There are so many more things that I can do," I said as I reached over and began to float the car gently across the room once more.

Howard walked over to me and stood behind me. He was watching me curiously. "So now you're going to keep it a secret," he teased me.

Once more I smiled. "I'll tell you and show you anything that you want to see. Just name it," I said.

"Drop the car, will you?" Howard asked me. I nodded at him and floated the car back over to his platform that it had been resting on. I dropped the car gently onto the platform and turned back to him. He leaned into me and motioned his hand towards me. "May I?" He asked.

I raised my eyebrows at him. What was that supposed to mean? "May you, what?" I asked him.

Suddenly the conversation seemed to shift to another topic. It seemed that Howard no longer wanted to speak about my mutation. He was giving me a more serious look than I had ever seen before. "I've met a lot of girls that always insisted that there was some guy that they didn't care for. Most of them were right. It was just a friendship that was never destined to go anywhere."

"But?" I asked, sensing that he had more to say.

"But I think that this is different. I know that this is different. Barnes, you think that he'll be terrified if he ever sees you as you really are. I disagree. I think that you use it as an excuse not to care for him. He cares for you. But I think that you need to know too," he told me.

It really was the most serious that I had ever seen Howard. I wasn't sure how I liked it. "And just how do you propose that I do that?" I asked him, hands on my hips.

"You kiss me," Howard suggested, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No!"

Howard rolled his eyes at me. "Oh one little kiss isn't going to kill you. You do it and you find out whether or not he means anything to you. If you feel something then you know that maybe Private Barnes isn't as important as we all think that he is. But if the kiss means nothing, you know that there's something holding you back," he told me.

Perhaps kissing people really wasn't as big of a deal now as it was ten years ago. "Howard, I am not going to kiss you," I told him stubbornly.

Howard stared at me for a moment before a rather large grin spread over his face. "Because you've never kissed someone before," he told me with an amused tone to his voice.

Damn him. Why was it that everyone liked to laugh when they realized that I never kissed anyone? The closest that I had come to kissing someone was the kiss on the cheek that I had given Logan before departing. "Well... No. I've had more important things to do with my time. I haven't really had the opportunity to worry about kissing someone," I told him with a little snarl.

He seemed to know that he had hit a soft spot. "What's the worst thing that could happen? You kiss me and you like it and you end up America's richest woman," he teased. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. "Or you feel nothing and you at least get some experience," he told me.

"Asshole."

Howard grinned brightly. "Ladies do not speak like that," he told me.

Brat. "Can your fragile little ego handle a rejection?" I asked him. Howard made a pained face that I laughed at. "Because I'm going to turn you down and it's not going to be because I have feelings for someone. That I don't have!" I shouted when he gave me a bright smile.

I really needed to stop and think before saying something. "So?" Howard asked.

He really did want me to kiss him. I wasn't sure if it was because of something completely innocent or if it was because he wanted a good laugh. But maybe he was right. Maybe this was something good. He was right. And at least now I could get it over with, with someone that wasn't going to laugh at me. "If I say yes will you drop it? No matter what?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

After a moment I let out a deep breath. "Alright. Let's get this over with," I said with a sigh, walking over to where Howard was standing.

He shook his head at me and grabbed my hand. "Now that's not the way that you should feel about your first kiss," he teased me.

"Shut up and just kiss me," I snapped at him.

Once more Howard laughed at me. At least I was getting it over with. And some part of me was glad that it wasn't Bucky. I would be too afraid to do it with Bucky. He made me nervous. And I was glad that it wasn't some random guy. That wouldn't be worth a damn thing. But the rest of me was glad that it was going to be with Howard. He really was my best friend. I was comfortable with him. He wasn't going to laugh at me if I did something wrong. And he wasn't going to continue messing with me once I did it.

As much as he liked to tease me, he really did want me to be happy with Bucky. Howard leaned into me and I found myself completely at ease. Nothing like the shaking and chattering mess that I was around Bucky. Our lips met and I jumped slightly. The kiss was soft and gentle. It felt like something that two friends would be doing rather than something that lovers would be doing.

After a moment Howard raised his hand to the back of my neck, brushing the hair away from there. His fingers wrapped against my skull and twisted gently around a few strands of hair. As the kiss continued I knew that it was the type of kiss that any woman would be thrilled to have. It was Howard Stark, in the middle of a private tour of Stark Industries, with a kiss that should have been making fireworks explode everywhere. But I still felt nothing during the kiss. Because somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that I would rather it be Bucky.

That didn't mean that I had any regrets though. I was glad that my first kiss was with Howard. It took the pressure off. As Howard finally released me he gave me a curious look. "Well?" He asked.

I gave him a soft smile. "I wish that I could say that I felt something," I said. Howard didn't look offended. He was actually smiling brightly. "I know that that's the type of first kiss that every girl would want. I'm glad that my first kiss was with you. You're a good man, Howard. In my own way, I love you."

He placed a hand on my back and gave me a small hug. "You know, that might be the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me. I love you too, Victoria. I'm glad that you didn't feel anything. You deserve someone better than me," he told me.

A sad smile reached over my face. "I think that feeling goes both ways," I told him softly.

He was a good man. I knew that he was. And somewhere deep down I knew that I was good too. But those people who knew what I was had always made me feel like a horrible person. "If you ever want any more practice - with anything - I'll be more than willing to help you out," he told me with a little waggle of the eyebrows.

Snorting under my breath I shook my head at him, shoving against his chest. He took a few steps backwards at the heavy shove. "I'm sure that you will. My answer is still no," I told him.

We both knew that he was only kidding. "Your loss," Howard told me and I rolled my eyes. "So what happens now?" He asked after a beat of silence.

I took a deep breath. Once I said this, there was no going back. "When I manage to get up the guts, I'll tell him how I feel. Alright?" I asked. A bright smile fell over his face. This was what he had been praying for. "But you knock it off until then! All of you!" I shouted.

My voice echoed off of the wall. Both he and Peggy had to stop making me look like a fool. "I think that I can manage that," Howard told me.

"Thank you."

The two of us turned and began walking towards the exit of Stark Industries. We had to get back to Camp Lehigh. It was getting late. "So, can I tell everyone that Victoria Davies, or perhaps Victoria Phillips, had her first kiss with Howard Stark to decide whether or not she had feelings for another guy?" Howard asked me as we walked.

"No!" I shouted. "You're a cow."

Howard grinned at me and shoved me back against the edge of his car. The two of us were laughing as he nudged up against me. "Moo!" He howled in my ear. Our laughter was echoing all around the building when I suddenly silenced myself. Howard stared at me curiously.

What did I do?

Thinking about Logan had reminded me about something important. The one mutation that I had only seen once in my life. The one mutation that made me an Omega mutant. I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought about it until now. I could transform myself into a pure form of radiation. I glanced over at Howard with a bright smile, realizing that I may have just cracked the code on the level of radiation needed to make the super solider serum work. If nothing else, it was a definite start.

Howard was still staring at me. A slightly concerned glance had fallen over his features. "Howard, I have an idea. We have to get back to the labs. Come on!" I yelled, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him away from the building. Operation Rebirth just might work after all.


	10. Chapter Ten

Another yawn escaped my mouth as I traipsed around the room that Peggy and I shared. Under my breath I was humming Jingle Jangle Jingle. It was one of the few songs that I actually knew. Chester used to play it every day. He knew that I was having a hard time trusting him so he would play it and I would hum along once I learned the tune. It had become a favorite of mine. Sometimes I would find myself humming it while I worked. It drove the men that I worked with insane. Probably because of the overly upbeat tune.

As I walked around the room I found myself tripping over a pair of Peggy's heels. A little off escaped my throat as I tripped over them and hit the floor. Mutant or not, clumsiness is still something that I can never get over. I groaned and pulled myself off of the ground, kicking Peggy's shoes slightly. Damn things were always getting in my way. I was wearing a long, green, button-down shirt with brown slacks. It wasn't the nicest outfit that I could have been wearing, but it would work for the day that was ahead of me.

Coming to stand in front of the mirror, I pulled my hair up and twisted it into a bun. A few pieces were already falling out at the messy hairdo but I didn't bother redoing it. I'd do it again when I actually needed to go running around with the recruits. It was endurance this week. We had finally managed to enter Week Three and I was extremely excited. They were going to start learning the physical tactics that they needed for the Army. It would consist of obstacle courses, physical training, and combat scenarios.

When the recruits first arrived at Camp Lehigh, one of the first things that they'd been asked to do was work with the initial Strength Test. It was something that all recruits had to do. It consisted of a two-mile run, pull-ups, and sit-ups. Typical things. There was a required amount that the recruits had to be able to do upon arrival. It was still at those numbers. By the end of training they would need to have improved. We'd be seeing that in a few weeks. Today was also the first time that the recruits would be given an attempt on the Confidence Course, a personal favorite of mine.

It would be wonderful to watch the men attempt that. They all thought that they were so strong. It could be fun to watch them get knocked down a peg or two. The door opened behind me and I continued to hum. If it was opening with no knock, it was Peggy. She had left about a half an hour ago, when I'd still been sleeping. I had woken up not long after that. All I really wanted to do was go back to bed but I knew that it wasn't in the cards for today. I had to keep working.

"Victoria, come on. It's time to -" Peggy drawled until she locked onto me. She looked slightly surprised that I was actually awake and walking around. "Oh. You're up," she commented.

"You're really that surprised?" I asked her with a small smile.

Peggy stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Well, yes, actually. I usually have to pry your half-dead body from the bed," she told me. I dropped onto the corner of the bed and smiled at her.

"That's so not true!" I barked at her.

She merely narrowed her eyes into little slits and shook her head at me. "Yes it is," she told me. Maybe I really was that bad. We both laughed and shook our heads. Peggy walked over to the bed and took a seat next to me. She handed me the spare mug of coffee in her hands and I thanked her. "There you are, I figured that you'd need it if we were going to start physical training today," she said.

Taking a small sip of the scalding beverage - not that it really hurt - I nodded at her. Peggy looked surprised that I was already drinking. "Oh, of course. And you know that the comments are only going to get worse from here on in. They don't want to be taught by women that are stronger than they are," I told her with a scoff.

She nodded at me. She looked about as thrilled with training the irritating recruits as I did. "Not at all. But I have a feeling that we'll be able to take them," I told her with a little nudge. She laughed softly at me. We sat in silence for a moment before she looked over at me. "You aren't meeting with Private Barnes this morning?" She asked.

Of course I was. We met almost every morning for breakfast now. Most nights for dinner too. "I am. Just a little later. I think that he had something to do this morning," I told her. He hadn't told me why he couldn't be at breakfast at six. He just asked if we could push it back until six fifteen.

Peggy gave me a soft smile. She wasn't teasing me quite as much about Bucky, but she still threw the occasional comment at me. "Ah, that's nice. Are you alright?" She asked me after a beat of silence.

"What?" I asked her.

Was I putting off a vibe that said that there was something wrong with me? "You've seemed a little off since you got back from your visit to Stark Industries last week," Peggy said. I nodded mutely at her. "Just wanted to make sure that you're doing alright."

Peggy and I had really only known each other for a few weeks but she was already one of the best friends that I had ever had. Howard too, and I'd known him for even less time. The thing about Peggy was that she was a spy. She was good about reading people. And she knew that something was wrong. Probably because ever since I'd had my first kiss with Howard, things had been strange around Bucky. I'd found myself jumpier than usual, wondering when would be the right time to do something. He teased me about drinking too much caffeine because of the project. Peggy knew better.

Knowing that I was taking too long to answer, I smiled at her. "Thanks, Peggy. I'm alright." A beat of silence went by before I turned to her once more. It was killing me, not telling anyone. I had to tell someone, and Peggy seemed like my best bet. "If I tell you something will you swear to never repeat it? To anyone?" I asked her.

Of course I could always force her not to tell anyone. But I decided to keep that part to myself. Peggy nodded. "Of course."

"Alright. When we went to Stark Industries it was fine. But we got to talking. And Howard found out that I had never kissed anyone," I told her. Her eyebrows rose and she nodded. "He was insisting that I needed to kiss someone before I kissed Bucky. Because he still thinks that I have feelings for him and we'll be together one day. And he was right." Her eyes began to twinkle and I rolled my own. "I mean, I've never kissed someone before. And I hate that it's such a big deal. So I kissed Howard."

If she had looked surprised before, it was nothing compared to right now. Her mouth was practically hanging open. "You kissed Howard Stark?" Peggy asked dumbly.

A soft blush filled my face and I pushed it back. "I did. But we did it more as friends," I insisted, not wanting her to get the idea that there was now something in between Howard and I. "I mean, it was nice. It really was. But I didn't feel anything for him. Not something that I'm supposed to feel, I think," I said awkwardly.

Having never been kissed before, I wasn't really sure what I should have felt. The only thing that I knew was that I really didn't feel anything that I'd heard others talk about. There were no fireworks. There were no sparks. I didn't feel like the end of the world could have come and I wouldn't have noticed. Despite the fact that I did like Howard, and I really did care for him, I knew that there were no feelings there. Other than friendship. And I was sure that we were both okay with that.

"Trust me, if you'd had feelings for Howard, you would have known after you'd kissed him," Peggy told me. I nodded with her and finished my cup of coffee. "It's a good thing though, getting it out of the way. It gets too built up. And most of the time the person you have your first kiss will not be who you end up with. Having it with a friend for the first time is nice," she told me, grabbing my hand.

A little breath escaped me. For a while there I had thought that she was going to call me crazy for doing that. "I'm glad that you agree. I thought that maybe it was too weird for a while there," I told her honestly.

Peggy smiled at me and shook her head. "No. I think it's nice." A little grin fell over my face as I yawned and leaned back against the bed. I was exhausted. "So how are things with you and Private Barnes?" Peggy finally asked.

Groaning softly, I fell against the edge of her shoulder. She laughed and laid a hand over me. "I'm pathetic," I moaned weakly. Howard was right, I liked him and didn't know what to say about it. "I like him, Peggy. I know that now. I really do like him. I think that I always have, I've just been trying to deny it," I explained to her.

"And what part of that is a bad thing?" Peggy asked me.

Everything. It was all a bad thing. I had a crush on a guy that was going to war, I had no clue how to admit to him that I had feelings for him, and I was harboring a number of secrets from him. "What do I say to him?" I asked her.

She had been engaged once upon a time. She knew how to handle things like crushes. "Tell him the truth, Victoria," Peggy told me. It sent a sick feeling through my stomach. I couldn't tell him the truth. I was a gigantic coward. "You care for him. I can see it in his eyes. He cares for you, too." Not really, he just cared for me as a best friend. "So what's stopping you?"

"Look at where we are, Peggy. We're in the Army. He's in the Army. He's going to be deployed at the end of his training. And God knows what's going to happen when he does," I told her weakly.

What was going to happen if he was deployed to Germany? It was one of the most dangerous places that he could have been sent. Really, anywhere other than the States was dangerous and Bucky was good enough to be ensuring that he would be deployed. Somewhere dangerous too. The harsh reality was that I could be sent - and I would never die - but they would never send me. I was a woman. We didn't belong on the front lines. And Bucky - who was a normal human - had every chance to die. But yet he was going to be the man that would be sent out there. Possibly to die. It sent painful waves through my stomach.

"I don't know Private Barnes that well, Victoria," Peggy said, startling me from my thoughts, "but I do know that he's a strong man. He's going to go out there and make this country proud. And no matter what were the happen to him, don't you want him to know how you feel?" She asked me.

It was obvious that she was trying to hint at me that I needed to tell him the truth. She wanted me to. And some part of me wanted to tell him the truth. The question was whether or not I ever would. "Well... yes. I do. But I don't know what to say. What if he doesn't feel the same way?" I asked her.

By now I was just grasping at straws for a reason to not tell Bucky the truth. "Don't be daft!" Peggy snapped at me. I jumped weakly. "Of course he feels the same way. Sweetheart, take your time, I don't want to rush you into saying something to him that you aren't ready to. But tell him something. Eventually. Before he leaves. You have a few weeks to figure it out," she told me.

Leaning over to her, I wrapped my arms around her and leaned my head into the crook of her shoulder. Sometimes she was like a sister, other time she was like a mother. "Thanks, Peggy," I told her softly.

"You're welcome, darling," she said as I leaned away from her and back against the bed. "Now go," she said, shooing me away from her. "Don't be late to breakfast. Maybe you'll figure out something to say to him this morning."

"Doubtful," I told her automatically. If I was going to say something to him, it was going to take me weeks to figure it out. Hopefully before he left, as Peggy had suggested. "But I appreciate it. I'll see you at training later," I told her.

Today I wouldn't be spending much time in the laboratory. While we went into physical training I went out and trained the new recruits. Chester knew that I was going to be one of the best people to do it. If they could manage to hold their own against me, they would have no problem with a Nazi. Of course I would have to take it easier on them. I couldn't go full-out. If I did there was a chance that we would be looking for a lot of new recruits. And something told me that my spot in Operation Rebirth and at Camp Lehigh would suddenly be open. There were still men looking for a reason to remove me from the premises at every corner.

Although that wasn't to say that there weren't some people now that didn't care for me. My appearance here had gotten somewhat more accepted. Now when I walked a number of men and women would smile and wave at me. Some of them would even say hello to me. Of course some of the thoughts that went through their minds weren't always as nice as their outward appearances. As I walked through the halls I ducked into the mess hall and smiled at Bucky. He was sitting with his back facing me at one of the tables. He was in the middle of the room and running his fingers through his hair. He looked exhausted.

Not that I could blame him. They were all exhausted. Of course, waking up early every morning and darting around all day was not something that they were used to. "Good morning, private," I said as I walked up to Bucky on the other side of the table.

Bucky glanced up at me and a wide smile broke over his face. "Look at you!" He hooted. I laughed softly and took my seat. "Managing to be on time today. I'm so proud, Vika," he teased gently.

I rolled my eyes and kicked him underneath the table - being careful not to accidentally break his shin. "Oh, you really have always thought so little of me," I said as I grabbed the spare mug of coffee from him. Coffee was one of my few vices. "You know, I always do take our little breakfasts seriously."

"Do you, now?"

"Of course," I said softly. Come on, you idiot, say something. "You're my best friend. I don't want you here thinking that I don't care. I might care more than you think," I told him. Okay, not quite what I wanted to say, but better than nothing.

"I know that you do," he told me as he leaned forward.

His hands slid across the table and I smiled as he locked our fingers together. For a brief moment I wanted desperately to slip into his head - just so that I could know. But I stopped myself. I was better than that. After a moment I stood and walked over to Bucky's side of the table, breaking apart our hands for a moment. I seated myself next to Bucky and leaned my head against his shoulder. Bucky smiled softly and I felt him wrap his arm over my shoulders. Thankfully no one else in the mess hall was paying attention to us.

He leaned his head down and I felt his mouth press against the top of my head. I desperately tried to keep the pink tinge out of my eyes. "What's this about?" Bucky asked me.

"Nothing." Everything.

Bucky was never one to believe my lies. "Come on, Vika. You can tell me," he said. He grabbed my hands once more and I smiled as he locked our fingers together once more.

His thumb ran over the back of my knuckles and I desperately resisted letting the electricity in my veins from coming up and shocking him. "Just... I don't know,' I said softly, keeping my voice low. "I guess it's being here that makes me nervous. You're my best friend. I spent so much of my life away from you. It was a mistake being away. And now... you're about to go away. And this time -" I rambled before being cut off by Bucky.

"I might not come back?"

"Don't say that. Please don't say that," I told him quickly. The last thing that I wanted was for him to say that he wasn't coming back. He had to. It wasn't a choice.

"Vika, I'm going to come back. You want to know why?" He asked me. I nodded, my head still facing down in my lap. He grabbed my chin and forced my head gently upward so that I was looking at him. "Because you're here. I have something to come back for. And you still owe me that explanation of where you went all those years," he said.

There was a little twinkle in his eyes and I smiled at him. "I'll tell you one day," I said. And it was the truth. My promise to him was that I would one day tell him the truth. He deserved to know. "I just... don't want you to think any differently of me when I do."

The truth was that it wasn't an easy thing to come to terms with. Your best friend having abilities that were unheard of. And being able to kill someone without a second thought... That was dangerous. It made me dangerous. "I never could. Anyone that looks at you as anything less than what you are - they don't deserve you," he told me.

A small blush faded over my face and I fought to keep it out of my eyes. "And what am I?" I asked him.

"Perfect," he told me softly. I scoffed gently and looked down at the ground. The air suddenly turned thick as he grabbed my hand tightly. "To me."

It was the most romantic thing that someone had ever said to me. Not that anyone had really ever said anything romantic to me before. Just small things from friendship. Bucky's hands were gently under my chin and I stared with flaming cheeks as he brought up one hand to brush my loose strands of hair away from my face. We stared at each other and I felt my heart pumping quickly. Far too fast. One hundred and two beats per minute. But that was when I remembered. This was what I had kissed Howard for the other night. So I took matters into my own hands. This is what you wanted. Now act on it. So I moved in slowly. We moved together, Bucky's hand over the back of my neck.

His hands were shaking and when we were just about an inch away from meeting each other's lips, a call startled us. "Victoria!" I heard Chester call out.

The both of us jumped slightly as our eyes fluttered closed. I had a feeling that neither one of us had it in ourselves to move away from the other. My eyes slowly opened but I didn't look up at him. Instead I kept my eyes aimed into my lap. I wasn't sure that I could bring myself to look at him. Bucky looked up and brushed his lips over the side of my cheek before pressing a small kiss against my temple. Even then, it sent my heart soaring. Those are the feelings that you're supposed to get. I leaned back slightly - well aware of Chester's thoughts that were getting angrier and angrier by the second - and stared into the distance.

I leaned into him as our chests pressed together. Bucky's mouth was at my ear, gently grazing it. "I think that your father wants to speak with you," he told me in a low whisper.

"I think that I'll kill him," I scowled as my jaws began to grind together. Bucky laughed softly as the two of us leaned away from each other. Nothing ever seemed so hard as to move away from him.

Before I could stand from the table, Bucky leaned over and gave me one last, small kiss, on the cheek. I smiled and looked across the room. Thankfully no one else was watching us. They were busy getting ready for the day of training. "You should go. I'll see you in training later," Bucky told me.

"Yeah. See you later, Bucky," I told him. As I walked away - and over to where Chester was sitting with his arms crossed - I couldn't help but to hear Bucky's thoughts. They were practically screaming. Why the hell didn't you kiss her? She was right there! A small smile broke over my face as I walked up to Chester. The moment that I got up to him, a scowl broke over my face. "You hate me. You actually hate me. I didn't think that we really had that many problems," I told him, folding my arms over my chest.

He looked about the happiest that I had ever seen him. "What did you think that you were doing?" Chester asked me in his normal, flat, voice that told me that he was not happy with me.

"Oh I don't know, I think that I was having breakfast with my friend," I said, throwing my hand back to the table that we had been sitting back. Bucky was gone by now. Probably preparing for the day. "But you know, I could be wrong about that," I told him dryly.

Chester merely snarled at me once more. His jaws were locked together and I could feel the anger coming off of him in waves. "I wasn't aware that you ate breakfast with your mouth attached to someone else's," he said.

Well that's embarrassing. "I wasn't!" I barked.

"You almost were," he commented.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned back against the pole that we were standing at. "You are a pain in the ass. I've finally admitted that I have feelings for him and now the moment that I was about to do something about them, you come and ruin it!" I ranted angrily.

Just as I should have expected, another figure came to stand next to us. For a moment I thought that it might have been Peggy. But judging by the gloating air around me, I knew that it wasn't. "Do something about what?" Howard asked. There was a sing-song air in his voice that made me cringe.

Please, please, please, let him not have seen what just almost happened. Instead of making things any better, Chester turned back to Howard with no less of a pleased face towards him. "Was this your doing?" Chester asked him.

Howard looked genuinely confused. So he hadn't seen what had gone down only moments before. "Was what my doing?" Howard asked.

"Oh my -" I groaned before stopping myself. "Nothing! Don't worry about it. Get out of here, Howard," I snapped quickly at him. He was watching with a little smile. "And you and I -" I said, motioning over to Chester, "we're going to have a conversation later about how you have the worst timing of anyone I know."

A little hint of understanding flashed through Howard's eyes. Oh great. "Oh! You were about to do something with Barnes," he said, clasping his hands together.

Chester turned a dark glare on Howard. I should have known that he would blame Howard for the whole thing. Of course, Chester had never really known me to be the type of person that would kiss someone else in such a public place. "So this was your idea," Chester finally snapped at Howard.

"No!" I howled back. It drew some attention to us and I grabbed the two men by the arms, physically dragging them over to the doors of the mess hall. They were both stumbling to keep up. "It was my idea. Or at least, it would have been if you hadn't stepped in and interrupted me," I snapped.

Howard ran his hands over his face. "Oh, Chester, you didn't," he said.

"I did," Chester immediately defended himself. Howard rolled his eyes in a very childish way. "We did not allow you to come here to fraternize with the other privates. Not even that one. Especially not that one," Chester emphasized.

My breath came in a few short gasps. After a moment I let out a deep breath and turned over to where Howard was standing. If I was going to say something to Chester, I needed it to just be the two of us. So I sighed and looked over at the younger man. "Howard, would you mind giving us a moment?" I asked as calmly as I could.

He nodded at me and briefly laid a hand on my shoulder. "Sure. I'll wait outside," Howard told us.

"Thank you," I said. I watched for a moment as Howard stepped out of the mess hall and the door closed behind him. With my hands folded over my chest I turned to Chester, attempting to calm myself down. "Now, tell me what this is really about. Remember that if you lie to me, I'll know," I warned.

My eyes gave a little white flash at my words and Chester gave a tiny smile. "I never had a kid, Victoria. But I always liked them. And then you walked right into my life. You were my friend first." I remembered the day that we had first gone shopping together. He had treated me more like a friend than anything else. "A partner later." The days that we had worked on science research and reports. "You became like a daughter to me recently." The multiple nights that we had stayed up late into the night laughing and listening to the radio, playing board games that neither one of us understood, and showing off my mutations as a joke.

Perhaps once upon a time I'd had a birth father. But he was never a real father. Not after the way that he'd acted with me. Keeping me constantly hidden, putting me through medical trials that no eight-year-old ever should have gone through. Then he completely had isolated me. Kept me away from all of the people in the world. He'd pretended like he didn't even have a child. He'd stopped talking to me. Acted as if I was nothing more than an experiment. And then the day had come that he'd frightened me to the point that I'd had to use my mutation. The flames had gone up all over, burning our house to the ground, and burning away every memory of that life.

It was nothing like the life - albeit only one year - which I'd had with Chester. In that one year he'd become the father that I'd never had. The one that I'd always desperately wanted. "And you know that you're like a father to me," I told Chester, walking forward and grabbing his hand.

"I know," he said with a little smile. "But you should know that parents never want to see their children get hurt. I don't want to see something happen to Private Barnes out there that you can't move past. I don't want him to hurt you," he told me. He'll never hurt me. That's not in him. "You've already been through so much hurt. You don't need any more."

And it was the complete truth. I'd already been through too much. I wasn't sure how much more I could take. But at Chester's words, I smiled and pulled him into a hug. It was one of the few times that we'd been physical with each other. "Thank you. But you need to know that sometimes parents have to let go of their kids. They have to watch them make choices. And sometimes they have to let them get hurt. They just have to be there when the time comes to pick up the pieces," I told him softly.

Hopefully there never would be pieces, but I knew that if there were, Chester would be there to help me. "You really love this boy." Chester said. It was not a question.

But I nodded anyways. "I do."

Chester smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Then let's go out there so you can kick his ass. Just to show him that if he ever hurts you, you'll hurt him back," Chester told me.

A loud - and very unladylike - snort came out of my nose. Chester laughed as we walked out of the doors to the mess hall. Howard was still standing there and he began walking with us. "Mutant or not, I somehow don't think that it's me that Bucky would have to worry about if he hurt me," I told Chester.

He gave something akin to a smile and nodded at me. "You're damn right."

A bitter grin crawled across my mouth as Chester sped up slightly, leaving me to walk side-by-side with Howard. I noticed that even he was grinning at the interaction between the two of us. I also couldn't help but to roll my eyes. We were going to be working in the sweltering heat and he was still in a perfectly tailored suit. "So you almost kissed Barnes?" Howard asked after a beat of silence.

My eyes narrowed into little slits as I looked over at him. There had to be a way to keep him quiet. "I'm going to sew your mouth shut," I snapped at him. Not that I can sew.

"There are other ways to keep me quiet," Howard said with a little waggle of his eyebrows.

Instead of making any indication that I was embarrassed, I grabbed Howard's tie and yanked him towards me. "If you mention anything about that kiss, I'll end your life," I hissed.

And that was the truth. I'd electrocute him until he looked like my pathetic attempt at fried chicken one night. Chester turned back and glared at the two of us. "What?"

Damn it. Old man or not, he's still got good hearing. "Nothing!" I shouted before dashing forward.

Thankfully Peggy and the recruits were already lined up and ready for the day. The recruits were standing as the drill sergeants walked back and forth down the line. I noticed Bucky in the middle. He was standing with his head held high. He gave a quick look over at me and when I thought that he might blush or look away from me, he managed to surprise me once more. He gave me a little wink before looking back straight forward as a drill sergeant came by and began shouting at him for his posture.

I came to a halt next to Peggy. She was holding files in her hands and flipping through them. "Hey, Pegs. Ready to start?" I asked her as I pulled my hair out of the loop and tied it up tighter.

She nodded at me and fixed her irritatingly perfect hair. It was always in a perfect hold and never slipping out. Mine was always hanging limply in front of my face. It was why I hated curls and preferred to leave it down. But that 'wasn't appropriate' attire for us to be wearing while we were out here on the physical training courses.

Peggy finally looked up from her files. "Sure. You want to speak to them, or should I?" She asked me.

Definitely her. The recruits were never very fun to speak to in big groups. They liked to make crude comments towards us, hoping that if they all spoke at once we wouldn't be able to tell which one it was. Not that it made a difference. "Flip a coin?" I asked her teasingly.

Howard and Chester both positioned themselves off to the side with the drill sergeants at intermittent points. Peggy nudged me forward and I groaned. "Get out there," she said. I laughed and took a step forward to the men. Staring at them for a moment, I finally cleared my throat. Immediately the men stopped moving and speaking. They wouldn't act out with Chester here.

"Welcome to Week Three," I greeted. A few scattered smiles were passed through the crowd. "Things will be getting more difficult, more physically intense from here on out. Today you will begin by demonstrating the physical fitness test. This is something that we expect each of you to be able to do with ease by the end of training. For today, we'll be expecting thirty-five push-ups. Forty-seven sit-ups. You will also be attempting a two mile run. That means run. Don't walk, don't crawl. Run. You need to be back in sixteen minutes and thirty-six seconds."

Before continuing with the directions, I silenced myself. I knew that someone was going to have something to say to me. And I was right. It was Justin. He leaned over to Harlan and said, "You think that she could even do one push-up?"

They both snickered as I turned a heated glare on them. Even Bucky stiffened slightly. "Why don't we find out, recruit? You versus me," I told him loudly. He turned over to me with his jaws nearly on the ground. He seemed shocked that I had even heard him. I grinned. I hear everything. Even things that aren't said out loud.

Justin smirked and stepped forward. "What happens when you lose, darling? You gonna give me a little kiss?" He teased as he walked forward. I immediately noticed both Bucky and Howard stiffen. Chester looked like he was debating on pulling out his pistol and dropping down one recruit. Peggy bundled her fists.

"Down," I told Justin. He smirked and dropped to the ground, in a push-up position. I followed a moment later. "Agent Carter, call when you're ready," I told Peggy. She nodded at me and stepped forward. "Mr. Stark, please keep count," I asked.

He nodded at me with a little smile. "That would be my absolute pleasure," Howard said. He walked over to the two of us and stood over us with hands in his pockets.

Peggy stood over us for a moment. "Begin."

Immediately I dropped downward into the first push-up. Next to me I could feel the confidence leaking out of Justin. I smirked towards the ground. He wouldn't understand that I didn't get tired. If I'd really wanted to, I could have done this all night and never been bothered. By the time we got to our fifth rep I found myself bored. It was easy to know that I would beat him. As we continued to move Howard counted out the numbers. By the time that we got to the twentieth rep, Justin was profusely sweating and his limbs were shaking. I didn't feel a damn thing. My pace had slowed so that I could stay in alignment with him. We passed thirty, and then forty, without incident.

We had just passed forty-three when Justin finally dropped. He was lying face down in the dirt and his breaths were coming out in ragged gasps. The other men in the division were all watching on, some stunned, others amused. I jumped up with ease and walked over to where Justin was laying on his knees, barely able to keep himself up. I grinned wickedly at him and shoved the heel of my boot into his arm. He fell heavily and looked up at me with eyes that were clearly cursing me to the heavens.

He was attempting to stand and gather his breath once more. "That was utterly unimpressive, private. Back in line," I told him in a bored tone. Justin limped back into line and was shouted at by a drill sergeant to stand back upright. "Would anyone else care to say anything?" I asked loudly. No one said anything. "If a woman can beat you, what do you think a Nazi will be able to do?" I asked.

It was a rhetorical question and they all knew it. No one said anything as Chester took a step forward. "We'll begin with the fitness test." It was something that they had done when they first arrived here. We would do it a few times to see how they improved. "You'll begin with the push-ups. Thirty-five for each of you. We will be counting you out. Get into positions. You will move at the same time," Chester announced.

The recruits all dropped as the drill sergeants began to walk back and forth. Justin barely looked like he could move. "Begin!" I shouted.

At the first count the men dropped down and pushed themselves back up. Peggy and I walked back and forth. It wasn't like we were shouting at them like the drill sergeants were, but we were correcting them. And we got into the occasional shouting match with one of the men that weren't moving fast enough. The object was to keep time. Chester was observing the men as well but he wasn't really saying anything. He was more reading through the files Peggy had been holding before. Peggy herself chirped something about her dead grandmother moving faster than the recruits and I snorted under my breath. Howard turned to go back to the laboratory and I waved him off. He'd probably be back later.

He had been busy over the past week or so trying to figure out how my ability to transform into a form of pure radiation might help. I hadn't been able to tell him the entire truth about how it worked yet - since people were always around us - but I was intending to soon. We were still hoping that my radiation would help us find a happy-medium to use for Operation Rebirth. So far we hadn't figured anything out. But that was mostly because I hadn't been in the labs. And otherwise, I had no clue how to enable that mutation again. In the meantime he would be working on a chamber to put the recruit in, since I would be spending so much time with the recruits this week. Although I would be spending the occasional nights in the labs, helping Howard.

The recruits finally hit the thirty-five mark and I watched as they stood once more. "Well done, you've all managed thirty-five. I know that you could have kept going. In the future you will. Not today," I told them loudly. "We want to ensure that you can all meet the minimum requirements. Sit ups now. Forty-seven." The men all dropped to the ground. "On my mark... Now!"

They began raising up and down as I watched them. Some seemed to want to move faster and others seemed like they needed to move slower. Bucky was one of the ones that was clearly slowing down. I sighed and smiled at him as he looked over at me and winked once more. He was shouted at a moment later by one of the drill sergeants to get back into the movements. He went back to work and I smiled at him. He really was in his element out here.

Gathering myself, I took a breath and walked over to Chester. He was watching them curiously. I noticed that each time his eyes flitted over Bucky, they would harden for a moment. "They're not half-bad," Chester said.

"They're slow," I commented.

Not that it was the nicest thing that I could have said. But it was the truth. They really were going too slow. By the end of basic training I was hoping that they would manage to speed themselves up. "We all can't be mutants," Chester told me, without looking away from them.

"Then you're all lucky," I said harshly.

Again, it was something that I really shouldn't have said. It wasn't his fault that I had been born this way. But what I said hadn't been a lie. They were lucky that they hadn't been born a mutant. Being one was an absolute nightmare. You had to constantly hide everything about yourself. It was something that I hated. I had to hide who I was from my friends. My parents had hated me because I was something that they couldn't understand. And I had been held captive by a psychopath for seven years because his family had accidentally been killed by one of us. We were hated, and we were feared. It was something that would never change. Even in the next millennia - when I would still appear twenty-one - things wouldn't change. We would still be the monsters.

"Did you say something about mutants?" Peggy asked. She had walked up from behind us and I smiled at her with a somewhat awkward smile. Chester hesitantly nodded. One day we would tell her about the mutation, but not yet. "Weren't you talking about mutation a few weeks ago, Vicky?" She asked me.

I nodded stupidly at her as we began to walk through the aisles. We had just passed the twenty mark. "Yeah, yeah, I was. It was one of the things that we were discussing with the Operation Rebirth project. Nothing serious. Just something that would help the super soldier serum work," I told her as thinly as possible.

She glanced over at me as we walked past Michael. He was a younger man that was halfway decent with the physical aspect of training. "It's really possible?" Peggy asked.

I knew that she believed in Operation Rebirth - we all did - but sometimes it seemed almost impossible. "We think so," I told her. We went back to walking through the aisles and I glanced over at Bucky. He wasn't sitting up all of the way after each of his sit-ups. We were nearing the end and he was clearly tired. "Private Barnes, higher," I ordered.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" He shouted back at me. His next sit-up went all the way.

We continued walking down the aisles of recruits and I watched over them. For the most part it was the drill sergeants yelling at the men, but from time to time Peggy or I would say something. "I think that you just like watching him work," Peggy told me.

Glancing over at her, I gave a little smile. "And is that such a bad thing?" I asked her. We both smiled and laughed softly as we began to head up to the front of the line. They had just finished and were all sitting in the upright position. "Stand," I ordered. They all did so a moment later. "If you think that this is hard, know that it only gets harder from here. Two mile run. Hurry up. Get in line," I shouted at them. They all did and I watched as they took their spots in line. "Sixteen minutes and thirty-six seconds. That's the time that you have to return to this spot."

"On my mark. Three... two... one!" Peggy shouted. The two of us watched as the recruits all started in a dead sprint. Morons. Although I did notice that one man wasn't running at a dead sprint. Bucky was in a fast run, but not at a sprint. That's my boy. "He's smart to not use all of his energy in the beginning of the run," Peggy told me.

She was watching him as well. He really was a smart man. Talented, fast, and quick as a whip. I was grateful to have him in my life. "He's a smart man," I told her as we stood under the tent overhang.

A hand laid itself on my arm and I jumped. For once my thoughts had been distracted and I hadn't even noticed that Howard was making his way over to me. He wasn't holding any files but he did look irritated. I assumed that meant that whatever he was doing hadn't worked out. "Not too smart, or he would have acted faster this morning," Howard said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him with a little groan. Something told me that he was only here to mess with me once more. "Shouldn't you be in the laboratory actually doing your job?" I asked.

Howard grinned and threw an arm over my shoulder. "I missed you," he told me.

Rolling my shoulders, I laughed under my breath as his arm slipped off of me. He pressed a hand over his heart, almost like I had hurt him. "Sure you did. What do you want?" I asked.

"You always think that I want something," Howard told me. He was still acting like I had offended him.

So I decided for a moment that I would play into his game for the time being. "I'm sorry, did you not want something?" I asked him with my hands on my hips.

Howard stared at me for a moment with a serious face before cracking a smile. "No. Of course I wanted something," he told me and I rolled my eyes. "Needed your advice on something. Can we talk?" He asked me.

Knowing that it was something about Operation Rebirth and mutation, I nodded. "Yeah. Just give me a minute. Hey Peggy! Dad!" I shouted. They both turned to look at me. "Do me a favor and keep an eye out for the recruits. We'll be back in a few minutes. They should be getting back by then," I said.

That was being hopeful though. I had a feeling that they wouldn't be back for at least another ten or fifteen minutes. Maybe we'd get to watch them attempt the pole climb. "Sure thing," Peggy called out to me.

Howard and I walked a little bit away and we nodded at each other once we were out of earshot of everyone else. "Alright, what do you need?" I asked him.

"So you kissed Private Barnes? Is that what I'm hearing?" He asked me.

Well there went my thoughts that maybe he wanted to talk to me about something with the project. "Are you kidding?" I asked him with a near-blank face. "I thought that we were done with talk like that. Oh, and if that's what you wanted to talk about, I'm going back to the recruits," I said, turning on my heel.

Howard dashed after me and grabbed me around the arm. "No, no, no! Wait a minute. That really isn't what I want to talk about," he told me and I nodded. As long as that wasn't really what he wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about anything but that. "Oh, but next time, make sure that you go through with it," Howard told me.

"What do you want, Howard?" I asked him.

He let out a little sigh and ran his hands over his face. I realized with a little start that he had bags under his eyes. He had probably been sleeping just as much as I had. "That mutation that you were telling me about the other night. You never really said what it was," he told me.

I nodded at him. Sooner or later we had to have this discussion. It was the only way to keep Operation Rebirth moving at a steady pace. "It's - I'm not really sure what it is," I said when I realized that I had no clue how to explain it. "It just happens. It's only happened to me once and I don't really know how to make it happen again. Maybe run some tests or something like that. I was angry and afraid the last time that it happened. It was almost like it was something more out of desperation," I told him honestly.

Up until the one time that it had happened I hadn't even been aware that I could do that. It was a complete accident. I was just lucky that it had worked in the first place. "Victoria," Howard said, interrupting me. I raised a brow at him. "Not that I don't love listening to you blather on, but please tell me what exactly it is," he said.

Glaring at him slightly, I nodded. "Mutants are classified into groups. Levels. Stryker originally thought that I was a Delta level. Maybe even Alpha. They're in the middle of the spectrum," I said. He nodded mutely at me. "But he found out that I wasn't. He discovered that I am an Omega." Now he looked confused. "They are extremely rare. They must be able to physically change their body into another state. Many are telepathic. Which I am. Somehow I can transform my body into a state of pure radiation," I told him.

It was the simplest way that I could explain it and I still knew that he couldn't figure it out. "Pure radiation?" Howard asked me. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself that it was possible.

"Yeah. When I was escaping Stryker's lab I was caught. I panicked. I didn't know what else to do. It was an accident. My entire body started to glow this golden color. And then the suits that the guards were wearing started to melt. Their skin afterwards. They died. They couldn't stand to be close to me," I explained.

The memory of their skin bubbling and falling off in droves disgusted me. I couldn't believe that I had really done something like that. Without even meaning to. "I'll be damned. You can really do that?" Howard asked.

Slowly I nodded at him. "I can. Anyways, it got me thinking the other night. What if I could try to replicate that radiation? And what if we could figure out a way to contain it?" I asked him.

There was a chance that something like that could work. It was too powerful uncontrolled. But what if I could manage to control it? "Come by the lab later this week. We're going to figure it out. We have to figure it out. Radiation is probably the key. And if you could survive it, maybe the recruit could too," Howard offered me.

I nodded at him. At the end of the week I would probably spend the day attempting to figure out how to contain the radiation. "But I also have the Chronicle in my veins. And it could very well poison the recruit and kill him," I told him.

Once more Howard groaned and ran his hands over his face, mussing up his hair. There was a chance that the radiation wouldn't work without the Chronicle. Maybe they worked hand-in-hand. Or maybe they had nothing to do with each other at all. Every day it got more and more complicated. "This is a lot more complicated than I thought that it would be," Howard said.

"We knew that it wasn't going to be easy when we started. This is never going to be easy," I tried to reason with him. It was going to be hard, but we weren't going to give up. "We're literally trying to completely change a person's genetic material. That's not exactly something that we were designed to be able to do," I said.

"There has got to be a way to make this easier," Howard said.

Gently, I laid a hand on Howard's shoulder and pushed him backwards. Maybe he needed a stiff drink or something like that. "Relax, Howard. You know what, just do what I do. Take out your frustrations on the new recruits. Trust me, it's a good way to blow off some steam,' I told him with a teasing grin.

Howard grinned at me and gave me a gentle shove. "You know, most people either go to a bar or they find someone to keep them company to blow some steam off," he told me. I shook my head. There was no way that I was stooping to doing that. "You're the only person that I know that would intentionally go and try to hurt someone."

"Not someone. Just one person," I said with a little grin. I wouldn't seriously hurt Bucky, just minor maiming.

Clearly Howard didn't think that it was a good way to blow off some steam. "Normal people want to kiss the person that they have a crush on. You want to beat him into the ground," he told me.

"Go do your damn job," I snapped.

Howard merely grinned at me, knowing that he had managed to get on my nerves. He wrapped an arm around me in a small hug and I laughed into his shoulder. He really was the most useless person that I'd ever known. "Have a good day, Victoria. We'll talk about the radiation later," he told me as he turned towards the lab.

"Sounds like a plan," I said. He turned back towards the labs as I turned to head back to where Peggy and Chester were sitting together. They were chatting amicably back and forth. I walked up to the pair and gave a small smile. None of the recruits had returned. "Is no one back yet?" I asked.

They shook their heads at me. I glanced over at the stopwatch that Chester was holding and looked at the time. It was only just over eight minutes. They were maybe at the halfway point. "Not yet. They're at the halfway point," Peggy said, confirming my thoughts.

"Oh good. Who wants to see them at the flag?" I asked with a bright smile. We all knew what the flag was.

It was on a large pole in the middle of the running track and every year the recruits would attempt to grab it. They never did though. Not even the strongest of them could do it. No one seemed to know that the way to conquer it was simple. It wasn't won by brute strength or attempting to climb up the flag pole. Nothing like that would ever work. It was too slippery for that to work. There were two pins on the bottom of the flag pole. If someone pulled them out the pole would collapse and someone could simply snatch it from the end. Of course no one ever thought to do something like that.

Together the three of us walked over to one of the open-air trucks that usually rambled back and forth over and through Camp Lehigh. Normally it was only the agents, sergeants, colonels, and generals that were allowed to ride in them. Chester sat in the driver's seat and I watched as Peggy climbed into the middle. Once they were situated, I jumped into the far side and closed the door. With that, Chester cranked the engine and we drove off towards the flag pole.

The flag was whipping in the wind as Chester parked the car. Peggy was flipping through files and Chester was also looking over them. The moment that I heard voices calling out I turned back to see the men all running up. Bucky was running just behind the drill sergeant. He seemed to be one of the few that hadn't passed the exhaustion mark yet. I understood. It was hot and they were wearing long clothing with the packs. It was miserable for them out here. But I knew that they would all get over themselves once the drill sergeant told them that a successful grab of the flag would earn them a trip back in the car.

"Pick up the pace, sweeties. Let's go, let's go. Double time. Come on, faster, faster. Move. Move," the drill sergeant was shouting at them. The three of us in the car laughed as we turned back to watch. "Squad halt," he added. The squad came to a grinding stop and I glanced over to see the men all leaning over, already exhausted.

The drill sergeant motioned up towards the flag pole. "That flag means you're only at the half way point. First man to bring it to me, gets to ride back with Agent Carter and Sergeant Phillips," he said.

The two of us glanced back and smiled at the men. Despite most of them insisting that they didn't care about us and didn't like us, I knew that they would love to have an afternoon to themselves with us. Plus the idea of getting to ride back in a car rather than running all the way back was an appealing idea. Bucky glanced back at me and gave me a small smile. I returned it with a wink. If anyone actually managed to get the flag, I was hoping that it would be him. He was the only one of the men that I could really stomach for a ride back to the tent and training grounds.

The men only needed that one warning before going and dashing over to the pole. One by one they all jumped and fell back down. Some took hard falls that looked like they seriously hurt. Others simply slid down until they nearly collapsed. No one had gotten even close. The flag was almost thirty feet in the air. There was no way that they were going to be able to climb it. I was almost tempted to slip into Bucky's mind and tell him what to do, but I decided that I might have some explaining to do about that later. So I left him be.

"Move, move! Come on, get up there. That's what you got? This army is in trouble," the drill sergeant continued to yell. "Get up there, Gaines." Jeremy was about six feet in the air when he too collapsed. "Come on, get up there. Nobody's got that flag in seventeen years." Bucky tried next. He made it higher than anyone else - almost ten feet - before he fell. I cringed as he hit the ground. Peggy laid a hand on my shoulder and I smiled weakly at her. As Bucky stood, I let out a little breath. He's fine. "Come on, come on, fall in. Let's go, get back in formation," the drill sergeant once more yelled.

With that, the men all let out little groans before breaking back into a run. While they all sweated it out on the course, Chester drove Peggy and I back to the training field. "Think someone will ever get that?" I asked the other two.

"Not a chance," Peggy said.

"Never," Chester added.

The car drove for another minute or so before we arrived at the same spot that the recruits would be arriving in a few minutes from now. It was the actual training course. And it was tough. I knew that plenty of the men would have trouble with it. I wouldn't blame them. Especially after what we had already put them through. The course would take them over an hour to complete and they would be doing it every day this week. Fail a section and they would have to repeat it. The men would all also have to learn to work together. I knew that was the part that would be a challenge for them.

After a few minutes had passed I jumped out of the truck and stood at the two mile finish line. Peggy and Chester followed. "What's the timing?" I asked.

Chester glanced down at the stopwatch before looking back at me. "It's been fourteen minutes and forty-two seconds," he told me.

I nodded slowly at him. They should be arriving any minute now. The drill sergeants would not let them go over their allotted time. And they were closing in on it. Just as I thought that I saw the soldiers running over the finish line. As usual, the drill sergeants were yelling at them to speed up. The men did so and I gave Bucky a proud smile as he crossed the finish line first. He dropped onto his knees and glanced up at me with a smile. Sweat was trailing down his back, front, and face. His button down had been opened slightly in the front and I blushed at the sight before turning to look away. We gave the men thirty seconds to recover before I motioned for them to stand. They all groaned but did so anyways. Hey, can't stop to take a breather in war.

"Okay. Well done," I told the men. They all groaned at me. "We're going to try the Confidence Course. It's an obstacle course designed to test the seven core values of the Army. Loyalty. Duty. Respect. Selfless Service. Honor. Integrity. And Personal Courage. You'll need all of these to make it through. There is no time limit, but we do expect you to improve as the weeks pass," I told them while motioning backwards towards the wooden course.

They looked back before their eyes widened. It was quite intimidating looking. I certainly wouldn't want to have done it if I was anything less than a mutant. "You'll begin with one run through today. Afterwards, we'll be moving onto combat training. That's how this week will be following," Peggy further explained.

Before the men could run off, I stepped forward. There were a few things that I had to tell them. "A few last minute tips. You can't get through this without the help of your platoon members. Help each other. Pretend like you're really out there. What will you do to help your fellow men? Agent Carter, Colonel Phillips, and I will be watching. We'll assist if needed. Any questions?" I called out.

The men were all standing at attention as I spoke. It was the most respectful that I'd ever seen them. "Ma'am, no, ma'am!" They shouted as a cohesive unit.

"Good. Line up at the start. You'll run when we call. Good luck, use teamwork and determination. You can get through this. You start with basic calisthenics. Follow Sergeant Bale," I instructed. He waved his hand to the platoon. He was an older gentleman that had fought in World War I. He was a sweet man that was strong and brave. "Begin!" I called.

One of the drill sergeants was up on a raised platform and I watched as he gave orders to the other members of the platoon. He was demonstrating which calisthenics they would be doing. They were all moving together. The drill sergeants were walking around and barking orders each time that someone either slowed down or did something wrong. They did the torso twist - something that was reasonably easy for them - backward lunges - which got rather difficult the longer that you did them - leg pulls - which definitely could be a pain in the ass - and more push-ups, where they had to hold the position. By the end of it they all seemed to be about ready to collapse to the ground.

Once they were done with that, the drill sergeants moved them onto the course itself. This was where they would begin to really hate themselves. These obstacles were hard and long. I would be surprised if they could move by the time that they got to the combat training. The tower was the first one that they would be doing. It started with a rope climb up about twenty feet. They could only use their arms and legs to carry themselves upward. They then jumped onto a platform. From there they had to climb a ladder that was made up of logs that got progressively narrower. They then had to climb over the top of the ladder and propel themselves down to the ground from about forty feet. The men all took a while on that one. Bucky managed it in one of the shortest times. He did take a nasty fall in the beginning though.

From there, there was a ladder that was made out of the same wooden logs that the tower was made up of. It was a straight ladder that shot up into the air. It stood at about thirty feet. There were no ropes to catch anyone if they fell. The logs were about four feet apart - almost too tall for me to make a transition. They would have to figure out how to scale the logs on one side, climb over the top, and make the descent back down to the ground. It was another obstacle that had to be done alone. The men were pretty good at it and thankfully there were no bad falls. Bucky got a little caught up at the top, but thankfully he managed to get over and back down without incident. He looked tired already.

Then there was one of my least favorite obstacles on the course. I had managed to do it properly before, but it was tough. The object was one of the simplest ones that we had. It was just the rope climb. They had to make their way onto a platform that was fifty feet in the air with two ropes that lead down to the ground. The ropes were about a hundred feet long. Two recruits would slide down the ropes to get to the ground without harnesses. There was a net just in case they fell. About half of them did. I laughed loudly when Bucky was the first recruit to make it through. I couldn't help it, I cheered him on. Of course, that led to me getting chewed out by Chester about picking favorites.

One of the simpler ones that we had was the carry. It was where the recruits took a partner and performed a fireman's carry while they carried their partner a half-mile to the finish line. They would then turn around and do it the other way, with the other person carrying. There were only a few rules. They couldn't drop their partner, fall, or stop. It was supposed to be done at a slow run. I felt terrible that Bucky had to carry a recruit named Benjamin. He was one of the heaviest people here. Bucky was clearly having a hard time running with him on his shoulders. He looked beyond relieved once he got to let Benjamin carry him.

The next section that Bucky and his group members ran to was another rope section. The recruits had to grab a rope and hoist themselves up about ten feet. There were two logs at intermittent points on the climb up. The second log was about eight feet up in the air. Once they got to the second log they must use one rope to walk on while using another that was over their head for balance. It was an extremely unbalanced twenty foot walk across the rope. At the end they got to grab onto a rope and drop down. Bucky managed to walk across the rope but I couldn't resist sending a rough column of air at him. He managed to keep himself upright. Even Chester - who knew that I had done something to the wind - had laughed with me.

There was a section not far from there that the recruits used a old rifle to practice with. They worked in teams of two and I watched as the men all fought each other. It was like they were pretending to fight back against an attacker. They were fighting with the butt of the gun. Most of them were fighting without techniques. I got a rather magnificent kick out of seeing Bucky swing the gun out to whack Harlan across the face. His nose was turned to the side slightly as his nose began to bleed. Bucky apologized and I smirked. For one moment I let myself slip into his mid, just to know what he was thinking about. For Vika.

Oh Bucky, you didn't have to do that. The section that he was moved off to next was, yet again, another rope course with logs spread around. Recruits had to climb to the top of a rope course that was about fifteen feet in the air. Once they were up at the top of the rope, they used a log to slide underneath and get to the logs at the top. It was almost like monkey bars. They climbed on top of the bars that were spaced about a foot and a half apart and walked across them. At the end they would repel back down. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than watching Carl fall with his legs on either side of the bar - crushing his nether regions. Even Bucky had laughed at that. He'd made it across unscathed.

There were two smaller obstacles after that. One was a rope net climb over both sides. The squares were small but enough to place their feet in to help them up and over. They climbed up the first side - which was about twenty feet - before flipping over the side and scaling back down it. The recruits seemed to be having a reasonably easy time with that. The mud slide under the barb wire mesh was next. They all made it through unscathed, but the mud that they were now coated in made them look and smell disgusting. I got a kick out of watching Bucky practically swallow some of the mud.

The last ones were some of the least amusing ones. By the time the recruits got to them, most of them looked like they were about to keel over and die. First they had a wall climb using a rope. They would then flip over and scale back down. Only a few people had trouble with the rope. There was another obstacle where they stood on a log before jumping up onto a log that was raised about eight feet. They had to climb up and over that one. After that, they had to climb up a wall to catch a silver pole and shimmy their way across it. They used a rope at the end to drop down. There was a simple log walk where recruits had to walk back and forth over small logs that were raised at varying angles. It was rather funny watching how many of them fell. It was one of the easiest obstacles yet it was also one of the obstacles that the recruits were failing on the most. Even Bucky fell two or three times.

The next obstacle that recruits had to go over was somewhat of a backwards and upside down monkey bar section. The small wooden beams raised as the recruits climbed up them, hanging from upside down. They used their arms and legs to help them to the top, where they climbed over and then slid down it. The last one that they had to do was another simple one. Small stumps were jutting out from the ground and recruits had to jump from one to the next, until they were at the end. Practically everyone fell at least once. There was one rolled ankle, but that was the worst of the injuries.

And that was the end of them. The recruits were finally allowed off of the course. I grabbed Chester's wrist and checked his watch. It was four in the afternoon, just the time that it should have been. The recruits were called back in - the drill sergeants seemed to be on the verge of losing their voices after yelling so much - as they stood in front of us. Many looked like they wanted to drop, and some did for a moment, but overall they were still standing tall. Bucky was drenched in sweat and had dried mud stuck to him, but he still looked every bit the proud military man that I knew he was. He'll look good in a uniform. Shut up!

"Well done to all of you. You've conquered - some of you with help - the course. This will get easier the more that you practice. At the end of training this will be like nothing. Now, you've learned all of the skills that will make you good infantrymen. Except two. Firearms. Those we'll get to next week." The men looked thrilled that they would get to at least be working with firearms next week. "And combat. Hand-to-hand," I said. Small smiles broke out over Peggy and I's faces.

This was what the two of us had been waiting for. "That's what you'll be learning in the afternoons. We'll be demonstrating with two of you first," Peggy said, motioning to the two of us.

"You'll each be paired with a Sergeant while you learn the basics of fighting. But first we'd like you to see up close just how good you need to be," I added.

"There is one stipulation today, that can excuse someone from fighting for the rest of the week," Peggy said. We both smirked at the looks that were being exchanged through the crowd of recruits. They have no clue how much they'll regret this one. "If you can prove to us that you have nothing to learn, we'll let you go," Peggy added.

We both stepped forward and I motioned to the men. "Choose your best recruit," I told them.

The choice was theirs. They just had no clue that they were dooming someone. The men all spoke among themselves before they finally seemed to decide. "Collin," they all finally said.

He was certainly one of the best recruits. I had a feeling that only Bucky was the one that could challenge him. He was a large man that was certainly smarter than most of the recruits. He had cropped blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He was a younger man as well. I was pretty sure that he was either twenty-two or twenty-three. He stood tall, well over six feet. He was very startling. I knew that they were going to put him on the front lines. He was one of the toughest people that I knew. I wondered whether or not he had a woman back home that was waiting for him, panicking every day that she didn't hear from him.

Peggy was staring at me and I realized that I was taking too long to answer. "Step forward, please, Collin," I said awkwardly. He did so and I turned back to the recruits. "Now, choose your strongest recruit," I said.

This one didn't take as long. "Bucky," the men all said together, patting him on the back. Since the incident with Harlan and the others during Zero Week, the men seemed to have accepted Bucky into their folds. My grin widened. That's what I was banking on.

"Step forward, please, James," I said. There was no way that I could call him Bucky in front of the men. It wasn't professional. Both of our eyes twinkled when I called him that. They stepped forward and stood next to each other. "Well done to the both of you. You've become leaders. Now, this is your chance to prove to the men in your division that you're strong. That you have nothing else to learn. Face your opponent," I told them.

They did the expected thing. Both Peggy and I chuckled softly under our breath. We had been banking on this happening. Chester had just barely agreed to let us do this. The two men turned to face each other and stuck out their hands to shake. "Good luck, man," Bucky said.

"You too, bud," Collin followed up with.

Peggy and I both smiled for a moment before stepping in between the two of them. "I appreciate the spirit. But you are not each other's opponent. You're ours," I told them. The men laughed behind us heartily. Chester was the only one that wasn't smiling. Bucky and Collin both looked stunned. "Collin, you'll be fighting Agent Carter. James, you'll be fighting me. Either of you beat us, you're excused for the week," I told them.

Peggy and I had already worked this out. We knew that Bucky would be one of the recruits that would end up being picked. Bucky stepped forward and shook his head. "I am not fighting you," Bucky told me.

A wicked grin fell over my face. Do not patronize me, Bucky. "Scared I'll damage your pretty face?" I asked him.

Bucky gave me the first grin that didn't scream that he thought that I had lost my mind. "Scared that I'll damage yours," he told me with a little grin.

Off to the side, Peggy and Collin were having a very similar discussion. "You could always let someone else take your place. But you'd look so weak. Are you going to do that?" I asked him teasingly.

He didn't want to fight me. But the last thing that he wanted was to back out and look weak for not being able to fight a little girl. He would look like a coward. "No," Bucky told me. "You're really sure that you want me fighting you?" He asked, sounding a little unsure of himself.

"It won't be much of a fight," I said with a shrug. There were a few laughs exchanged through the remaining men.

Bucky gave me a soft smile. "Cocky."

"I had to learn it from somewhere," I teased before turning back to the men. "The rules are very simple. You have ninety seconds for a fight against us. If you can get us to the ground for more than five seconds, you win. If, at the end of ninety seconds, we are still on our feet, we win and you continue training. Do you understand?" I asked the two men.

They could get dropped to the ground as much as possible. That didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that they didn't get us to the ground. Bucky and Collin were both listening attentively. Finally they nodded as Peggy and I turned back to them. "Yes," they both said.

"There are no rules. Just make it a clean fight, and no seriously injuring each other," I told the two men. They both nodded. Neither one was cruel. They wouldn't have really tried to injure us anyways. "Best of luck. Are you ready?" I asked as I turned to Bucky, blocking the rest of the world out.

Bucky backed a few steps off of me. "Yes."

"Take a fighting stance," I ordered him. We were standing about five feet away from each other when Bucky dropped slightly. His knees were buckled slightly as he turned to look at myself. His hands were shaking slightly. I smirked. He had no clue how to fight me. "Colonel Phillips, please start the timer on my mark," I told him.

He nodded at me. I could just barely see out of the corner of my eyes. I hadn't looked away from Bucky yet. The area went silent as I looked over at Peggy and Collin. They both nodded. I looked back at Bucky and he nodded. Finally I gave a little nod to Chester. "Three... two... one," he called out slowly.

The timer started immediately. Both Bucky and Collin were smart enough to know that they had a very limited amount of time to solve this problem. Peggy and I were the ones without something to lose. Bucky rushed at me and grabbed me by the arms, probably hoping to trip me and drop me to the ground. I snorted under my breath. Perhaps that would take someone - a girl - that was untrained down, but not me. I slipped underneath his arms that were caged around me and slid down, kicking out with my legs. His feet went out from underneath him and he tumbled to the ground.

When he finally looked back up at me, he looked shocked that I had managed to do something like that. He stood from the ground and rushed at me once more. I knew that he wasn't fighting me nearly as hard as he could. He didn't want to hurt me. Not that he would. This time he ran over to me and grabbed me around the stomach, pushing me backwards with him. I managed to wiggle out of his grasp and jump over him. My legs wrapped around his neck and I twisted to the ground. He went falling onto his back and I rolled off of him, jumping back up to a stand. He looked exhausted already.

Giving him a small grin, I watched as he got to his feet once more. When he ran at me for another time I reached out and slid underneath his legs that were slightly open. As I ducked underneath them, I yanked out one of his shins and he went toppling over once more. He jumped back up quickly and extended an arm out to push me back with. It worked, but when he did I wrapped a leg around his neck. He began to turn red in the face and I smirked. I used my other foot to shove against Bucky's chest and knock him away from me. He fell back to the ground and I rushed over to him, locking him in an arm-bar. I pulled backwards on him and he groaned loudly at the pain.

It was pretty obvious that he was desperate to get out of this. I knew that it was hurting him. I wasn't going to break his arm or anything of the sort, but I was enjoying watching him squirm. "You have thirty seconds left. Better think fast," I teased.

As much as I knew that he didn't want to hurt me, he also didn't want to lose to me. He reached a hand up and used his spare leg to kick me in the ribs. It didn't hurt, but I had to pretend. So I let out a little groan and loosened my grip on Bucky. He slid away from me and threw out a punch. It would have been barely hard enough to leave a bruise. I caught his hand easily and wrenched it away from me. He stumbled back as I aimed a punch for his eye. He dodged, but not quickly enough. The hit connected and sent him stumbling backwards.

He looked back at me and for a moment I thought that he might have been freaked out. Suddenly I realized that this might not have been such a good idea. But Bucky didn't scream at me or attack me. He smiled. He ran after me once more and did something rather unexpected. He grabbed my arm and wrenched it around. He pulled me so that my back was flush against his front and his arm was over my throat. He dropped the two of us to the ground before rolling so that I was pinned underneath him.

I was stunned. I hadn't expected him to actually be able to do anything to me. The men began to count from five. Sorry Bucky, but I'm not losing this one. No more Ms. Nice Mutant. Unexpectedly, I placed my hands on Bucky's chest and delivered a hard punch that knocked the wind out of him. He stumbled back off of me as I hopped to my feet. He rushed at me once more as the timer continued to tick down. We ran up to each other and were standing right up against each other - where I was about to use his weight to send him to the ground once more - when Chester called out.

"Time," he called.

The two of us stood against each other, both of us breathing heavily. I assumed that he was breathing heavily because of the fight. I was doing so because of how close together we were standing. And how we hadn't bothered moving away from each other yet. Peggy coughed softly and I broke my stare from Bucky, dropping my hand from behind his neck. I took a step back and realized that Peggy and Collin were also covered in sweat. By the looks of it, their fight had been closer matched than mine had been. But it seemed that Collin too, had failed to take down his opponent.

I turned to the boys and shook both of their hands. "Well fought, both of you. This is what you will be learning to do over the next week or so. The best of luck to all of you in the days to come. Return to your barracks, grab dinner in the meantime. Get a good rest tonight, and stretch, you'll thank me for it in the morning," I warned the men.

The men all began to walk away and I smiled at them as they walked. We smiled at them and departed with little laughs with Collin. He had congratulated both Peggy and I for being better fighters than most of the men that were here. Most of the men headed off into the mess hall. Some of the men that had taken falls on the obstacle course earlier limped off to bed. Collin was being treated for a bloody nose that Peggy had given him. Chester had been so amused with the fight that he'd gone off to tell Abraham and Howard all about it. Peggy and I were the only ones that still remained.

Beside Bucky, that is. He walked over to me and Peggy gave a little nod to me as she walked away to let us have our privacy. I gave her a thankful nod. "Well, I hope you know that I let you win that," Bucky said.

I laughed under my breath and shook my head at him. "You so did not let me win that. You just can't admit that you're weaker than me," I teased him.

"I am not! Come here!"

Bucky ran after me and caught me around the waist. "Oh gross!" I shouted as Bucky's sweat began to coat my clothing. "Bucky, you're drenched in sweat!" I howled at him.

"And you've earned it!" He yelled back at me with a laugh.

Of course he was going to do something like that for teasing me. He chased me around the course for a while before wrapping an arm around my waist. I giggled loudly as he lifted me over his shoulders and began to spin me. For a moment I was sure that I was going to be sick. But I continued to laugh. Mostly because I hadn't gotten a chance to laugh and do things like this in a long time. He finally let me down and held me around the waist as I began to stumble slightly. He held me tightly as the two of us were pressed together gently. For the third time, I found myself far too close to him and debating on whether or not it was the right time to kiss him.

No. It's not. Not until you tell him the truth. So I cleared my throat and took a step back, gently disentangling myself from Bucky. "Alright, private. I think that you need to go back to the barracks. You get to do this all over again tomorrow. Aren't you excited for that?" I asked him with a teasing grin, trying to get the awkward air away from us.

Bucky gave me a soft smile. We were incredibly good about having a strange moment like that and then going back to normal. "Ah, you get to beat me up again?" He asked me with a little smile.

I gave him a soft nudge. "Only if you want me to," I teased.

He leaned over to me and gave me a small hug. The two of us laughed softly. "I'll always want you to beat me up," Bucky told me. I'll always be there to beat you up.

"Goodnight, Bucky," I told him softly.

Bucky smiled back at me. "Goodnight, Vika. See you tomorrow." I couldn't help but to hear his thoughts as he walked away. Doofus! You keep getting a chance and you keep blowing it.

The moment that he was far away enough not to hear us, Peggy came to stand next to me. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I sighed as I watched Bucky head to the mess hall. "Promise me one thing," Peggy said. I hummed and nodded at her. "When the two of you get married, make sure that I'm there and the Maid of Honor," she told me. I laughed and rolled my eyes at her. We nudged each other as we walked towards the mess hall and laughed softly together. Sure, boys were fun sometimes, but at the end of the day it was having a close girl friend that really mattered.


	11. Chapter Eleven

As I danced about the room I hummed to myself under my breath. It was an old song that Peggy had introduced me to last week. She said that it was one of her favorites. Her ex-fiancé had introduced her to it. It was called Bambalina and it had a rather happy, upbeat, tune. It was perfect for the way that I was feeling this morning.

This was the week that I had been looking forward to. Despite having hated shooting and marksmanship while I was in Stryker's lab - mainly because anything short of a perfect shot would earn me a bullet through the spine - I was excited for it here. Perhaps it was because firearms really were fun to learn. And I was also a little excited to see if one of the recruits would blow their feet off. Some of them were a little shaky and I had a feeling that guns weren't something that they were looking forward to.

It wasn't even just guns that they would be learning. Grenades were going to be coming in too - not that they could fire them, that was still a few weeks away. They would be learning about tanks, bazookas, and rocket launchers. Some of my favorite things. It would be quite the scene. And I was rather excited to see how Bucky would handle himself. I'd seen him play plenty of sports before while we were growing up and he'd always had good aim. But that was when we were little. And they weren't guns. The recoil would be a shock.

My hair tie was in my hands and I reached up to tie it back. But after thinking about it for a moment, I decided that I was going to keep my hair down for the day. Not curled, just down. The way that I liked it. The way that Bucky likes it too. Shut up! I did pull my bangs back off of my face so that I wouldn't have to worry about them. My clothes were already on - a simple green pair of cloth pants and my black boots. I had yet to slip on my white shirt. It left me in the black undershirt that wasn't quite modest.

I did a little spin as I grabbed my sheets and pulled them back up on my bed. "You're far too excited for this," Peggy commented from the corner of the room. She was finishing up with her hair.

"Oh come on!" I howled at her. She was excited for firearm training too, but not nearly to the point that I was. Maybe it was because I hadn't actually used a gun since the day before my escape from Stryker. "You don't want to see one of the recruits blow their own foot off?" I asked her.

She turned to me with a hard stare. "You are aware that you're supposed to be helping this Army? Not trying to undermine it by attempting to kill or maim the soldiers," she said.

I nodded at her as I did up the laces on my boots. "Of course I understand that, but what fun would it be if I never got to watch the recruits injuring themselves?" I asked. Peggy was silent for a few moments and the corners of her lips began to twitch. "Exactly, it would be no fun. We have to do something to amuse ourselves," I told her with a small smile.

She shook her head at me and grabbed her own shoes, pulling them on. There was a soft knock at the door and I slipped into the mind of our visitor. Come on, Victoria. Open up. Howard. "That for you?" Peggy asked.

Yes. "Not sure," I told her, moving over towards the door. Since it was just Howard I didn't care about the shirt that I was wearing. "Am I good to open the door?" I asked her.

I didn't care what Howard saw me in. But I assumed that Peggy did care what he saw her in. She stared at my shirt for a moment before nodding. "Go for it," she said.

I pulled open the door and smiled at Howard. His eyes immediately dropped down to my shirt but one little shock - that I ensued no one saw - and he looked back up to my face. He glanced past me and smiled at Peggy, who was fishing for her bracelet. I knew that the two were friends, but that didn't mean that they ever acted like it. Peggy was a little less tolerant of Howard's behavior than I was. But that might have been because she couldn't shock him when he got out of line.

"Good morning, ladies," Howard said with a sleazy grin.

Peggy brushed by me, grabbing my shoulder quickly. "And that's my cue to leave," she said, giving me a quick smile. I smiled back at her as she exited the room. "Howard," she called back.

"Peggy," he responded in greeting.

Once she was gone from the hall I grabbed onto Howard's shirt. There was something that I needed to speak to him about. "Come on in. I'm just finishing getting ready," I said. He nodded and walked in with me. "Close the door, will you?" I called back as we walked in. No one needed to hear this conversation. "The air in here is far too stuffy for my liking. I'm going to have to ask Chester to put an air conditioning unit in here or something," I said, fanning myself gently.

Howard closed the door and walked inside, standing against the wall. "You are aware that a woman closing her door with a man that isn't her husband - leaving the two of them alone - might not look too good for you?" he asked me.

I pulled on my white shirt and took a seat on the edge of my bed, folding my legs underneath me. "And wouldn't you just hate if all of Camp Lehigh was talking about you?" I asked him. He laughed as he hung by the door, which I realized was still slightly open. "Get in here!" I snapped at him, yanking him over to sit by the desk and shoving the door closed. "I have to speak with you about Operation Rebirth."

His eyes raised as I realized that my shirt was inside out. I rolled my eyes at myself and pulled it off, unfolding it. "I like that new shirt. I'm sure that Private Barnes will like it as well," Howard told me. I stared at him for a moment and sent out a little shock to him. He howled in pain and I watched as his hair stood on end. "Was that quite necessary?" he asked me with a little glare.

I smirked as he began to flatten his hair. "Yes. Now be quiet and listen."

Bucky's P.O.V.

Bucky was currently on his way out of the barracks. He hadn't slept well the night before. But that didn't bother him. Vika had decided that he wasn't moving fast enough on one of the courses and had ordered him to wrestle one of the rifles from her. He hadn't won that fight. In fact, the only thing that he'd gotten from it was a dislocated shoulder that she had fixed - not exactly painlessly. Now he was on the edge of the barracks that Vika lived in as he made his way to their breakfast.

It was the one thing that he never missed. She was his best friend and he made it a point to never be late. Even though she was, from time to time. But she'd never been good with time management and he knew that she was busy. He grinned at a few of the men that seemed to be coming out of the barracks that she - and the other higher-up members - lived in. He had made some friends in his division. Among them, Marcus - who had been much better to Vika and Agent Carter since the first day - Jeremy, Harry, and Collin.

Bucky slowly walked up to the men and stared sideways at them. They all looked confused as they talked quietly back and forth. Bucky came up in between Harry and Marcus. "What is Howard Stark doing going into Victoria's room?" Marcus asked.

The question was clearly pointed to Bucky, but he had no clue why Howard Stark would be in Victoria's room. She had sworn that there was nothing going on between them. And she hadn't lied to him, had she? "What?" Bucky finally asked.

The men nodded. "Howard Stark just walked into her room. She seemed pretty eager to get him in there too." An odd pang of jealousy shot through Bucky. He should have been the one in there with her. "Maybe there's something going on there," Marcus suggested. The men all laughed at the comment. With the exception of Bucky.

Bucky wasn't sure that he was willing to believe that something was going on in between them. "Yeah, I'm sure that they'd do something in there with the door wide open," he said with a little shake of his head.

Vika was smarter than that. "Door's closed," Marcus said, deflating Bucky's hope.

There had to be something else there. Vika wasn't with Stark. She couldn't be. "It is?" Bucky asked, ensuring that he'd heard correctly. The men all nodded. "What about Agent Carter? She's in that room too," Bucky reasoned.

It made no matter if it was the two of them in there with him. That just meant that they were having a private discussion about something scientific that Bucky didn't understand. That had happened a few times before. But normally in her office. Never in her room. "Agent Carter is right over there," Marcus said. Just as promised, Agent Carter was standing and speaking with Colonel Phillips. "It's just the two of them in there."

No way. She wouldn't do that. "They aren't together," Bucky said. But he was pretty sure that he was saying it more for his sake rather than anyone else's.

For the first time since Bucky had walked up to the men, someone other than Marcus spoke. "How do you know, Barnes? Getting a little jealous, are we?" Jeremy teased. He was the one person that always teased Bucky. They got on pretty well, although Bucky did not want to bring in Vika's strange relationship to Howard Stark.

Bucky ground his teeth together. "She's an old friend. She's allowed to see who she likes," he said, not wanting to get into this conversation with his friends. He had already had this conversation with them before.

It was awful every time. There were plenty of things that they thought. Some of them thought that Bucky and Vika had been together when they were younger. None of them seemed to believe him that they really weren't ever together. Other times they teased him that he made it painfully obvious that Bucky had feelings for her. He tried to pretend that he was ignoring them. The last thing that he wanted was for them to start making comments to her. From time to time they even suggested that she had feelings for him. He tried to ignore that. The last thing that he wanted was to get his hopes up only to have them crushed.

It was the way that he was feeling right now. Over the past few weeks Vika seemed to have been opening up to Bucky. He really thought that he was making progress with her. Hell, they had almost kissed. More than once, too. The other week at breakfast, he was sure that they would have, had Colonel Phillips not interrupted them. But now there was Howard Stark, coming to undo the one thing that Bucky wanted more than anything else.

"Always thought that she might be a little stiff," Harry said, interrupting Bucky's thoughts. Bucky hated hearing it. He would much rather her be that way. No one should ever think about her that way. Other than me. "Good to see someone around here knows how to ring her bell," Harry continued. The men all laughed once more.

And once more Bucky was the only one that didn't laugh. "Howard Stark. Girl can't do much better than that," Collin put in.

Not true. She could have me. Of course he didn't say that. "Bucky, man, you've gotta ask her what's going on between the two of them," Marcus said.

Bucky narrowed his eyes and shook his head at them. The one thing that he wanted more than her was her happiness. And if she was happy with Stark, no matter how much it hurt him, that was what would happen. She would be with him. And maybe that was the best thing for both of them. It wouldn't risk their friendship. But perhaps he would force himself to distance himself from her. It was the only way that it wouldn't continue to hurt him. Being around her, with no chance of being with her, was too hard.

"No," Bucky finally said. "That's her business. If she wants to be with Howard Stark, she's more than welcome too," he said, his fingers giving a painful twitch at the thought.

The men seemed to know that Bucky no longer wanted to speak about Bucky and Vika's relationship, so they moved on to someone else. "See what she was wearing?" Jeremy asked the others.

Bucky narrowed his eyes. That didn't sound very good. "What was she wearing?" he asked curiously.

Jeremy turned with a little glimmer in his eyes. Something that told Bucky ahead of time that he wouldn't like the answer. "Certainly less than you'll ever see her in!" he shouted with glee. Everyone laughed. Even Bucky cracked a smile at that one.

Until he thought that Howard Stark was seeing her like that. "I wouldn't want to see her like that anyways," Bucky said. Liar.

His face turned a little red at the thought of seeing her like that. No way. Unless she ever wanted that, I can't ever think about it. "I would," Collin said, once more making the others laugh.

He knew that Vika was rather fond of Collin, but he also knew that she wouldn't ever go for someone like Collin. Of course he thought the same way about Howard Stark. And we see how that turned out... "She ever wants to give me a chance, I'll be more than happy to share a few of my moves with her," Harry laughed.

They had come a long way from the men that liked to laugh about her yellow eyes. "Like you'd stand a chance against Howard Stark. Like any of us would," Marcus said. They all scoffed at each other but Bucky knew that it was the truth. None of them stood a chance against someone like Howard Stark. "How about you, Barnes? Still think that you stand a chance?"

"What?" Bucky asked dumbly.

Perhaps they knew a little more than what they let on about his relationship with Vika. "Come on, Bucky. Everyone knows that the two of you got a little thing going," Jeremy cut in.

Bucky shook his head. Not this. Not again. "No we don't. We're old friends," Bucky insisted. It was getting harder and harder to say that.

Jeremy snorted under his breath. "Uh-huh. I don't think that friends think about each other the way that you two do. Or at least, the way that you do towards her. You know that you talk in your sleep?" he asked.

"I do not!" Bucky snapped. Do I? He certainly hoped not. He knew that some of his dreams about Vika were not the kind that two unmarried people should ever be having about each other.

Marcus laid his hand on Bucky's shoulder and smiled at him. "We're just screwing with you, man," he said. The men all laughed and grabbed Bucky, trying to console him. Deep down they all knew that Bucky was the one person that Victoria really should be with. "But hey, if you really like her, go tell her. Stark might be flashy and fancy, but you've got the history with her," Marcus said.

Maybe. But I'm not going to do anything to interrupt her happiness. "I don't. I want her to be happy. And if that means that she wants to be with Howard Stark, she's more than welcome. Just matters to me that she's happy," he insisted.

"You're a good man, Bucky," Harry said. Bucky couldn't help but to give a small smile. "Now go on your breakfast date," he said, giving Bucky a gentle shove. They all laughed as Bucky rolled his eyes and turned towards the mess hall.

"Shut up," he called back to them as he continued to walk. For the first time in a long time, he found himself dreading having to face her.

Victoria's P.O.V.

Howard and I both sat twiddling our thumbs as we thought. Nothing seemed to be making any sense. Operation Rebirth only became more and more difficult as time passed. Every day I found myself wondering if things were really going to work or if we were going to end up creating another Red Skull. There was no way that we could afford to do that. So we just had to move slowly and hope that one day things would work out. They would, we just had to take our time and not rush things. We couldn't hurt another man like Abraham had done with the Red Skull.

Howard was finally the first one to speak. "So we try and figure out a way for you to be able to channel the radiation and that might be the key to unlocking at least one part of the serum?" he asked me.

I nodded as I shifted back onto my heels and tucked my legs underneath me. Might as well get comfortable. This conversation would likely be had a hundred times before we ever made sense of anything. "Yeah. But we have to figure out how. I don't even know how to channel it," I said, referring to my radiation mutation.

It really didn't make any sense. I'd only seen it once and that had been over a year ago. "What happened the first time?" Howard asked me, startling me from my thoughts. "What made it happen?" he continued.

Slowly, I shrugged my shoulders at him. Probably the panic. "I don't know. I was escaping Stryker's lab. I just remember being trapped while Logan tried to break through the wall. I think that I was... afraid. Afraid that I would have to go back. Maybe we try and replicate those feelings," I suggested weakly.

Not really a great idea, but it was better than nothing. "No," Howard barked almost immediately.

"Why not?" I asked.

Howard glared at me. It was one of the least friendly that I'd ever seen him. He was always smiling and happy. Not this time. "Because this serum is not worth having to put you through those feelings again. We aren't doing that. There has to be another way," he said.

That was sweet of him. Not wanting me to sacrifice my own sanity for the serum. But I was willing to do it if it meant that we figured something out. "Maybe I can just try and channel it. Not here," I said automatically. Nothing here was strong enough to contain it. Even Stryker's building hadn't been enough to contain it. "I need somewhere that if I do manage to gain control, I'm not going to kill anyone or melt the building."

Howard seemed to think on it for a moment. "I have a radiation chamber back at Stark Industries. It should be able to contain anything that you can throw at it. I can take you next week?" he offered.

"Next week will work," I told him before rising to my feet. The clock - and my grumbling stomach - were telling me that it was past time for me to get leaving to breakfast. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to breakfast."

I excused myself and opened the door to my room. Unlike before, no one was out in the hallway. Howard stood and walked up behind me. "Ah yes, another one of your dates," he said as we walked out.

"Not a date!" I barked.

Howard walked past me and smiled, tugging gently at the collar of it. "Leave that shirt unbuttoned another one," he said. I glared darkly at him, wanting to give him another strong shock. "Not for me! Mind you - I wouldn't mind seeing that. For Private Barnes. I guarantee you'll impress him with that," he said as we stood in the doorway.

"Get out."

He did as I ordered but waited for me out in the hallway. "You wouldn't still be single if you ever listened to me," Howard sang to me as we walked through the hall.

I turned to him with my eyebrows raised. "I also wouldn't have an ounce of credit. Even less than I have right now," I told him.

Howard smiled at me and turned to walk through the hallway. "Have a good day, Victoria," he said. I assumed that he was heading back to the laboratory to work on the chamber. "I'll see you tonight," he called.

My feet halted. "Tonight?" I asked. I wasn't aware that we were supposed to be meeting tonight.

Howard nodded. A slightly guilty look had crossed over his face. It was one that I didn't like. "Dr. Erskine would like to see us tonight. With Chester and Peggy. He wants you to finally tell her what you are," he told me.

My face went white. "Why?" I asked.

At least now I knew what he looked so guilty for. He knew that the last thing that I wanted was to tell Peggy the truth about what I was. "If we're all going to work together, we need to know about each other. Not the entire team, but the people that should know everything. Peggy is on that list. You can't keep hiding this from her," Howard tried to argue with me.

It was the truth. But I had just found people that I really cared for. I couldn't lose them. Not now. "I - I can't tell her. Howard, I've never had a friend before. That was a girl, anyways. I've just become really good friends with Peggy, if I tell her, I'll lose her," I said softly.

This was probably the least confident that Howard had ever seen me. Howard moved forward and grabbed my hand. "You didn't lose me," he said, pulling me into him gently.

"You're different," I said softly.

Howard raised his brows. "How's that?" he asked.

Slowly, I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. You're used to things like me. Strange, hard to understand, you're a man of science. Things like me fascinate you," I said weakly.

"Victoria, I think that there's one thing you might be forgetting. You're still a person. The mutation, that's not all of you. I think that you forget that. There's still a person in there. Victoria Davies - the girl that I know - is a true friend of Peggy. And she'll see that. Give her a chance, she might take the news better than you think," Howard told me.

He was right. I hadn't bothered to separate myself from the mutation since I had discovered it. I had always been a mutation. There had never been a Victoria Davies. It had always been Yellow Eyes, the mutant. "Thank you, Howard. I'll tell her. You'll all be there when I do?" I asked him.

Howard nodded at me. "Of course. You aren't going to do this alone. You'll never be alone," he told me. I smiled and moved forward to give him a tight hug. He pressed a kiss into my hair and I smiled once more as I backed away from him. "Now go flirt with Barnes," he said, motioning me over to the mess hall.

My eyes narrowed at him. There's the Howard Stark that I know and love. "You seriously couldn't be normal for more than thirty seconds?" I asked him with a deep scowl.

"Of course not. Now leave. I'll lock up for you," he said.

I thanked Howard and turned to leave the barracks. As I walked out of the hall I saw a few of the men that usually guarded them. I smiled at them and waved as I walked by. With each passing week the men here seemed to like me more and more. I knew that some of them enjoyed watching me beat the life out of the recruits. They thought that it was funny. Others just liked the way that I looked. As long as they kept it in their minds, it didn't bother me. I walked past them and into the mess hall, searching all over the place for Bucky.

Finally I found him, at a table in the far corner of the room. His head was in his hands and a cup of coffee was practically untouched in front of him. "Bucky!" I chirped brightly, taking a seat in front of him. "Good morning."

He barely glanced up at me. "Morning," he said softly.

Someone needs their coffee. "Are you ready to start training today?" I asked, continuing speaking before he could give me an answer. "You're going to be dealing with all types of arms. Long arms, short arms, and every type of other firearm that I don't have time to list. I can't wait to start training you guys," I said excitedly.

"Yeah. It'll be fun," Bucky said.

Okay. Something is seriously wrong here. I gently kicked out at Bucky's legs and nudged his arm. "What's wrong? Didn't get enough sleep last night?" I teased.

"I did."

What the hell happened to him? Suddenly a little bubble of fear sunk into me. Was there a chance that it was something that I did? I hadn't thought that I'd done anything to make him angry with me. "Is it something that I did?" I asked him. Bucky didn't answer me. "I didn't forget your birthday, did I?" I teased once more, knowing that it was nowhere near Bucky's birthday.

Bucky finally looked up at me and I had to resist going in and reading his mind. It was something that I had told myself that I would never do. Not to him. "No. Nothing you did. I'm just... ready to get to training," Bucky said.

Yeah right. I had known Bucky for a long time, and mind-reader or not, I knew that he was lying to me. Something was bothering him. "Uh-huh. How about the truth?" I asked, praying that he would tell me the truth.

"It's nothing, Victoria," Bucky said.

Now I know that something is wrong. Even the day that we met, Bucky never called me Victoria. He was the one person that never called me by my given name. And now I knew that something was wrong. And whatever was wrong, he was blaming me for. It was the only reason that he would have called me Victoria. "Did you just call me Victoria?" I asked.

Bucky glanced up at me and nodded. "That's your name, isn't it?" he asked me.

Ouch. What the hell did I do that was really that bad? "Well, yeah, but you don't call me Victoria. I don't think that I ever remember you calling me Victoria. It's always Vika. What did I do?" I asked, genuinely hurt.

"You could have told me," Bucky said, glancing up at me quickly. That was when I saw it. The hurt that was in his eyes. Something had happened to him, and it was my fault. "I asked you about it too," Bucky said.

What had he asked me about? "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You and Howard Stark."

My eyes bulged. What the hell was he talking about? He thought that something was going on between us? Maybe we spent a lot of time together, but that didn't mean that we were anything more than friends. Had someone told him something? Had our kiss been seen or discovered by someone? There was no way. But that was something that would genuinely hurt Bucky. I knew that he didn't like Howard. And I knew that he wasn't fond of our friendship with each other.

"What?" I finally asked dumbly.

Bucky looked up at me, pain in his eyes. "You should have just said something. I've always wanted you to be happy. No matter who it's with. I don't love Howard Stark, but if he's who makes you happy -"

"No. No," I interrupted. "Where did you hear this?" I asked him.

Was it just a guess or did he have good reason for being this way? "The other recruits, Vika. They saw you. They saw the two of you," Bucky told me.

My God. Someone had been there that night. How? "How did the recruits see Howard and I kiss? We were in Stark Industries and no one else was around," I said more to myself than him.

Bucky's eyes widened and I immediately knew that I had said something wrong. "You kissed Howard Stark?" he asked me.

And that was when I realized that it hadn't been the kiss between Howard and I that Bucky had been talking about. "Oh my God. That wasn't what you were talking about," I muttered softly to myself. Come on, Victoria! You're a telepath for God's sake! This is the wrong time to try and be noble. Use it and fix this mess! "What were you talking about?" I asked him.

I screwed this up. I screwed this up big-time. "Apparently the wrong thing," Bucky said angrily. Not good. Really not good. "I was talking about him being in your room earlier. With you wearing less than normally accepted," he said.

How stupid could I get? Bucky had meant that someone had seen me walking into my room with Howard earlier, before I had put on the shirt. Oh God, I was so dumb. How the hell did that happen? I was a telepath! "No, Bucky..." I muttered as he stood to leave.

"So you and Stark are together?" he asked me.

"No!"

His eyebrows rose. I knew that this was sounding worse and worse by the second. But was the truth any better than trying to tell another lie? Probably not. "But you kissed him?" Bucky asked me.

Slowly I shook my head. "Well, yeah, but it makes sense when you think about it," I tried to reason.

No it doesn't, you twit. "How does that make any sense?" Bucky asked me, narrowing his eyes.

How did I explain this? There really was no way to explain it. Unless I wanted to tell him the embarrassing truth that I had feelings for him. But that wasn't really in my plans for the day. Or ever. "Because you have to understand what I'm talking about. I only kissed Howard because..." I trailed off, not sure how to word it.

"Because?" Bucky prodded.

If I was going to tell him something, it wasn't going to be here with everyone else watching. "Come with me. Please," I said, reaching to his hands but not touching him. I didn't want to push my luck here. "I don't want to have to have this conversation out here. Not with everyone else around. Please? I'll make it fast," I said softly.

Bucky stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Alright," he said. The two of us stood and Bucky followed me out of the mess hall and around the corner. We were out of eye-shot of everyone else. It was a good thing though. The last thing that I wanted was to be anywhere near anyone else. "Vika, you don't have to explain to me. I understand what happened. If you're happy with him -"

He was not happy for me. Not about that. And that wasn't even a thing! "Bucky, listen to me!" I shouted. His eyes went wide but he stopped talking. "I'm not with Howard Stark. I don't want to be with Howard Stark. I love him, but he's like my brother. He's like Steve is. Just... a little more - a lot more - arrogant," I explained.

"And me?" Bucky asked.

My words were failing me. How can you know every theorem in calculus, theoretical physics, advanced genetics, and every language, yet not know how to explain a stupid kiss? "You know that you mean the world to me," I said softly.

Bucky simply stared at me for a while. And I knew why. I had essentially told him that Steve and Howard meant more to me than he did. Which was a complete lie. "But I don't mean to you what Stark and Steve do?" he asked me.

Idiot! "You're just different. You know that," I said, making my case no less pathetic.

Bucky laughed and turned to leave. "Great, I'm different," he said.

I reached out and caught him around the arm. I did not want him leaving me with this conversation unfinished. "It's not a bad thing. I swear," I told him, pleading him to believe me.

Bucky stared at me and grabbed my hands. I could feel myself sweating and I wanted nothing more than to punch myself. He was such a good guy and here I was, ruining any chances of being with him. Or anyone, at this rate. "Why did you kiss him? Was it to see if you had feelings for him?" Bucky asked me.

My heart gave a painful twinge. "No. No, I knew that I didn't have feelings for him. You wouldn't understand," I said.

But it was stupid to think that something like that would have deterred Bucky from asking anything more. "I want to understand," Bucky told me.

I could tell that it was the both of us trying to salvage the friendship that seemed to be going down the drain quickly. "It's just that he was teasing me because I'd never kissed someone," I said softly.

Bucky's eyes went wide. "You hadn't?" he asked me softly.

Slowly, I shook my head at him. "No. I sort of had other things going on over the years. I didn't have time to think about that," I said. Maybe I really should tell him the truth. Maybe at least part of the truth. "Howard thought that I might as well get it over with, not let it get built up and make me a bumbling fool when I had my real first kiss with..."

"With?" Bucky asked.

Should I tell him? Would it make a difference? "It doesn't matter," I said.

We were barely hanging on by the threads here. The crumbling remains of our friendship would fall apart the second that I told him about my feelings for him. "Stark thinks that you like someone?" he asked.

I nodded at him. "Well, yeah, and he's right, but it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. I mean my first kiss was something that I didn't want a big deal made out of and it wasn't. Plus it made me less nervous for -"

"For?" he prodded.

"Nothing."

My head was tilted down at the ground as Bucky placed his hands underneath my chin and lifted them up. "Vika, come on, tell me the truth," he said softly.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Goodbye, Bucky. "For you..." I finally admitted.

Bucky seemed to pale, more than I had ever seen him before. Clearly I had really hurt him before. Now it seemed like I had just shocked him more than he thought was possible. "Me?" he asked softly.

I let out a deep breath. I'd already started this. So I guess I might as well explain it. There went my friendship with Bucky. As much as Howard and Peggy liked to think that he had feelings for me, they were wrong. The few times that I'd heard his thoughts were just him on impulse. I was going to pour out my heart to him and he would let me down. But he'd do it nicely. Because it was Bucky. The guy that could have any girl that he wanted. The guy that would be foolish to settle with Yellow Eyes.

"Yeah. Bucky, I like to make fun of you, but you're no idiot. I know that you know what I'm talking about. I like you, I always have. And I probably always will. But I mean, you don't have to feel the same way. I don't expect you to feel the same way. I just... For a while I thought that something was going on and Howard was teasing me that I would be less nervous around you if I got my first kiss out of the way and it helped me be less nervous. It really did.

"But now I just feel stupid because I should have never thought that you would actually go for someone like me. I mean there are so many girls out there that would love to go out on a date with you, so why would you settle for me? That's the answer I guess. You wouldn't. So I don't want this affecting us, we're still friends and you can forget that I -"

Bucky cut me off with the last thing that I had ever thought that he would do. For a moment I wasn't even sure that it was really happening. I thought that maybe I was still asleep and dreaming. But I wasn't. I knew that I wasn't. For the first time in my life, someone was really kissing me. And it was Bucky. It was nothing like the kiss that Howard and I had shared. The kiss that had been sweet and seemed to be between friends. This was something completely different. And it was something that I wanted to experience forever.

I stood in stunned silence for a moment, too surprised to do anything else. One of Bucky's hands went up to my hair and knotted itself in it. He had my head pressed against his and I laughed softly. This was really happening. His other hand was on the back of my hip as I reached my arms up and tied them over his shoulders, pulling him flush against me. This was better than anything that I had ever experienced. Even when I'd gotten away from Stryker. Our lips moved together as Bucky tilted my head back, kissing me even deeper than before.

His feet moved me back and I took a few steps away from him. But he remained pressed against me. We laughed against each other's mouths as he backed me against the metal sheet of the mess hall. My hands fell from around his neck and moved down to press against his chest. We must have been together for almost five minutes before he finally released me. Actually it's been three minutes and thirty-six seconds. Even though we were no longer linked at the mouth, we stayed with our foreheads pressed together. Bucky leaned forward and gave me one more, quick kiss on the lips before releasing me and letting me take a step back.

Well there's no coming back from that. Now what? "What - Why?" I asked pathetically, completely out of breath. That was what I had always imagined a real kiss to be like.

Bucky grinned at me, all of his previous confidence seemingly restored. "There had to be some way to get you to stop talking," he told me. We both laughed and I realized that his hand was still on my face. I turned into him and pressed a small kiss against his palm. "Come on, Vika. You should have known that I always cared about you," he told me.

"I - I know. But I didn't think that you really cared this much. I mean, we're friends. We've always been friends. Why would you want anything more than that from me?" I asked him.

He gave me a rather unattractive laugh. "You're the smartest person that I know. How can you be so stupid?" he asked me.

Trust me when I say that I ask myself that question every day. "I'm gonna tack on thirty push-ups next time," I teased, wanting to try and stay off of the topic that I knew we were going to have to discuss anyways.

Bucky stepped forward and grabbed my hand. "Vika, I love you. I've always loved you. From the minute that I met you, to the day that you disappeared, to the whole time that you were gone, to the day that I saw you again, to right now, and every day in the future," he said.

My head aimed down at the ground. He always knew how to say things like that. He always knew how to embarrass me the way that no one else could. "I didn't know," I mumbled softly.

"I've been thinking of the right way to tell you," Bucky told me.

I laughed under my breath. "Don't worry, I've saved you the trouble of looking like a fool," I told him. We both laughed as I took a step closer to Bucky. "And you definitely could do that again," I said with a small smile.

Bucky grabbed me around the waist. "Better than Stark?" he asked me.

I laughed loudly and shook my head at him. After a moment I wrapped my arms around his neck once more. "Much better," I said softly.

"May I?" Bucky asked me. A smile spread over my face as I laughed softly. He had no clue how similar he was to Howard. They both asked me the same thing when they wanted to kiss me.

I nodded at him. "Of course. You don't have to ask," I told him.

Once more he pressed his lips against mine. I grinned and kissed him back, pressing against him as he pressed me back against the metal wall. A little laugh escaped my mouth as my hands wound over his shoulders and pushed their way through his hair. It was softer than I remembered it to be. Bucky's hands wound their way around my waist, tugging me into him as tightly as he could. Our lips moved together and more than once we would separate for a moment to laugh against each other. This was the best thing that I'd ever experienced.

After a few minutes he let me go and I took a step back. "Bucky, there's something that I need to say," I said, suddenly remembering where we were and what we were doing. "We... we can't really keep this going," I said as Bucky's face fell. "Not yet," I corrected. "I can't be seen with you. You'll be discharged, at least from my unit. They can't think that something is up between us. It shows favoritism. We need to pretend that nothing has changed," I said.

Bucky nodded at me. "I can do that. Just a few more weeks," he said with a small smile.

He was right. There was really only another month to go before he graduated. But there was one more problem. "But once you're gone - I know that you're going to be deployed. I - I need you focused out there. I can't lose you," I said, grabbing his hand tightly.

Bucky shook his head at me and pressed a kiss against my temple. "Hey now, you aren't going to lose me," he said before moving back away from me. "Alright, Vika. We do this right when I come back. I'm gonna take you out. All of your favorite things. The day that I'm back, okay?" he asked me.

I laughed softly and nodded at him. "Okay. But win the war first, plan a date afterwards," I teased.

The air was vastly different from the way that it was just a few minutes ago. "The war will be over in no time," Bucky said and I laughed loudly. "I've got something to come back to."

My smile spread over my face. I'd never had someone that meant so much to me that Bucky did. God, I loved him. Not that I was ready to say something like that yet. Bucky turned to leave before I grabbed onto him. "Hang on. One more." Bucky laughed as we pulled each other in for one more - and last, at least for a while - kiss. We stayed locked together for a few minutes before I finally pulled away from him. "Something to make sure that you know what you'll get when you come back," I told him.

Bucky pushed my hair behind my ears and pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead. "It's gonna be hard not to do that," he told me.

A smile spread across my face. "Well just know that Chester will light your ass on fire if you ever do that in front of him," I said. Bucky laughed and nodded at me. "Get to training, Private Barnes," I snapped playfully.

Bucky came into a salute and I smiled. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am," he called out.

He let me walk out from between the two buildings first. I laughed as I walked away with a bright smile on my face. Even from here I could hear Bucky's thoughts. They were loud and clear. I knew it. I giggled softly as I walked forward and towards where the recruits were gathering. Things had changed between Bucky and I. And this time it was for the better. He was never going to watch me walk away from him again. I was going to be here for him, no matter what, always. He was my best friend. And today, he had become something more. Something that I had always wanted. Now what the hell were Howard and Peggy going to say?

Perhaps I'd discuss it with Peggy first. I somehow figured that she would have less scathing comments about my stupidity in not believing he had feelings for me than Howard would. I walked up to Peggy with a stupid grin on my face. "You seem awfully happy today," she told me as I came to stand next to her.

I nodded with a bright smile. Bucky walked up a moment after me, coming to stand next to Jeremy and Marcus. He gave me a sharp wink and I blushed, pushing away the pink tone it my eyes. "I have to talk to you later," I told Peggy, desperately looking away from Bucky.

"Girl talk?" Peggy asked me.

"Girl talk," I confirmed.

It seemed that she was as excited for girl talk as I was. It was something that we didn't get to do too often, considering the two of us were always busy with something or another. "Apparently Dr. Erskine, Howard, and Chester would like to speak to us later," Peggy said as we waited for Chester and the other recruits to come into the room.

I nodded mutely at her. Maybe girl talk would need to be saved for another day. "Yes. So I've heard," I told her, not ready yet to reveal what that chat was going to be about. "We can head over after we're done with the recruits. Do you want to get dinner together tonight? That's probably the best time for us to talk," I told her.

I knew that even after we talked with the other men I would need to take more time to explain to Peggy. It was a lot to take in all at one time. She would need time to process. "Not having dinner with Private Barnes?" Peggy asked me.

"He's actually who I need to speak to you about," I told her softly.

The last thing that I needed was for this to get out before it even really became something. For now we just had to pretend that nothing had changed in between us. When he came back we would be able to see what we really could be. "Well then, we'll get done with the meeting as quickly as possible," Peggy chirped. I laughed softly. "Let's get this show on the road. Shall we?" she asked me.

I nodded at her brightly. "We shall. Gentlemen!" I called out. They all jumped to stand at attention. Another week had gone by and the men had only gotten even better bout me. "Good morning. Welcome to Week Four. You've now been here for a month. Things are getting harder. We know that you miss your families and friends. This will be worth it come graduation. And after this week, you'll be to the halfway mark. Today we are teaching you all about marksmanship. Cleaning the weapon, holding it, firing it, shooting from different positions, and how to breathe properly. All things that you will be learning about today. Agent Carter and I will be with you for the majority of the day," I called out to them.

As I spoke Chester had come over to stand next to us. He was glaring at the group and I nodded to him, letting him know that I was done speaking. "Go to your assigned stations! We'll be around to assist. Get started!" Chester barked.

The men all ran over to their stations. The stations that they were closest to. They didn't completely hate Peggy and I anymore, they actually seemed to like the two of us now. Most of them, anyways, But that didn't mean that they didn't like to complain. They loved to complain about the two of us. But that was normally put out the moment that Chester barked out an order. Everyone knew that he was the one person to never mess with. It had only taken a few long - and rather loud - lectures to the men for them to learn that Chester was not a man to be messed with.

So the recruits went to work and I went about walking back and forth. I followed the section that started with handguns. The section that Bucky was a part of. It really hadn't been on purpose. They were using the Colt M1911 first. Most of the men seemed vaguely familiar with it. Although that wasn't to say that their aim was that great from twenty-five feet back. There were five rings on the target and most shots were going to the second or third from the center. I supposed that in some cases it could be a kill shot.

But it wasn't good enough. And that was why the recruits were getting howled at each time the shot wasn't good enough. I rather enjoyed watching Bucky get shouted at by a Drill Sergeant when his shot barely scraped the target with the Smith and Wesson M&P. It was a revolver that held six rounds, much less useful than the Colt if you ask me. Harder to shoot too.

It was evidence by Bucky's shot that went to the outermost ring. I walked up behind him and shook my head. "You missed," I commented dryly.

Bucky turned to me and I reached around him, yanking the gun out of his hands and placing it on the table. The last thing that I needed was to explain why I could magically kick bullets out of my body. "Thank you, Vika, I could have never guessed that," Bucky said sarcastically.

He went to pick up the gun once more and I watched him closely. I glanced down at his grip and rolled my eyes. He never did like to listen. "Well perhaps if you were holding it the way that I had taught you -" I started before he cut me off.

"I am!"

I folded my arms over my chest. "You are not," I argued, motioning over to his hands. "Where does your thumb belong?" I asked him.

"Over my other... thumb..." he trailed off, realizing that he had been wrong. His thumb was behind the hammer, which was throwing his shots off too far to the left. He corrected the way that he had been holding his gun before turning back to me. "I knew that," he said.

"I know," I said with a little laugh. "Keep working." His next shot went just an inch off of the center and I smiled. There you go. I needed to walk away from Bucky after that, since I was finding myself far too tempted to read his mind and see what else he really thought about the kiss earlier.

So I walked off and followed the men to the automatic pistol that they would be using. They were definitely rather miserable with that. Of course, for most of the men, they had never actually fired a gun before. They were using something called the M2 Hyde. They would probably never actually go out into the field with them - as they weren't the most reliable guns in the world - but it was for the best that they at least understood that way that they worked. The Drill Sergeants didn't make them spend too much time at that station. They would much rather the recruits know more about the rifles.

That was mostly considering that rifles and pistols would be their main weapons. They began with my personal favorite. The M1903 Springfield. It was an older rifle, used in the First World War, but that made it no less reliable. These days it was used more as a sniper rifle. That was why the recruits were almost eighty feet back from the target. Still not nearly as far as they would be in the field. I smiled brightly when I saw that Bucky was rather good with it. He was hitting all of his targets. He'd make a good sharpshooter.

The recruits also used the M1 Carbine. It was the standard that was carried by our military, and others. It meant that if the recruits came against a foreign force, there was a good chance that they would be able to use their weapons. If need be, that is. The other model that they needed to know was the Winchester Model 70. The Marines were normally the ones that used it and I was grateful. The bolt-action wasn't my favorite. But they still needed to know how to use them.

The recruits moved to the shotguns next. I was sure that it hurt their ears. They had earplugs but I could tell that it still hurt them. I had the supersonic hearing, but the bangs and concussions didn't bother me. They used the Browning Auto-5 first. It was incredibly loud and the first successful semi-automatic shotgun. The only benefit that I could see was that it was almost impossible to miss the target. The Winchester Model 21 was the same way. It was a side-by-side break action that was even louder than the Browning.

I watched Bucky fire at a target and shook my head. He was doing just fine, but he was holding it incorrectly. He was holding it too low. If he continued firing like that - with the butt of the rifle right underneath his shoulder - he was going to push the shoulder right out of place. And - speaking from experience - I knew how painful that was.

So I walked over to him and reached around him, stopping him from firing again. "You'll dislocate your shoulder if you keep on like that. Come here," I told him. I reached around him and placed the shoulder a little higher up, so that it was resting in the joint. I pushed it back too, ensuing that it wouldn't be moving around too much.

The way that we were standing together, I was wrapped around him and his mouth was right next to his ear. Bucky turned towards my ear and I smiled, attempting to remain calm. "Shouldn't this be the other way around?" he asked me, his breath tickling my ear.

I laughed and released the gun. "You can play tough guy in a few weeks. Months. Whatever," I said softly.

Not that he would ever be the tough guy. I was always going to be the one that could beat him. In everything. We stared at each other and I blushed softly, trying to look away from him before I became too tempted. "Victoria!" a rather loud shout echoed across the yard.

Immediately I knew that it was Chester and I knew that he wasn't happy. "Gotta go," I quipped at Bucky before darting off. I walked over to Chester with my hands folded over my chest. "What? I was helping a recruit," I told him.

Chester narrowed his eyes at me and I blushed, knowing that he wasn't going to be happy with the way that I was acting around Bucky. Hopefully I could hide that kiss from him for the rest of training. He certainly wouldn't like it. "And it just happened to be that one? The one that you were touching like the way a -"

"Don't you have a job to do other than embarrassing me?" I snapped at him, not wanting to hear where he was going with that conversation. Probably nowhere good.

"I'm your father," Chester said, and I gave a bitter smile. He really was my father. He was much better than the one that I had gotten. "That's my only job," he told me.

I laughed under my breath and shook my head at him. He had a point. That usually was what men were good for. Fathers, husbands, brothers, all of them. The only thing that they were good for was embarrassing the girls in their loves. "Go do the one that you actually get paid for, old man," I snapped playfully before turning away.

The men moved off to the one weapon that I was really excited for them to use. Not that they were live-firing them yet. They were using the grenade launchers. Or at least, they were learning the techniques. We had to move to another place with less things - the barracks, mess hall, and weapons storage - before they could actually fire them. They were using the M7 grenade launcher. It could fire them over three hundred and eighty yards. Although they would have to be careful when they were actually firing them. If they missed it would give away their position. I could hear the Drill Sergeants giving them the same warning.

Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed that Bucky was throwing duds. I couldn't help but to take the opportunity to mess with him. "I hope you know that I'm going to be on the other side of the camp when you get to do live fire in a few weeks," I told him as he was loading another blank cartridge.

Bucky glanced up at me as he ceased aiming for a moment. "Don't worry, Vika, I wouldn't want to damage that pretty face of yours," he told me. I blushed and turned to walk away before the color could flood into my eyes.

It took the men a few minutes before they moved over to the infantry machine guns. They began with the Lewis gun. It was used mostly in the First World War but it was still somewhat used. It had started being used here in the United States but had been perfected over in the United Kingdom. It would probably never be used by the soldiers but it was important that they knew, just in case. The easier one that they used was the Browning M1918A2. Every branch of the military used it and I knew that most of the men here would end up carrying one at least once.

After lunch - which I'd eaten in the lab as I ran over Howard's drawings of the radiation chamber - we'd come back to training. Even as I watched the recruits I kept thinking over his drawings. They looked like they would work but it would take a lot of money and time to build it. Money and time that we really didn't have. Well, we had the time. Considering the serum still wasn't ready. We didn't have the money. The Army was already in debt. We just needed to keep moving forward. I knew that we were hoping to have it done in a few months.

Although my thoughts were cut off when the men started to learn about the tanks that they would be using. Maybe not all of them - considering I didn't trust some of them to even drive a car - but it was important that they understood the controls. They weren't learning to use the weaponry. They were only learning how to drive and operate them. They used the M2 light tank first. It was equipped with the M5 gun and M1919 Browning machine guns. They used the M5 Stuart after that. We were also having them look at the M18 Hellcat. They were only models - as it wasn't quite ready for mass production yet. There was a good chance that in the next year or so they would begin mass producing them for the war efforts.

They moved onto mortars after that. The M1 and M2 mortar. It was extraordinarily heavy for just one of the men to carry. One hundred and thirty six pounds total. I had to resist showing off by picking it up in one hand. Bucky was able to carry it and place it, but he seemed to be having a hard time actually moving with it. Not that I blamed him. I knew anything over eighty pounds would be hard for him to move.

The last thing that we watched them train with were the rocket launchers. A personal favorite of mine. The T40 Whizbang was the first thing that I saw them use. It - like the Hellcat - was only a prototype. That was probably much farther away from mass production. A few years, at the shortest. The men seemed to have a good time using that. Not that it really worked. They moved to the Rocket Launcher M1 after that - also known as the bazooka. It was about to be put into mass production.

Bucky aimed and fired his last shot and I snorted as it went about a foot off of the target. Not that it mattered. The whole area blew up. I walked up behind him and smiled. "You have terrible aim," I told him.

He turned back to me and glared playfully. "You have terrible motivational skills," he snapped at me.

I knew that the two of us were just playing around with each other. "This is the Army, I'm not here to babysit you," I told him. He glared at me and I grinned back. "Just teasing," I said before turning away. "Alright!" I called out to the others, making them cease their work. "Well done to all of you. Continue to work. I'll see you all tomorrow. Drill Sergeants, keep them going. Improve, take this time to learn slowly. Best of luck," I said before turning to where Peggy was standing. I held an arm out to her. "Shall we?"

She nodded at me and turned towards the lab. "We shall," she said.

The two of us walked over towards the lab, giving small greetings to the other men that were standing around. Bucky was watching me leave and I gave him a little wink, laughing as a Drill Sergeant shouted at him to get back to work. He jumped and darted back to his spot. I laughed as I sauntered over to the lab. Oh yeah, I'm gonna enjoy watching him get himself into trouble. Peggy and I walked into the lab and I realized that the meeting would be in Abraham's office. The blinds were drawn and we walked in, seeing that Chester - who had left training a while ago - Howard - who had been at Stark Industries for most of the day - and Abraham were already seated.

We both took seats on the far end of the room and I began to twist my hands nervously. Bucky had distracted me for most of the day, but there was no running now. "So what's this all about?" Peggy asked after a beat of silence.

"We've recently decided that everyone directly involved with Operation Rebirth should know everything about the others that are directly involved. We've been keeping one, rather large, secret from you," Abraham told her.

He was in his normal coat and I watched as Peggy's brows knitted. We didn't have to be able to read her mind to know that she was getting suspicious. "Us?" Peggy asked curiously, pointing to herself and then at me.

"No. Only you," I told her softly.

Her eyebrows knitted together once more. "Oh. And what's that?" she asked.

Giving a quick glance at the others, I saw that they were nodding at me. Tell her. She'll understand, I could hear Howard's thoughts telling me. "Don't be angry with them. Be angry with me," I told her. "The secret is mine. I didn't want to share it. But it's time. If you're going to be working with us, you deserve to know the truth. You deserve to know why I'm really here," I said.

She gave me a confused stare and turned to look at me. "I know why you're here. Because you're one of the brightest minds in genetics. The one person that understands all about mutation," she said.

A small smile spread over my face. She was very much correct. But she deserved to know why I knew so much about genetics. "Yes. But there's a reason that I know all about it," I told her.

She didn't actually look upset with me. She looked like she was sad. Perhaps sad because I had thought that I'd needed to hide something from her. She would understand why in a matter of moments. "Why have you waited this long to say anything to me?" Peggy asked me.

"Because it's not exactly something easy to understand. Trust me. Peggy, you're my friend, that's why I've been reluctant to tell you."

"Of course I'm your friend," she told me.

"You might feel a little differently after this," I said.

She shook her head determinedly at me. "I highly doubt that," Peggy said.

I couldn't help but to smile at her. She really was a good friend. But no one was really such a good friend that they could understand what I was about to tell her. "Do you remember those dog tags that are on my shelf? The ones that I told you that I would one day tell you about?" I asked her.

It was the easiest way that I could think to explain my predicament. "Yes," Peggy said slowly.

"It's high time that you understand what they mean. Peggy, I'm not one hundred percent human. I'm what people call a mutant. See, mutation is something that normally takes a few million years. It occurs slowly. Blue eyes, useless wisdom teeth, those sorts of things. But every few millennia, evolution takes a rather large leap. I mentioned to you once the theory of people being born with special powers. It's not just a theory. It's real," I told her.

For a few seconds she just stared at me. For a moment I really thought that she was going to get up and leave. But a smile eventually spread over her face and she began to stand. "Okay. This is a very funny joke. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have work to be done," she said.

She began to stand but Chester spoke before she could. "It's not a joke, Agent Carter," he said.

So I decided that the one way that I could really get her to believe me wasn't to tell her. It was only going to work if I showed her. So I slipped into her mind and looked straight at her. It's real, Peggy. I'm real.

Her jaw dropped and I could hear her attempting to find any way for that to have just made sense. She was always pale, but her face seemed to have gone the shade of the pure white walls in the room. "How did you do that? Your lips weren't moving," she said.

It's called telepathy. I can speak to you in your mind. I can read it too. Right now you're trying to think of any scientific way that this can be explained. And now you simply can't believe it. You're wondering about my eyes. When I stayed in someone's mind a long enough time they would turn completely white, a black swirl like the galaxy spinning in the center. That's what they do when I stay in someone's mind for a prolonged period of time. I could even control your mind if I wished to do so.

Peggy's jaw was hanging open and I was waiting for it to snap off. "How can you do that?" she asked me.

"It's a very long and boring explanation. Long story short, mutation." I glanced over at Abraham's desk and saw that there was a thick needle on his desk. "May I see that needle?" I asked him.

He nodded and grabbed it, holding it out to me. "Certainly."

Taking the needle, I pressed it down against my forearm. Just the way that Stryker had once done. But it no longer hurt and this time it was under my control. "What are you doing!?" Peggy howled at me, reaching out to grab the needle as I ran it up the inside of my forearm.

"Don't worry. It doesn't hurt," I insisted to her.

She nodded at me and I noticed that instead of her still being white, she was now turning green as she glanced down at the Chronicle seeping out. I had to continue running the needle up and down my arm since the Chronicle kept trying to close the wound. "It's green. Your blood is green," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

I shook my head at her. "It's not blood. There's not a drop of blood in me. This is called Chronicle." She didn't look like she understood what I was talking about, so I explained. "It's an alien element. Not found on Earth. There's almost none of it, anywhere on Earth, other than in me. It makes me highly valuable. Because Chronicle is a healing agent. It can heal from any wound, and any poison."

Her eyes widened and she looked shocked. I could hear in her thoughts that she was thinking the same thing that everyone else thought the first time that they learned about it. "It could cure disease," she said softly.

I shook my head at her. That was where everyone's thoughts tended to go. "That's where the tricky part comes in. Chronicle is so strong that it presents itself as a toxin. The chemicals don't react well with humans or animals. It kills everything that it comes in contact with. Except for me. Watch," I told her.

Slowly I split the skin with the needle that I was holding. Peggy stared wide-eyed as I pulled the skin back, revealing a tiny bit of the Adamantium plated bone underneath. As I pulled the skin back, I held it there for a moment before releasing it. The skin that was split - going all the way up my inner arm - began to seal itself back together. It only took about ten seconds before the skin was closed together once more. There wasn't even the tiniest mark to show that I'd ever done anything.

Peggy's jaw was once more hanging open. "My God. That's incredible," she said. I nodded at her and noticed that the three others in the room were nodding too. "Was your bone silver?" she asked, finally managing to look at me.

Once more I nodded at her. "Yes. It's not really bone. When I was fourteen I was taken by a man named William Stryker. He spent seven years developing my mutations, and in the process, torturing me." Her eyes looked pained at my words. "The worst part is that with the Chronicle, I can't die. So he would do everything in his power to destroy me, only to watch me put myself back together."

Peggy moved forward, and to my surprise, laid a hand on my leg. I smiled and grabbed her hand tightly. "Oh, Victoria... That's where you went. What Private Barnes asked you about," she said.

"Yes."

"And you don't want him to know about the mutation," she continued.

This time I shook my head. "No. Anyways, the bone is from a trip to a hydro-chamber, the day that I escaped. Adamantium is the strongest metal on Earth, only comparable to Vibranium." She seemed to understand what Vibranium was. Of course, Howard used it. "It plates every bone in my body. They'll never break. With the Chronicle, it makes me practically indestructible," I told her.

She seemed to be piecing everything together. "So you can't die?" Peggy asked.

There was probably some way to kill me, but I wasn't really sure what it was. So I shook my head at her. "No. I can't. The trip in the hydro-chamber brought about a few other mutations. The healing factor that I had is ten times faster now. It also fried my pain receptors. I can't feel pain anymore," I told her.

That one seemed to throw her for a minute, until she seemed to understand it again. "Any time that you've fought with the recruits, the hisses of pain, they were just acting," she said.

"Exactly. And there was one other thing that happened to me in the hydro-chamber. It affected my aging process." Her eyebrows rose. Even Abraham's interest seemed piqued. It was something that I rarely told people about. "Being a mutant with a healing factor, I would have aged slower than the average person anyways. I would have lived to be two, maybe three, hundred years old. But the process completely halted my aging. I'll be twenty-one forever," I told her.

The more that I thought about it, the more that it hurt. I would watch everyone - Abraham, Howard, Peggy, Chester, Bucky, and Steve - age and have families and eventually die. But not me. Maybe I was wrong for Bucky. "You'll never age?" Peggy asked, breaking my thoughts.

"And never die," I continued.

Peggy was lost in her own thoughts for a minute. "Is there any way to reverse the process?" she asked me after a beat.

I'd thought about it before. If there was a way to reverse the process. There might have been a way, but we didn't have the technology. Not yet. It would be a few hundred years. Maybe less. Only time would tell. "I don't know," I finally told her.

Peggy stared down at her hands and began to twirl her hair that she had since pulled down. "This is insane," she said breathlessly.

"That isn't it," I told her.

Her gaze shot up to me and her eyes widened. "What else could there possibly be?" she asked.

I couldn't help but to smile at her. "Lots. There are other mutations that I have. Common ones, my brain functions more as a computer than an actual human brain. It's what makes me so intelligent. I can run faster than anyone else, I'm strong enough to hold up a collapsing building, my hearing is super sonic, and my vision is well beyond perfect," I explained.

Once more her eyes were wide. I assumed that she hadn't really thought about that. The fact that I was overall stronger and smarter than the average person. "Those are common?" Peggy asked me.

"Yes."

Exasperation was clearly seeping into Peggy's voice. It was a lot to try to understand all at once. "Can you do anything else?" Peggy asked me after a few beats.

Maybe I should give her a break. Or maybe I should just get it all over with. "Yes," I said, choosing the latter. Slowly I brought my two hands up and watched as the purple light spread over my torso. Peggy looked stunned. "This is a force field. You throw something at it, it will rebound," I told her before letting it drop. "I have advanced combat and weaponry skills. Enough to make me the perfect soldier. I can read a person's stance and tell you exactly what they'll do before they even do it," I told her.

Her eyes widened. She seemed to finally realize why it was that I could attack the recruits without even taking a moment to think about it. "It makes you the perfect combat specialist," she said.

I nodded at her. "It does. And I possess Atmoskinesis," I explained.

Just as I had been expecting, she didn't seem to understand what that meant. Not that I had either. Stryker had explained to me what it was. "That sounds impressive," she said.

We were both smiling at each other. She was taking it better than I had thought that she would. "It is. It's control of the elements. Earth." A rock that had been kicked into the room was sitting in the corner and I levitated it, hovering it over Peggy's lap and dropping it. Peggy laughed softly. "Water." I looked over at the cup of water that was on her table and waved my hand. The water began to bubble and shift in the glass. I raised a bubble of water up before dropping it, watching as the water splashed. "Air."

This one I knew that I would have to actually stand to show her. I raised my hands to my side and conjured up a column of wind. Peggy - and the others, for that matter - were watching with wide eyes as the column began to whip around my waist. It became strong enough that if lifted me up into the air and I flew up to the top of the office. Not that Abraham's office was all that big. I did a quick swoop around the room and hovered over near Peggy's chair, about ten feet off of the ground.

"You can fly," Peggy laughed breathlessly.

Letting the column of air drop from around me, I dropped out of the sky and tucked into a roll, coming to stand in front of my chair. "I can fly," I confirmed for her. "And fire."

Her eyes widened drastically. "Fire?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Fire."

Standing with my legs out, I swiped my arms over each other and watched as the blast of flames spread over my arms. They continued over my torso and shot up over my neck and skull and then dropped over my legs. My hair began to whip back and forth, the flames lighting up the room. Peggy's eyes seemed like they were about to pop out of their skull and she dropped her water back onto the table. I hovered off of the ground for a moment - due to the lack of oxygen - before letting the fire fade.

I dropped the few inches that I had been hovering and watched as the flames continued to lick at my hair. "Oh my God!" Peggy howled in shock. I smiled at her, my hair was always the last thing that wanted to go out. "Are you alright?" Peggy asked me. She looked like she wanted to step forward and check on me, but I understood that she was too afraid to touch me.

If the roles were reversed I had a feeling that I would do the same thing to her. "And lightning," I added. Taking a heavy step onto the ground I watched as the electrical currents began to flow over my arms and crackle, the light almost unbearable to look at. They dropped after a moment and I watched as the tips of my fingers continued to spark.

If I had thought that Peggy was pale in the face before, I was dead wrong. She was completely drained of color. "That's... impressive," Peggy said as I took a seat in my chair once more.

"That's not it," I told her.

Peggy let out a soft life. "Of course it isn't."

I couldn't help but to smile back at her. "Mutants are classified into ranks. Some are weak, others are strong. Omega is the top level. There has only been one actual recorded Omega in history. Before me. Because that's what I am. Many are telepaths, but the one thing that all Omega mutants must be able to do is physically morph their bodies into another state. I can transform my body into a state of pure radiation. It's what we're working with. Trying to capture that form of radiation and use it for the project," I told her.

"Well..." she trailed off before turning over to the other men. "I don't see why you all thought that I wouldn't take that well," she said, breaking the tension in the room. And at that, we all laughed for the first time since meeting in the room. "Your eyes... I could have sworn once or twice that they've gone red. Do they?" she asked me after a beat.

I nodded at her with a small smile. "They do. When I feel extreme fluctuations in moods they turn colors. Red is anger. Obviously." Peggy laughed, probably remembering that the one time she'd seen my eyes go red was when Lorraine had been flirting with Bucky. "Those dog tags," I told her, meaning the ones on my shelf. "Mutants all have nicknames that we refer to each other as. It keeps identities safe. My friend that I escaped from Stryker with - his name is Logan. His late wife called him Wolverine. And he called me Savage," I told her.

She smiled at me and nodded. "It fits," she said with a laugh.

I couldn't help but to slip into her mind for a moment. This is incredible. I can't believe that she really can do things like that. "I'd ask you if you were scared of me, but I don't need to," I told her with a smile.

She didn't seem to mind that I was picking through her brain. "I'm just... I'm amazed," she told me with a little laugh.

"That's what we all thought too," Howard said, speaking for the first time since we had all come into the room.

We were all silent for a moment to allow Peggy to process the information. I knew that it was a lot to try and take in. It wasn't something that seemed to be real outside of the imagination. "You've always been like this?" she asked me after a beat.

I nodded at her. "Yes. Since birth."

Peggy then said something that was rather unexpected. "Well now I think that Private Barnes should definitely ask you on a date. That's incredible, Victoria!" she shouted with glee.

I smiled at her. If I knew for a fact that Bucky would react the same way, I would have told him too. "I'm glad that you think so. But no one else can know. Peggy..." I told her, leaning in. "People would hunt me down and keep me as a science experiment. I spent seven years of my life starved, beaten, and humiliated. I will not be party to that again," I told her.

Her eyes widened at my words. No one would have ever expected - looking at me - that I would have gone through all of those things and lived to tell the tale. "So this has to remain a secret?" Peggy asked me, clarifying what I had just said.

"One day I'll get around to telling more people. But on my terms and my time," I told her.

She nodded at me as we both stood. The rest of the things that I wanted to tell her - about the mutation and Bucky - I wanted to tell her with it just being the two of us. "This is your secret, Victoria. It won't be told by anyone but you. I'm glad that you've all told me," Peggy said.

Smiling at her, I grabbed her into a hug. Maybe telling people really wouldn't be that bad to try and tell the others. Maybe they would understand. After all, Peggy did. "I'm glad that we told you too. I hate having to hide it. And thank you, all, for being here with me," I told the men. "Peggy, might I speak with you in private for a little while?" I asked her.

"Of course," she said.

"Goodnight, gentlemen," I told the men, turning towards the door with Peggy. "We will see you all in the morning," I told them all. And it was the truth. Tomorrow would be another day of training.

"Goodnight," they all called back to us as we left.

We walked through the building and out of the doors. All of the men were standing around and I almost laughed. They hadn't even realized that they had been so close to something that they couldn't understand. We walked towards the barracks and once we had finally gotten into our room I turned over to her, taking a seat on my bed. "So you're really not freaked out?" I asked her.

She gave me a knowing smile. "You tell me, since apparently you can read my mind," she said.

I laughed and reached over for a bottle of water that was on the floor. "I make an attempt never to read my friends' minds. It's like a privacy thing. I wouldn't want you doing it to me if you could," I told her honestly.

I didn't like the idea of there being other telepaths in the world. I was just fine with knowing other people's thoughts. I didn't want them knowing my thoughts. That might be a dangerous place for them to be. "I wish that I could," Peggy said.

Immediately I shook my head at her. It was something that no one wanted. I knew that firsthand. "No you don't," I told her.

Peggy raised her brows at me. "Why's that?" she asked.

A breath escaped my throat. "I have to hide who I am from everyone. Maybe not you, but most people would be petrified of me if they knew what I am. I'm dangerous, Peggy. I really am," I told her honestly.

It was dangerous. There was nothing that I could do that wasn't considered to be dangerous. "I somehow doubt that. I've lived with you for weeks now and nothing has happened to me," she told me. I let out a breath, not having a better explanation for that truth. "So Chester, he adopted you after you were freed from Stryker's lab?" she asked after a beat.

My throat closed slightly. I loved Chester like a father, but we certainly hadn't met under the best terms. "He did. He's the reason that I'm here in the first place," I told her.

"And Private Barnes, and your other friend - Steve - they never knew that anything was different about you?" she asked.

Slowly I shook my head at her. "I think that Steve had some suspicions but he never really knew," I told her. I knew that Steve thought that I was crazy. But Bucky... he always thought that I was normal. "Bucky just thinks that I'm tougher than the average person. I'd like to keep it that way. I just got him back into my life. I don't want to watch him walk back out of it again," I told her softly.

The last thing that I could deal with was Bucky leaving me again. "I think he's the last person that would ever walk away from you. Speaking of Private Barnes, I saw him earlier and he looked rather happy about something. What happened?" she asked me.

My jaw nearly dropped. I had just told her the entire truth about myself but now she wanted to talk about what was going on between Bucky and myself. "I just told you that I'm one of the most powerful mutants - something that you didn't believe in until just a few minutes ago - and you're already back to the Bucky and I situation?" I asked her with a bored expression.

She smiled and nodded at me. "We can chat about the mutant situation whenever, but I don't get to have girl talk that often. Spill," she told me.

"You're insane," I said.

Peggy shook her head at me. "I can't light myself on fire."

"I can do it for you, if you'd like?" I offered.

The two of us stared at each other before bursting into laughter. We spent the rest of the night in high spirits with each other, not even bothering to go and get dinner. There was nothing that we wanted to do other than talk about what was going on between Bucky and I. She seemed to love that Bucky and I had actually kissed. In fact, I was sure that she had shrieked so loudly when I'd told her that she woke up the rest of the barracks. And from the moment that I told her the truth about Bucky and I, we hadn't even bothered to speak about the mutation. It was the first time in my life that I realized that maybe, just maybe, being a mutant wasn't that bad.


	12. Chapter Twelve

My pencil was scribbling furiously across the page as I finished the bitter liquid in the cup in my hands, tossing it to the side, letting it join the pile of the rest of the empty cups. There has to be something that I was missing. It didn't make a lick of sense. None of the genomes were crossing appropriately and nothing was actually working. Each time I tried to rewrite one of the codes, it only ended up depleting the white blood cell count - something that a person couldn't afford.

Damn it. I rolled my eyes and tossed the crumpled up paper to the side. None of this made any sense. I reached over for one of my other cups of coffee but it was no longer there. I must have drank that one already. My knee was bouncing rapidly as I tugged at the hem of my blue collared shirt. My beige pants were dragging slightly at the feet - since apparently none of the women on the base wanted to hem my pants. One of the many things that I could thank my parents for. My lack of height.

Muttering under my breath as I began to scribble on a new page, I saw Peggy look up from fixing her hair in the mirror. "How many cups of coffee have you had?" she asked me.

Peggy was always the one person that cared about my well-being. She grabbed me away from Howard any time that he wanted me to go drinking, she watched what I was eating, and made sure that I wasn't getting too mad. She'd become more of a mother to me since finding out what I was. I appreciated it, but she was becoming somewhat of a fun-sucker. She didn't seem to grasp the whole I-can't-die scenario. Maybe she just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going insane.

Although it was probably too late for that. "Not enough," I answered her as I continued to scribble away. My handwriting was hard to read considering that I was so jittery.

Peggy stood from her spot at her vanity and walked over to me. "Victoria. You've only been awake for an hour." She was right about that. It was nearing on seven, close to when we would have to start training the recruits. "How many have you had?" Peggy asked, meaning the coffee.

I really hadn't been keeping count. The cups were scattered throughout the room but I knew that some of them were from the past few days. I'd been extremely busy with Operation Rebirth. "Four. Or five. I don't know, I haven't been keeping count," I told her. She's insane. I smirked at Peggy's thoughts. "Will you get me another one?" I asked after a beat.

She looked like I had just asked her to tear off her arm and give it to me. "No, you fool!" she barked at me. I rolled my eyes. Those coffee cups were the only things that were keeping me awake. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

I opened my mouth to tell her that it wouldn't do anything to me when someone beat me to the punch. "Good thing that a heart attack won't do a damn thing to her other than irritate her," Howard said from the doorway. We really needed to stop leaving that door open. "Ladies," he greeted as we both glanced over. "Victoria. What time should I bring you to Stark Industries today?" he asked me.

For a moment I almost asked him what he meant. Then I remembered that we were going to be testing the radiation that I let off at some point today. "Does three work? I should be done training the recruits by then. Peggy, could you take over training once I leave? Chester will still be there with you," I told the both of them.

"Three works," Howard confirmed.

By that time we should be done with the majority of their training. "I can take care of the recruits," Peggy told me. "What are you going to Stark Industries for?" she asked.

Despite the fact that I had told her about my mutations and what it meant for Operation Rebirth, she still didn't understand most of the science behind it. So we kept it at a minimum. Like Chester. "The radiation that we were talking about with Operation Rebirth. We're thinking that my mutation might be the key to unlocking it. If we're right, we're one step closer to making everything work. Anyways, I can't try and replicate it in the open. Howard has a radiation chamber in Stark Industries. I'm going to try it today," I told her.

She nodded at me. I had made it simple enough that I was sure she understood me. "Best of luck," Peggy told me and I smiled at her. "Let us know how things go."

I had a feeling that no one would let me avoid it anyways. "I will. We're going to leave later. Anyways, I'll see you at training later. Goodbye," I said, waving the two of them off. I knew that they both had other things to do than hang around in my room.

The two of them backed away towards the door but didn't actually leave. They both hung around the door. "Not going to come to breakfast with your date?" Howard asked me teasingly.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. I was too busy to actually have breakfast with Bucky today. And we didn't have breakfast today anyways. It would start to look suspicious if we were hanging around each other all of the time. "Oh, Victoria, you should tell Howard what you told me last week," Peggy told me.

My jaws snapped closed as I debated on flinging a bit of fire at her. She was the one person here that really knew how to embarrass me. Besides Howard, but I normally tried to ignore him. Especially since he was always trying to say something in front of Chester or Bucky. "Mind reader and I still didn't see that coming. Thank you, Peggy, I really do appreciate that," I growled at her.

Howard's eyes had brightened drastically. I still hadn't told him about the kiss. There hadn't really been a good chance to do so. "What happened last week?" he asked me happily.

"Nothing happened, you moron. It's not a date, get out, I'm doing work," I snapped at them both.

Once more they walked over to the doorway before stopping. I debated on blowing a gust of wind and shoving the two of them out of the door. "Are you not doing your breakfast date this morning?" Howard asked me.

Was it really that obvious that we were on a date? And it wasn't even really a date. It couldn't be a date. We couldn't be seen together. "It's not a date, you idiot! We go there so that we can speak to each other," I weakly argued. It definitely wasn't completely true. "Pain in the ass that you are. And I'm too busy for breakfast this morning. I'll see him later today," I said, scribbling at the paper.

"Ah, for a different date," Howard said. I rolled my eyes as Peggy laughed under her breath. Howard walked over to me and leaned over the paper. I could feel the electricity buzzing underneath my skin. Or maybe that was because I'd had way too much coffee. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Peggy went wide-eyed. I had a feeling that she didn't have a clue what we were talking about. But Howard did. "I'm rewriting traditional DNA codes in the human genome. I'm not quite sure. I'm trying to figure things out. This is the DNA that determines muscle mass, stamina, you know, those sorts of things. If I can figure out how to warp these DNA sequences, we might be able to make another discovery," I told him.

He nodded at me, his eyes scanning over the paper. He didn't have time to sit and actually read through it right now. He could do it later at Stark Industries. "You really are dedicated," he told me and I nodded. I would do anything to get that degree. And help win the war. "Take the day to figure out things like that out. I'll come get you at three," Howard said as he walked off.

Ah, so the berating about my relationship with Bucky won't be nearly as bad today as it normally is. "Sounds good. I'll see you later," I called out to him.

Peggy turned to follow Howard out. "I'll see you at training later, Vic," she called out.

Her hand was on the door handle. "Bye, Pegs. Do me a favor and keep the door open. No one is ever around and I like to think that I'm allowed to have somewhat of a social life while I'm here," I told her with a small laugh.

She smiled at me and I noticed that Howard was now looking at us curiously. "I think that you have plenty of a social life," Peggy told me as she backed out of the room, knowing that she was in trouble.

My eyes narrowed at her as Howard peeked his head back into the doorway. "What was that?" he called out.

"Nothing! Get out!" I shouted at them. "Thanks for that, Peggy."

"Anytime!" she called back.

Howard was still grinning at me. "We will talk about this later," he told me.

Of course we will. "Get out, both of you," I snapped at them. The two of them laughed as I brought up a gust of wind and shoved them backwards. They both stumbled out of the room and I laughed softly. They were such fools. I thought about shoving the door closed behind them but some part of me was actually enjoying the streaming sunlight coming from the halls.

Once I knew that they were both out of earshot I began to scribble back at the project for a little while. The floor was covered in papers and I nearly laughed. Even though I had been working for less than an hour I kept getting the equation wrong. If I was managing to correct one of the sequences - like reactivating muscle stimulation - bone degradation would begin. I was using my own DNA to actually work on the formula, but there were some extreme differences. Like the fact that I had the X-Gene. The gene that made me a mutant.

Since being at Camp Lehigh, Howard and I had done some digging into what it really was to be a mutant. We had begun with learning about the X-Gene. It was what changed our species. We weren't part of Homo sapiens. We were a new species. Homo superior. The theory was that we had been created by the Celestials, a race of aliens. Not much else was known about them. The problem with mutants was the fact that the X-Gene was not on the twenty-third chromosome, but rather the thirteenth.

This X-Gene leads to an exotic protein. This protein produces chemical signals inducing mutations on other genes, ending up with mutant organisms, variously empowered. It was what caused my mutations in the various parts of my body. The activated mutants, once went through a mutation are told to be 'mutated', which causes the other mutations that may not have presented themselves at birth. This is also told of mutants who suffer further mutations through experimentation. That was what had happened to me in Stryker's lab.

The problem was that I could be dangerously on the wrong track with the DNA mutation on the thirteenth chromosome. I could end up killing our recruit. It would probably end up being extremely dangerous no matter what. I sighed at myself and dug my head into my hands. For a moment I needed to stop. I was going to drive myself up the damn wall if I kept thinking about the project. There was only so long that I could. It was why I was glad that I got to work with the recruits as well.

So for a moment I thought about my budding relationship with Bucky. Since the kiss last week we hadn't found ourselves romantically tangled. But that was probably for the best. We really couldn't risk getting caught together. Especially not by Chester or one of the other higher-ups. It wasn't to say that we hadn't exchanged glances or little one-liners to each other. If someone looked close enough they would be able to tell that something had changed in between us. They would probably be able to tell that more than anything, I really wanted to kiss him again. But I couldn't. Not until he came back to me, once the war was over, for good.

Trying to push the thoughts of Bucky - and my irritating desire for him - I instead thought about the training that the recruits would be going through today. At the end of the week they would be firing for a completion certificate to ensure that they would be able to carry a firearm with them. Every other day this week, they would be going through the process of what was in the course. I wasn't concerned about Bucky. I knew that he would do just fine. He was pretty good with firearms. In the meantime they would be doing the Fit to Win Obstacle Course. It was similar to the one that they did two weeks ago.

As I began to scribble on the paper once more, a soft knock came from the doorjamb. I glanced up and smiled at the person standing there. "Sergeant Phillips," Bucky greeted formally. I knew that he was looking around to see if anyone else was in here. "I had a few questions about training. I was just wondering if I might come in and speak to you?" he asked me.

A small grin passed over my face. No one was here as of right now. Everyone was either out in the labs, on the training grounds, or simply enjoying themselves before the day really began. No one was in the building and no one was going to be here anytime soon. Bucky could come in here and we could leave the door open and no one would ever even realize. Thankfully Peggy and Howard were far away by now. And Chester was busy taking care of the Fit to Win course before the recruits had to actually perform on them.

Playing into his game, I nodded and placed my papers off to the side of me, scooting to the end of the bed. "And it's about training?" I asked with a small smile.

Bucky nodded back at me. "Of course. Just a few questions," he said.

Slowly grinning at him, I motioned him into the room. "Well if it's about training, I'll simply have to answer them. Come on in," I called. He nodded and walked in, his hand hesitating at the door. I knew that he wasn't sure what to do about it. I almost laughed. "You can leave the door open. No one's around right now anyways. They're all at work."

Bucky smiled and walked into the room, taking a seat at the desk. The chair seemed so much closer to me than it normally was. "Ah, so someone other than Stark is allowed in here?" he asked me.

My head snapped up to look at him and I let a little smile cross my face. "Shut up," I snapped at him. If he knew the truth about me I would have electrocuted him.

But he didn't, and I didn't want to tell him the truth. So the two of us laughed softly, nudging against each other. Bucky glanced over at the papers that were sitting on my desk and widened his eyes. I knew that they must have looked incredible to someone that didn't understand the work that I was doing. So I smiled and waited for him to say something. He spent almost five minutes staring at them, probably trying to figure out what the hell he was looking at. Sometimes I didn't know what I was looking at.

He seemed to have finally decided to say something. "That's quite... impressive," he trailed off, obviously not knowing what the papers meant. "What are you doing?" he asked me.

"Those aren't the questions that I thought that you were going to be asking," I teased softly. Bucky laughed at me and placed my papers back gently where they were supposed to be. He could have crumpled them up and disposed of them. I couldn't care less about the papers. Everything on them was wrong. "This is actually a DNA sequencing code for the human genome," I told him simply.

Of course it wasn't nearly as simple as I could have made it. And judging by the look on Bucky's face, he didn't seem to think that it was simple either. "There wasn't one word in that sentence that I understood," Bucky told me.

"I could take the entire time to explain it to you but we'd be here for the next ten years," I teased.

But it was the truth. If I could explain everything to him that happened to me and the way that it worked, we would be here until we were old and gray. Or, at least, until he was old and gray. "I have time," Bucky said.

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. "I think that in ten years you'll be sick of me," I said. The two of us laughed softly. It was the truth. I was already well past sick of myself.

Bucky sighed and leaned forward to grab my hands. I smiled softly and looked away from him. I wasn't sure that I really wanted to see the way that he was looking at me. Each time I looked at him, I could only remember that I was still lying to him. "I don't think that I'll ever get sick of you. I don't want a day to pass that I'm not around you," he told me.

A soft blush colored my face and I blinked back the pink tinge of my eyes. I hate that mutation. "Well then I think you're in the wrong business, kid," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Bucky gave a soft smile before shaking his head at me. I knew that he wanted to be serious with me. "Maybe. But, Vika, when this is over, I intend to spend every waking moment with you. I lost eight years, I'm not going to lose even more with you," he told me.

My heart gave a painful twinge. The only reason that he had lost those eight years was because I had made a stupid mistake. A mistake that would follow me for the rest of my life. I was never going to have children, grow old, or anything else. I would always be the twenty-one year old mutant. A freak. "One day I'll make up those eight years to you," I told him softly.

My fingers went running gently over the back of his hand. "There's nothing to make up for. Whatever happened to you, that's your business. You can tell me or you can't, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you're here right now," he told me, threading our fingers together.

Gently, I placed my hand on his arm and tugged him into me. "I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon," I told him softly. He smiled at me and placed his hands on the side of my head. I could tell that he was going to kiss me so I moved my head to the side. There was no way that I could kiss him. Not yet. Not until he came back from the war. Not until I knew that he was going to be safe. "What - What training questions did you have?" I asked awkwardly, trying to ignore the stirring of butterflies in my stomach.

The last thing that I needed was to get too involved with him right now. No matter how much I wanted to. "Right. Training questions," Bucky said, looking extremely flustered. I assumed that he had forgotten his excuse. "I wanted to - uh - I wanted to know - I am a terrible liar," he finally admitted. I smiled softly at him. "I was walking through the halls to see if you were still in your room. I just wanted to come and see you."

"You were going to see me in half an hour, when training actually starts," I told him with a small giggle.

Bucky shook his head at me and pulled my hair from the hold that it had been in. It fell around my shoulders and he pushed it back over my face. "Well that's no fun. I can't do this," he said before leaning in towards me. He was about two inches from my lips when I turned my head away from him.

He looked somewhat hurt that I had pulled away from him and I suddenly wanted to pull him into me. But I had to remember the plan. "I think that you forgot our deal. We can't be seen together. We could both get in trouble. And when you get out there, I need you to focus. Please. I can't lose you out there because you were thinking about something else," I said weakly.

It was the weakest that I had heard my voice since before I had left Stryker's lab. "Vika, it's exactly that that's going to keep me safe out there. Knowing that I have someone to fight for. Someone to come back to," he said. I smiled at him and grabbed his hands tightly. "You still want me to come back to you, right? Stark's not going to take my place when I'm gone?" he asked.

A loud and unattractive laugh came out of my mouth and Bucky matched it with another laugh. "Shut up. No one could ever take your place," I told him honestly. "Howard... He's the same way. No one can ever take his place. As much as I'd really love for that to happen." We both laughed. Bucky knew that I cared for Howard, I just wanted to kill him from time to time. "I don't just want you to come back. I need you to come back," I said, changing the air in the room.

The two of us sighed as Bucky leaned forward and pulled me into the crook of his arms. I was glad that no one was out in the halls. "And I'm going to. I will always come back to you," Bucky told me.

I just wished that I knew that it was the truth. I wished that I could look into the future and see that he was still with me. I wanted to see that he was going to be with me for the rest of our lives. His life. Not mine. I would live forever. "Can I ask you something?" I asked after a few beats. Bucky nodded at me. "Why me? Why be with Yellow Eyes? You can have anyone that you want."

Bucky looked horrified that I dared to say something like that to him. It had probably been a long time since he had heard someone call me Yellow Eyes. "Don't call yourself that," Bucky snapped at me.

He had always hated when people called me that. "Old habits die hard," I said softly.

I really did want to know why Bucky wanted to be with me. I was so strange. Even considering that he didn't know the whole truth about me, I was still strange. I always would be. "Why would I not want to be with you?" Bucky asked me.

"Because you could have anyone," I said softly. "Bucky, I used to hear the girls in school talking. They all loved you. They hated that you used to speak to me. They always wanted you to speak to them. It's the same way here. You should have spoken to them. They didn't have yellow eyes and white hair. I want you to have a normal life. That's not something that you get to have with me," I told him.

And it was the truth. As long as he was with me, there was no normal life. There would never be a normal life with me. It was the heartbreaking truth that I had to remember. "Good. Normal is boring," Bucky told me.

"It's stable," I said softly.

Bucky shook his head at me. "And boring. I don't care about any of those things. Vika, you're beautiful," he told me, brushing the hair back off of my face. "You're the prettiest dish I've ever met. You're smart, strong as hell, and everything that I've ever wanted." I had to look away from him, knowing that my eyes were turning pink. "From the moment that I met you, I knew that one day I wanted to be with you."

Part of me couldn't really believe that he'd always wanted to be with me. I knew that I always wanted to be with him. It felt good to know that the feelings were reciprocated. "And now?" I asked, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.

But in the back of my mind I knew that he would always want to be with me. "I still want to be with you. What happened last week - that's not something that I want to end." Good to know that I wasn't the only person that felt that way. "I understand that we have to keep this a secret. But when graduation comes in four weeks, that's it. I'm going to be with you. I'm not going out there, doing God knows what, without being with you," he told me.

And that was it. I knew that I didn't have a choice. One way or another Bucky was going to want to be with me. And for once I didn't want to fight him on it. I wanted it to work out just that way. "I don't suppose that I'm actually going to get a say in what you're going to do at the graduation ceremony?" I asked him.

Bucky gave me a bright grin. "Of course not."

"You're just going to embarrass me," I said, knowing that I was right.

"Of course."

The two of us both laughed and shook our heads. "As much as I do love sitting here with you I have things to do, and even with the door open, it won't look good if someone finds you in here," I told him honestly. I had made a big enough mistake with Howard last week. I didn't need to make things even worse. "You should go. Training starts in a few minutes anyways," I told him.

Bucky grinned at me and I knew that I had said something wrong. Bucky didn't want to leave. I knew that he didn't. "Good. Then I have a few minutes to spare..." he trailed off.

"Bucky..." I said, trying to force myself to push him away.

What are you doing, you fool? Let him kiss you! He's right there and no one else is in the building! "I'm sorry, did you want me to leave?" Bucky asked, clearly believing me as much as I believed myself that I wanted him to go.

"Would you even believe me if I said no?" I asked him.

Bucky shook his head at me. "Not at all." And you would be right.

So I decided to just run with it. He came to sit next to me and push the hair off of my forehead. I smiled softly as he leaned into me and grabbed my hands tightly. Our lips met a moment later and I was thrilled to see that the fireworks were no less than they had been the first time that we had kissed. I was so happy with him. I was sure that I always would be. Despite the fact that we were on the bed, I knew that it was reasonably innocent. The kiss was more romantic than anything else. His lips were soft as he tilted my head back.

The kiss was deepened and I felt myself leaning back. Stop it! You're going to make this completely not innocent. Not that I could really bring myself to care. His hands wound through my hair as he tugged me gently into him. My hands were resting on his chest and I found myself fiddling with the tips of his hair when a small pip came from the door. Bucky and I shot apart as my gaze went straight to the door. I couldn't believe that I couldn't hear someone coming. Bucky always made me so distracted. But on the bright side, it wasn't the worst person that could have been there. It was Peggy, leaning against the doorjamb. She was in between blushing and smirking.

Smiling softly and glancing down at my lap, I bit my lip before glancing back up. "What are the chances that you don't repeat this to my father? And definitely not to Howard Stark. Or anyone for that matter," I said awkwardly.

Peggy smiled back at me. I knew that she wouldn't tell anyone. Because I'd do the same thing for her. And she already had the chance to tell the others what had happened. "Those chances are very good. Sorry about interrupting, I just needed to grab another bobby pin. Mine broke," she said as she walked over to the dresser.

"Interesting timing," I teased.

Bucky was as bright as a tomato and I smiled at him. It was one of the few times that I'd seen him blush. He stood and stumbled over his feet slightly. Where'd that swagger go? "I should definitely go," Bucky said.

Peggy was nodding in the back of the room and I nodded too. Not that I wanted him to go, but this was a bad time to be hanging around. "Yeah, you should. I'll see you at training in a little bit," I called to him.

He walked over to the door and waved softly. "Yes, you will. Thank you for answering my questions, Sergeant Phillips," he said and I nearly snorted. But I nodded at him anyways. It was far too late to pretend like this had been for anything professional. "Agent Carter," Bucky awkwardly greeted Peggy as he brushed by her.

She nodded at him, not doing well at trying to hide her smile. "Private Barnes," she greeted. He walked past her and I watched as she closed the door behind him. She stared for a moment before letting out a loud laugh. "You two looked like you were enjoying yourselves. I take it that he got the answer that he was looking for?" she asked me.

"I hate you," I snapped as I stood from the bed.

Of course that had been an utter lie, and Peggy knew it. She walked over and plopped down on the bed, inviting herself to sit down. "No you don't," she chirped brightly as she began to re-pin her hair. "So... You and Barnes seemed to be looking much happier together than normal. I thought that you had agreed to put things on hold," she said.

And she was right. We stayed up late plenty of nights talking about what was going on between Bucky and I. "We had. I mean, we decided that it was going to better that we waited until after he came back from deployment. But, I don't know. I mean, I thought that it might have been better that way," I told her stupidly.

Why should you get a degree in Genetics and Mutation from Harvard? You're an idiot! "And?" Peggy goaded.

"And... What did you just see happening?" I asked her.

She wasn't blind. She knew what was going on. She knew that we were both having way too hard of a time fighting our feelings for each other. "Trust me, it's probably better this way. Victoria, he loves you so much," Peggy said. I rolled my eyes. He liked me, he wasn't in love with me. Yes he is. "A few kisses aren't going to do the two of you any harm."

"So you don't think that I'm crazy for doing this?" I asked her.

Peggy smiled at me and shook her head. "Love, I'd think that you were crazy if you didn't. It's pretty obvious to everyone that Barnes loves you," she said. He doesn't love me. "Yes he does!" Peggy snapped. Oh crap, I said that one out loud.

"No he doesn't," I argued. Maybe one day I'd learn how to actually speak in my head. Sometimes being a telepath was a little confusing. "It is not that obvious," I snapped at her when I realized that I couldn't fight her on the whole him not loving me thing.

Peggy snarled under her breath at me. "You're a mind-reader and you can't tell that everyone knows?" I groaned and shoved my head into a pillow. "Chester takes it harder on Barnes just because you like him. Howard is constantly trying to embarrass you about him because he knows that you feel the same way. The women here hate you because they know that Barnes likes you. And the men are teasing Barnes all the time because they think that something is going on," she explained.

Absolutely none of that reasoning was incorrect. "Tell me something. Do you think that it's a smart idea that I'm going to be with Bucky once he goes into the front lines? I can't decide whether or not it's the smart thing to do," I said.

It was the one thing that was driving me nuts. Whether or not we should start something before he left. "Tell me something, Victoria. Put things into perspective for just a moment. Say something does happen out there - which it won't," she said when my face went white. "Don't you want Barnes to know how you feel? Don't you want to have been able to spend at least a little bit of time like this?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

It was pretty obvious that Peggy had been expecting that answer. "And when he comes back, you get to pick up right where things left off," she added.

That would be nice. And the two of us could come and hunt down Steve and tell him everything that was going on between us. We could be the same trio that we had been when we were kids. But maybe with a few changes. "Do you like Bucky?" I asked Peggy suddenly.

She knew what I meant. She knew that I wanted to know if she thought that he was a good man. I valued her opinion. "Of course I do. I don't know him very well, but I know that he loves you. And I know that he's willing to do anything for you. He makes you happy, Victoria. Doesn't he?" she asked.

Yes. He was the one person that could even manage to make me happy in Stryker's lab, even after not seeing him for years. "More than anything else," I answered her truthfully.

"Then be happy with him, Victoria. Love him," she told me. I smiled at her and nodded. I really did want to love him. I just hoped that when the day came that I was completely honest with him about who I was, he would still love me. "When the time comes, say goodbye to him and know that he's going to come back to you," she added.

Smiling at her, I brought Peggy into a hug. "Thank you," I told her.

After a moment the two of us released each other and Peggy smiled at me. "You're welcome. Don't worry about it, Victoria. I don't think that anything is going to happen to Barnes as long as he knows that he has you to come back to," she told me.

I laughed softly and nodded at her. She had answered all of my questions. But there was still one thing that was itching in the back of my mind. I wanted to know what to do about admitting the entire truth about me to Bucky. I wanted to know when the right time was. "Do you think that I should tell him the truth about me?" I asked her softly.

Peggy let out a soft sigh. We had talked about it before and had never managed to come to a conclusive answer. It really wasn't an easy one to think about. "I think that that's only a question that you can answer. One day I think that you should tell him. It's only fair that he knows everything about you. But tell him in your own time. And only you're going to know when that time comes," she told me.

And once again that threw the ball back into my court. And that meant that I was going to push it off for just a little while longer. "Thanks, Peggy. I really don't know what I'd do without you," I told her.

"Presumably kill all of the recruits," Peggy said nonchalantly.

A loud snort escaped my mouth as I laughed at her. Now I wouldn't kill them all. They were our Army. I needed them to help us end the war. "Now that's not fair. I'd maim them, not kill them," I said.

We were silent for a moment before Peggy spoke up once more. "Well speaking of the recruits, shall we go? They should be getting ready to start the Fit to Win Obstacle Course any second now," she said. I nodded and stood with her. The two of us left the room, locking the door behind us, and headed out towards the course that was set back from the camp slightly. "Are you going to kiss Barnes again while we're out there?" Peggy asked.

My head snapped over to her and I saw that she was attempting to not laugh. "I will electrocute you if you mention anything about the kiss to either Howard or Chester," I bit out.

Peggy's eyebrows knitted. "Why Chester?" she asked me.

I let out a soft sigh. "Because he really is like my father. And he wants to protect me like my father would. He doesn't want him to end up hurting me. Just in case," I told her honestly.

Chester was a great man. And he really was like a father to me. I would always love him just the way that a daughter would love her father. "I think that the last thing that you have to worry about is Barnes hurting you. I think he'd rather jump off of a cliff than ever hurt you. Plus, if he ever does hurt you, I'd hate to see the way that you could retaliate," she told me.

I laughed under my breath as the two of us walked up to the recruits and Chester. The recruits were talking back and forth and Chester was watching them as the Drill Sergeants walked around. Bucky glanced away from his friends long enough to send me a little wink. I smiled and looked away from him, ignoring the scathing smile that Peggy was sending my way.

"His incentive to never hurt me," I told her. The two of us both laughed as we came to stand next to Chester. I folded my arms behind my back and gave him a bright smile. "Good morning, old man," I chirped at Chester.

He glanced up and gave me a little snarl. I merely smiled brightly. He loved the way that I teased him. I knew that he did. "Victoria. Agent Carter," Chester greeted. "Who'd like to speak first?" he asked after a beat of silence.

"No thanks," Peggy immediately barked.

By the look on Chester's face I could tell that he didn't want to have to speak to them either. Probably for the better. I knew that the recruits weren't overly fond of him. They thought that he was too old fashioned. Which he somewhat was. "I suppose that's going to be me then," I said before walking towards the front of the pack. "Recruits!" I barked.

They all immediately sprang to attention. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" they called in unison.

Much better than Yellow Eyes or some type of cruel name. "Thank you. Welcome to Week Five. I told you all in the beginning that time would pass quicker than you would expect. You're getting very close to the end. This week will be a direct follow-up from Week Four. We want to see how well you were all paying attention last week. At the end of the week you'll be firing for a completion certificate in all the firearms we've already taught you.

"Throughout the rest of the week you'll be performing on the Fit to Win Obstacle Course designed to test your strength and balance. This is very similar to what you all did two weeks ago during Week Three. Take your time but perform to your best ability. We will be watching. You will do this for the next five days. For the sixth and seventh you'll be performing for your firing certificate. This is your course. Is everyone ready?" I asked.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" they all called out.

They had been much better from a few weeks ago when they'd barely let me stand in front of them without saying something cruel to me. "Separate into your teams," I called out. The men all grouped together and stood at the entrance to the obstacle course. I looked forward to seeing them on it. "Drill Sergeants will be around to assist. On my mark." The men got into running positions. "Three... two... one!" I shouted.

The entire course was laid out towards the back of the camp. It went well into the woods and I smiled at the sight of the men running straight into it. It began with a half-mile trek out to the course. Peggy and I rode in the trucks out to the sight, not that it would have taken me more than a minute to actually run out there myself. But Chester had already told me that I couldn't do that. So we rode out to the site alongside the recruits and jumped out once we'd arrived. The recruits immediately began to separate over the course.

It was slightly different from the one that they'd done two weeks ago. Instead of being laid out all over the place, this one was in a U-shape. It made it easier to time and keep track of the recruits. It was seven hundred feet long and we'd be watching the recruits work on it three times over the next week. It sat right next to some of the obstacles that were attempted in Week Three. I saw some of the new recruits training on that.

It was about every two weeks that we were bringing in new recruits. The problem with the war was that it was deadlier than any other war that we had been in before. In some ways, that was a good thing. It meant that the Central Powers were losing their fighters at a quick rate. But it also meant that the Allies were losing fighters as well. And that was something that we couldn't afford. So, as often as possible, new recruits were brought in and trained at every Army training base in the United States. We must have been producing a few hundred fighters each month.

The recruits all bolted for the course and I shook my head away from the dangerous thoughts about the war. It only upset me every time that I thought about it. Despite the fact that the war hadn't been going on for a long time, it felt like it had been a lifetime. And it felt like every day things only got worse. I glanced over at the recruits and began to watch over Bucky. Peggy saw where I was watching and laughed softly at me, shaking her head and walking off. I smiled as I watched him. He had almost no problems, just as I had been expecting.

The first of the obstacles was an easy one that I had seen all of the recruits do without problem. It was simply a three foot wall hop. The recruits could use their hands to help them over, but some could do it without even that. I particularly enjoyed watching Howard attempt it one night after far too much gin from frustration over making no progress on the serum. He had fallen straight onto his face in the dirt. I'd laughed for nearly an hour. Bucky did it without a problem.

After that the recruits went into the lane guide. It was about twenty feet long and I enjoyed watching the recruits attempt it. I knew that it was one of the more annoying obstacles. But since they were all wearing long pants and shirts, it wasn't that bad. It was a guided crawl that the recruits went through. It was kind of something like a trench. It was just barely a foot deep, just enough to know where to go. Gravel was thrown up on either side of them so that they could crawl through it somewhat easily. Once more, Bucky had no issue with it.

Although he was now covered in dirt. Not that I wasn't expecting that. It didn't take long for the recruits to end up needing a nice, long, shower. The next obstacle that they went to was one of the few where people had problems. It was a fifteen foot ladder made of wooden logs that went straight up into the air. The recruits had to climb up it, change over to the other side, and crawl back down it. Bucky was the fastest that I had seen of the recruits, but he had made one misstep at the end and twisted his ankle. Thankfully he'd been able to walk it off.

I could only imagine how upset he would be if something like an injury got him discharged from the Army before he'd even managed to really do anything. Once he had managed to get his ankle back to functional condition, he'd gone to the cement culvert. It was a rather large tube that was slightly too short for the recruits to walk through. I'd done it once and barely had to duck. The benefit of being just over five feet tall, I supposed. Bucky had to duck through and walk awkwardly. The culvert was about ten feet long.

The next obstacle that they went over was one of the cargo nets. It was one of the obstacles that tended to take the recruits a little longer to go over. I understood. Their feet kept getting caught in the holds. They had to crawl up twenty feet to the top of the cargo net before crawling across. Once they were all the way across they had to drop off at the other side. I watched as Bucky dropped the entire way down and went into somewhat of a sprawl. It made my heart flutter, watching the way that he managed it. Peggy giggled softly next to me.

I knew that she was enjoying watching me watch him. She probably thought that my faces as I watched him were funny to watch. They probably were. They went over to the low wire crawl afterwards and I smiled. This was always disgusting. The mud was spread all over them by the end of the crawl and some of them would come out of it all cut up. It was about twenty feet long and I enjoyed watching Bucky crawl on his hands and knees. He was covered in the dirt and I laughed. He looked good, even in dirt.

The next obstacle was always a fun one to watch. There were three boxes that were each set three feet apart. They were only about the length of someone's foot. Well, someone with a rather large foot. I watched as the men jumped over one after another. Some of them fell, and when that happened they had to go back and do it again. Most of the men fell at least once. Bucky was one of the one that didn't fall. Although one of the Drill Sergeants did shout at him and startle him to the point that he almost fell.

The eighth obstacle that the recruits went to was the balancing logs. The beams were about thirty inches in the air and I laughed as a few of the recruits fell off. I didn't blame them. The beams were barely the width of their feet. I had pretty lousy balance as well. Of course, I could use the wind gusts to keep myself off. Most of the recruits fell at least once. Bucky came pretty close to falling once but he managed to catch himself. It took me nearly ten minutes to convince Chester that I hadn't sent a gust of wind to help him right himself.

Of course that wasn't to say that I hadn't blasted another recruit with a strong gust of wind to purposely knock him off. Harlan was one of my least favorite people here, and I frequently enjoyed watching him fall. The ninth object that they went through was another culvert. This one was much longer than the first. Almost three times as long. It was a little smaller too. The pipe was only about four feet tall. All of the recruits - most of them tall - seemed to be having a hard time getting through.

The tenth obstacle was always a rather amusing one to watch the recruits do. It was one of the more annoying ones. That was probably because most of them were too tall to get over and under. It was an over and under obstacle. The recruits had to jump over a three foot wall before dropping and rolling under a bar that was two feet off of the ground. I'd seen a few people smack their heads on the bar. I was extremely happy to see that Bucky had no problem getting over and under the obstacle.

Of course the longer that I watched him on the course, the more nervous that I got. The better that he was doing in training, the more likely that it was that they were going to send him to one of the more dangerous places. And that meant that something could happen to him. Which I would never be label to tolerate. The next obstacle that they went through was a forty inch deep trench. They had to drop into the trench before climbing back out of it. It seemed to be one of the obstacles that the recruits were having a tough time with. I didn't blame them. By this part in the course, they were getting tired. Plus, the dirt that they placed their hands in was almost impossible to get a grip on.

The clocks that were all around the camp began to ring out, signaling that it was now noon. It was rather amusing to watch the recruits pick up the pace. Some were already finished, but most were still going through their second and third sets of the course. Bucky had finally made it to the monkey bars. At least, that's what they looked like. They were almost twenty feet long. It was the time that we saw which recruits had the upper body strength. It seemed like most of them were getting through without problem.

The thirteenth obstacle was another over and under situation. A few of the men were starting to get their feet caught into the holds. I could tell that they were exhausted. Even watching them, I was tired. Of course, I didn't really get winded anymore. Not since Stryker had done whatever he had done to me. The recruits made their way out of the over and under and I watched as they dashed to the next one.

It was the one obstacle that most of the recruits failed on. Or, at least, they had to take their time. It was a series of eight, three feet tall, hurdles. The recruits didn't have to run over them. All that mattered was that they got over them without getting their feet caught, falling, or knocking one of the hurdles over. Most of them walked over the hurdles, being careful not to knock them over. Bucky seemed to get through them all without problem. Although he did get pretty close to knocking over the last hurdle. A shout from a Drill Sergeant to run faster had startled him and his foot had come down a second too early.

The fifteenth of the obstacles was where the recruits began to speed up. I could tell that they all wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. The air was hot and the sun was beating down on them. Plus, the clothes that they were wearing weren't exactly comfortable. They went into the night trench high crawl after that. It was one of the more important obstacles. Recruits dove into the trench and crawled through, keeping themselves out of view. It was to ensure that they would be able to hide from enemies. Usually it was done in the midst of the night, but the timing was wrong. They would do it all again at night, later on this week.

Most of the Drill Sergeants were stationed around that area. They kept shouting at the recruits that they could see them. I could hear them even well across the obstacle course. The next one of the obstacles was the window. Training for if recruits ever needed to get in and out of a building where the door wasn't an option. It was about a three foot high opening that was shaped like a window that recruits had to jump through. I got a rather good laugh when Justin - one of the nastier recruits - whacked his head, coming through the opening.

And now they were nearing the end of the course. Chester, Peggy, and I all walked over to the other end of the course to watch the recruits get through the rest of the course. There were only three obstacles left. There was a forty inch wall that the recruits had to jump over. Like the others, they were allowed to place their hands on the wall to help them up and over. Almost no one fell going over it but a few people did make little stumbles. It was rather amusing to watch. I knew that their legs were turning into mush as they continued to run.

The eighteenth of the obstacles was always a funny one, considering that when the men fell it was hysterical. Crushing their nether regions was probably not something they particularly enjoyed, but it was something that I enjoyed. It was called the high stepper. The recruits had to jump a few feet into the air to something that looked like a low version of the monkey bars. They had to walk across the bars that were positioned on the top. But it was tough, considering that it had rained the night before. Almost everyone fell. There were only four people that didn't actually fall. Bucky was one of them, although he had almost slipped off of the side a few times.

The five foot wall jump was the last thing that the recruits needed to do. They started with a fifty foot long crawl on their hands and knees. It was clearly tough as they were all heaving and puffing through the trench. They were also screwing up the lines that they had been assigned to crawl through. After they got out of the crawl they had to jump up onto a five foot tall platform where they would wait for the rest of their team. Once everyone was up, they were allowed to jump off of the back and finish the course off.

It took them until just before three o'clock before all of the recruits were finally finished. They all practically dropped onto their hands and knees, looking like they were ready to throw up a lung. Not that I blamed them. I knew that for someone without any enhancements, this was tough. But they were all things that we needed people to be able to do before sending them off to war. Bucky was down on the ground, taking in deep breaths and letting them out. We waited for the last of the recruits to come back in before shifting forward and speaking out to them.

"Well done, gentlemen," I called out. The men all straightened up. "We know that this isn't easy, but we thank you for your participation. Go and get yourselves lunch. Take some free time for the rest of the day. We'll see you all again tomorrow. If you need anything, please consult either Colonel Phillips or Agent Carter. I will see you all again tomorrow," I called out.

The men all saluted me before moving off. It was pretty obvious that they were all exhausted. I could tell that they wanted to take a nap. I did too. But there was still work to be done. Bucky walked past me and I smiled softly at him. "How about a hug?" he asked me.

Gross. It was disgusting. He was drenched in sweat and mud. There was no way that I was hugging him like that. I had already hugged him the other week when he'd grabbed me without warning. "Go take a shower, you twit," I snapped at him.

It was playful of course, but I really didn't want him to touch me when he was as dirty as he was. Especially because there were still things that I needed to do and I couldn't shower yet. "See you later, Vika. Good luck with your project today," Bucky told me.

"Thank you. Have fun with the rest of your day off. I wish that I got the same luxury," I joked. Bucky laughed at me and grabbed my hand, tightening his grip slightly before walking past me. I smiled and walked away, turning to leave. On the other side of the yard I could see that Howard was waiting in his car to take me to Stark Industries.

Not that it really mattered. I had only been walking for about half a minute before another person stepped out in front of me. "Are you heading out?" Chester asked me.

I nodded at him as we headed over to the gates at the edge of the camp. "I am. Hopefully we can figure something with the radiation out today," I told Chester under my breath. I didn't want anyone else to hear what we were talking about. "Howard and I will let you know what comes of the project," I added.

Chester was staring sideways at me. I had a feeling that he wasn't convinced that the radiation was a good idea. "Be careful out there," he warned.

"Always am, old man," I called out before brushing by him and heading out.

About ten feet away from the gate, with Howard standing by the car, opening the door for me, Abraham walked in front of me. I smiled at the older man. I didn't see him that often, considering that we were always doing something four our projects. "Victoria, I hear that you're going to Stark Industries today," Abraham said to me.

"I am. Howard has a radiation chamber that should be able to contain me," I said, keeping my voice low. That wouldn't be an easy one to explain. "We're going to see if those radiation waves that I can produce will work for the serum. We haven't had an advance in weeks. We need something. We'll be back in a few hours," I said, walking backwards towards Howard's car.

He had walked over to meet me halfway through. Abraham was walking with me. "Liebe, I am very proud of you," he told me.

I smiled softly and grabbed his hand before releasing it. The men here were quickly becoming my family. Bucky, Abraham, Chester, and Howard. Of course, Peggy too. "Thank you, Abraham. I hope that I can make you proud by finishing this project," I told him.

Abraham smiled. "You will."

The two of us hugged each other gently before I separated from him and moved away. As I walked past Chester I sent him a little wink. "See you later, old man." He grumbled under his breath as I walked past. One day he would admit how much he really did love me, despite how much I annoyed him. I quickly made my way over to Howard. "Howard, are you ready?" I asked.

Howard held open the door of his car to let me in. "I've been ready. You're the one that's taking forever," Howard complained at me. I rolled my eyes and scooted into the convertible. "I'm sorry, did you want to go and have another chat with Barnes before we go? If it's really talking that the two of you do," Howard told me.

My heart jumped into my throat as Chester whipped around. I knew that Howard didn't know the truth, but I didn't need him making things even worse for me. Everyone already thought that Bucky and I had something going. I wanted to keep it - at least for a little while longer - as Peggy being the only one that knew the truth.

"What was that?" Chester snapped at me.

Great. Not one of them can ever be useful. "He said that we shouldn't stand around here talking!" I chirped before dragging Howard into the car. "We need to go. I'll see you in a few hours," I told Chester. Howard hopped into the car and tore out of the drive. "I hate you. I actually hate you. Would you stop doing things like that?" I hissed at him.

Howard chuckled under his breath as he steered us back onto the main road. He stopped at a stop sign just around the bend of the road and grinned at me. "You just make it so easy," he teased.

I'm going to bash his head in against the steering wheel. "Can we just go? Before you make things even worse for me," I snapped at him.

Howard turned to me and grinned before stepping down on the gas. We roared around the corner and I dropped back into the chair, trying to block out Howard's annoying personality. "I'm only trying to help you," Howard argued.

He was one of the least helpful people that I'd ever met. He always wanted to make me look like a fool. He thought that it was funny when he could see me getting all flustered. "No you're not!" I barked at him. He raised his eyebrows at me. "You're trying to make me look like a fool out there," I told him angrily.

And he was. He liked to watch me say something that got Chester all fired up. "And you're the only reason that I'm successful. Just because of the reactions that you have," Howard told me. I rolled my eyes at him and curled my feet up underneath myself in the seat. We were silent for a moment before Howard spoke once more. "In the meantime, Peggy said that I should talk to you about Barnes," he said.

Peggy! I hissed in my mind, trying to reach her.

Almost immediately I could tell that I had reached her. I felt the spike in her blood pressure. Probably because I'd startled her. That is terrifying the way that you do that. Can you understand me? Peggy asked.

Yes. Anyways, I should kill you for telling Howard!

Oh! I - uh - I didn't... I'm sorry! Look I'm very busy, can we have this discussion at a later time?

I was really going to kill her. I had been trying to keep the relationship between Bucky and myself a secret until the graduation ceremony came in a few weeks. Alright, but I'm going to kill you when I get back!

Howard was watching me closely. I assumed that it was because my eyes were now white with the little swirl of a galaxy rolling through them. "Oh, remind me to thank her for that later," I told Howard darkly.

Howard shook his head at me as we turned onto the main road. "Don't be angry with her, I was badgering her the entire time to tell me what happened," he told me.

How the hell had he even known that something had happened? I wanted to ask, but at the same time I wasn't sure that I wanted to press anything. I didn't even want to tell him the truth about what happened, but I knew that he would never let me ignore it. "It was last week. We were just talking at breakfast and he was... it doesn't matter," I said, not wanting to discuss the fact that it had really only happened because of Bucky's thoughts that Howard and I had something going on. "But anyways, we were just talking and it happened. I admitted my feelings for him. And he kissed me. And I kissed him back," I admitted.

"I knew it!" Howard shouted loudly. At his excitement, the car went swerving slightly on the road at his jerky movements.

My heart leaped into my throat as I conjured a force field and pushed the tire back in a straight alignment, ceasing the swerving movements. "If you crash this car I'll kill you!" I barked as I released the wheel, letting Howard gain control once more.

Howard cleared his throat and fixed his tie. I knew that he was slightly unnerved by what had happened. If I hadn't been here, he very well might have crashed. But if I hadn't been here, he never would have swerved in the first place. "I'm calm. What happened that made you admit your feelings for him?" Howard asked me.

Nope. Not talking about that. "Nothing," I snapped.

Howard clearly didn't believe me. "Victoria," he goaded softly.

"Howard," I replied.

"Tell me the truth," Howard told me. My stomach churned as I realized that as much as I wanted to keep it a secret, I would end up telling him anyways. So it might as well be now.

"He thought that something was going on in between the two of us," I said. Howard's eyes went wide as he grinned at me. "Some of the recruits saw you come into my room that morning. And when Bucky confronted me about it, I thought that he meant the kiss at Stark Industries. So I said something about it and had to awkwardly explain what was going on. And when I did, my feelings for him just kind of slipped out," I said.

Howard was grinning brightly at me. I supposed that thinking about it actually made the accident somewhat funny. It was one of those moments that was hysterical when you looked back on it. "Well it was a good accident," Howard told me.

Well this wasn't going nearly the way that I had thought that it would. "I agree," I said softly.

I had thought that he would sit there and make jokes about everything that had happened between the two of us. "So the two of you are together now?" Howard asked me.

Slowly, I shrugged my shoulders at him. "Yes and no," I said. He raised his eyebrows at me. "We are going to do something once training is over. But we have to wait. Having a relationship with one of the recruits is frowned upon. And it will make it look even worse considering who my 'father' is. So for the next few weeks it has to be kept discreet," I told him.

Howard gave me a deep grin. I wanted nothing more than to whack him over the back of the head. "Well as long as you invite me to the wedding, your secret will be safe with me," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him, delivering a small hit to the side of the arm. He cringed in pain and I grinned. I hadn't thought that I had really hit him that hard. But that was what he got for insinuating that we were going to be getting married one day. "Shut up. We are not getting married. We just barely got together," I told him softly.

But he seemed to think that my words were a lie. Maybe they were. "And in a few years when the two of you are getting married, I had better be invited. Front row seat, too," Howard told me. I rolled my eyes blinked out the pink tinge in my eyes. We were not going to get married. I wasn't the marrying type. "I'm happy for you, Victoria. I really am."

A small smile crossed over my face. Howard was a pain in the ass and a cow, but he was always a good person to speak to when you needed it. "Thank you. I'm happy too." We sat in silence for a moment until I dug my face into my knees. "God, I'm so worried for him already and he hasn't even left. I want him to go just so that he can get back already," I said weakly.

It broke my heart to know that he was going to leave and he might never come back. And there would be nothing that I could do about it. Howard took one hand off of the wheel and grabbed my knee. "He'll always come back to you. There aren't that many people that I've seen that are as in love with someone else as he is with you. Trust me, he's going to fight as hard as possible to get back to you," he said.

"I think I'm going to need a stiff drink every night while he's gone," I said with a little laugh. And it was the truth. No part of me wanted to be sober until Bucky came back, safe and sound.

Howard laughed at me and I watched as we turned down the road that led to Stark Industries. "Well I can definitely help you there. You know that I'm available any time that you need," Howard told me. I smiled and nodded at him. I definitely would take him up on that. "Now, I need to know, do you know how to conjure the radiation?" he asked me after a beat of silence.

I dug through the far corners of my brain but I couldn't come up with anything. Stress, which might have been the only thing that would work. "I don't have a clue. We might be there for a long time," I said. Howard was staring sideways at me. "Howard, I really don't know what to do. But I'll try. I want this project to work more than anything else. I'll do whatever it takes," I told him.

Howard shook his head at me. I knew that he didn't want me to have to remember the torture that I went through with Stryker. "Just don't push it. Your health and your safety is more important than anything else. Definitely more important than this project," Howard told me.

Letting my head fall back against the seat and the wind blow through my hair, I laughed softly. Howard would always be there for me, even if he tried to deny it. "What do you know? Howard Stark has a heart," I teased.

Howard looked over at me and nudged me on my shoulder gently. "Only for you, doll."

The rest of the ride was made in somewhat of a comfortable rhythm. We were having fun laughing and enjoying the time that we had together. It wasn't very often that we got to just sit and chat. It seemed like we were always talking about something or another. Most of the time we were having discussions about what the next step was for the super soldier serum. Other times we were too busy training the recruits to really have time to actually speak freely. And since the incident last week I'd had to be careful with the way that I interacted with Howard. We had to be almost strictly professional around the camp. Not that it really ever worked.

It was about half an hour before we finally arrived at Stark Industries. It looked the same way that it had when I'd been here a few weeks ago. Although there was one rather large difference. There were people around today. Probably because it wasn't the middle of the night. We did drive around to a service entrance though, and there was almost no one back there. When people spotted that Howard was driving back here, they almost immediately cleared out. As we hopped out the car - well I let Howard open my door, since he always insisted - I immediately felt the ice seep into my veins. It was early March and still freezing out.

So as we walked I let the flames lick at the skin of my arms, immediately feeling the warmth slip into my veins. It felt much better. Although I was careful about ensuing that no one saw me. "What are you doing?" Howard asked me.

"It's the beginning of March and it's still cold," I argued.

When we were working with the recruits we were standing in the sun and running around. Short sleeves and pants were acceptable. Right now, in the shade, the wind was biting. "Please don't light any of my experiments on fire," Howard told me.

I laughed under my breath and nodded at him. "I'll try my hardest," I promised.

And I would try my hardest. Actually, the moment that we walked into the lab, I would let the flames die down. I wasn't going to let one of the workers see me. As we walked into the opening of the labs, I let the flames die. "Come on in. Step into my lair," Howard said deeply, opening the doors and letting me walk in first.

"You're a twit," I called back to him.

Howard let the door closed and smiled as he walked to my side. As we walked in I felt Howard's hands at my hip. I wasn't overly fond of the thoughts of the people standing around us. Some were thinking that we were together, others were jealous, and some were just calling me rude names for fun. "But I'm your favorite twit," Howard said, drawing my attention back to him. I scoffed and continued to walk. "The radiation chamber is in the back of Stark Industries. We keep it out of the way of everyone else. No one wants to see it. They'd start asking questions."

The two of us walked down the back of the hallway and I smiled as we lost the rest of the workers. No one seemed to be allowed back here. Of course, that would make sense, given that there was a Restricted sign across the back of the doors. The room that we walked into was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I just hoped that it could contain me. It was large and silver, metallic fastenings over all of the walls, holding them together. The only thing other than the heavy metal door was a large window set on the far right side of the room.

Other than those, the room was bare. "I'll be up there, watching you through the blast proof windows," Howard told me, pointing to the window. "Don't worry. I'll be able to talk to you through the entire process," he said.

Before Howard could actually leave, I turned over to him. "Why do you have this room?" I asked him.

Howard grinned at me and shook his head. That doesn't bode well. "That's an entirely different conversation that we really don't have time for right now. I'll explain it later," he told me. Uh-huh, sure you will. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. "This is a few strands of human DNA. Now the object is to see how it reacts to the radioactive power that you have," he told me.

"Alright."

Howard placed it on the ground in the middle of the floor. "Here's what I'm thinking. If you shoot UV light at dendrimers -"

"You mean the branched molecules?" I interrupted. I remembered Abraham talking about them the other night. He was thinking that they might have something to do with the mutation process that we needed for the super soldier serum.

"Yes. Anyways, they actually break up. So anything they're carrying gets released into the tissue they are currently embedded in. So if you imagine one of these nano carriers carrying everything our solider needs, let's say his genome editing tools to turn on the right genes for increase muscle mass... You put it in the muscle and zap him with the radioactive waves. You specifically activate these molecules to release their load with a very specific function," he explained.

That actually made sense. I couldn't even believe that I hadn't thought about that yet. It was the only thing that made sense. This was a good chance for us to make a breakthrough in the serum. It actually all made sense. "You mean the increased muscle mass, speed, strength, flexibility, eyesight, stamina, and everything else?" I asked, ensuring that I was thinking correctly.

Howard nodded at me with a bright smile. "Precisely. The problem is that UV radiation isn't strong enough. We've already tried," he told me.

We'd used almost everything. Except for gamma, but that was far too strong and unpredictable. "So you think that the radiation that I have might be strong enough without completely degrading the tissue. We aim the radiation at the dendrimers and hope that it speeds up all processes," I said.

Howard nodded at me. "That's the general theory."

"I mean, we know what we're doing. We can 'switch off' certain genes, turn others on, and change the ways in which others are expressed. But I think you're right. The dendrimers are the key," I said.

We couldn't just blast the entire body with the radiation though. It wasn't controlled enough. We would completely deteriorate the tissue and muscle mass of the body. There had to be a way to strike at only the places we wanted. "The problem is how we manage it," Howard said.

I had an idea. But I wasn't exactly sure how it would work. Maybe we could bring Abraham on board. He seemed to understand the new theory that we had discussed the other day. I was still a little on the fence about it. "What about that new theory that Abraham was talking about the other day?" I asked Howard, wondering if he knew what I was talking about.

Howard raised his brow. "Which one?" he asked me.

"C.R.I.S.P.R. Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats," I said.

Howard looked the exact same way that Bucky did whenever I tried to explain to him something that I was doing with the project. "Clearly I must have been dozing off when we were talking about that," Howard said.

I laughed softly under my breath. He hadn't been there. He's heard the beginning of the discussion and then left. "The good thing is that we know what genes are associated with muscle growth and athletic performances. C.R.I.S.P.R. helps us suppress certain genes and hyper-activate others. And that's where the radiation comes in. I was talking to Abraham about it. The idea is, first some nano-scale material would contain the actual serum, then when hit with the radioactive waves, the muscle will open up some way and deliver the serum," I explained.

Clearly this wasn't really getting through to him. Not that I blamed him. Of I was anyone else, I would have had a hard time understanding it too. "I must have really been asleep," he told me.

"You weren't around. Probably flirting with one of the nurses," I said honestly.

Whenever Howard wasn't around, he was normally somewhere to be found in the medical bay. He liked flirting with the nurses. Most of them enjoyed getting some company from him. "Presumably," Howard said and I laughed. We stood in silence for a moment and I wrung my hands together. "So, shall we begin?" he asked me.

I was nervous. I had never actually seen it happen to myself. Not since leaving Stryker's lab. And I hadn't been able to see my reflection. I could see it in the metal panels. "I suppose," I muttered softly.

"Alright." Howard leaned over and began rifling through the vial. He popped the cork off of the top and laid it back down on the ground. "I'll leave this open. We can run it under the microscope once you're done in here. I'll be out there. Call out to me in if you need anything," he said.

"I'm not sure that this is going to work, Howard," I said nervously.

The last thing that I wanted was to waste his time if I couldn't even manage to make the mutation present itself. "Don't worry about it. Just take your time and figure it out," he told me.

Howard gave me a quick squeeze of the shoulder before turning and walking out of the room. I could hear the door bolt behind him. A moment later the lights on the other side of the room lit up and I watched Howard through the glass. He hit a few buttons before glancing over to me and nodding. Underneath my skin I could feel the electricity buzzing excitedly. But that wasn't what I had come for. I had only come here for the radiation. And there was only one way that I knew how to engage it. That would be thinking back to my time with Stryker. No matter what Howard didn't want me to do, this was the one way to manage it. So I thought back.

There I was, laying on the cold metal floor that I had always known. It had been so long since I'd had a bed, I couldn't even remember what it felt like. All I could remember was the dirt and sweat that was constantly clinging to me, the starvation that I faced every day, the humiliation from the guards and trainers, and the pain that I was in every day of my life. The pain that made me wish that I knew how to die. The pain that I wanted to end more than anything else. Even if it meant that I died. It was worth it.

The ice cold water was thrown onto my unclothed form. "Rise and shine, Victoria!" Stryker shouted. The icy water locked up my entire body and I shot awake. The flames licked over my skin as I dried off, but I still didn't feel any better. The only thing that would make me feel better would be to stop breathing.

He always seemed to know what to say that was going to break me. He always seemed to know what was going to force my hand to do what he wanted me to do. But I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip his heart out. I wanted to watch his ugly head separate from the rest of his body. This wasn't my life. This was the last thing that I wanted. But it wasn't something that I could get. Not while he knew exactly what to do to keep me in line. He knew exactly what to hang over my head to keep me from living out my greatest fantasies.

Stryker stood over me, smiling. "What about your friends, James Barnes and Steven Rogers? We'd hate for something to happen to them," he said. Just as he had so many times before that.

He starved me. He never wanted to see me eat. It was one of his favorite games. To see just how far he could push the weak little mutant before watching her come back to life. He liked seeing the bones sticking out of me. He enjoyed watching me barely be able to stand because I was starving to death. He liked all of it. He would always think that it was funny. I just wished that the day would come that I would get to watch him take his last breath. I wanted the day to come that I could starve him to death.

But there he stood, with the bar handed out to me. Not that it meant anything. "Go on. Take it. I want us to be friends." A lie. And he would prove me right when my dinner would be food that even a dog would deny.

My heart hurt. My everything hurt. Even my mind hurt. I'd seen people die before. I'd even felt myself die more than once, just to be brought back. I'd seen trainers die from small accidents. I'd seen everything happen that I could ever imagine. But I'd just witnessed one of my own people die. I'd just watched a mutant die. And in my name. Maybe I hadn't killed them. Maybe it wasn't me that had drowned them and maybe it wasn't me that had shot them in the forehead, but it had still been me that had killed the kid. And I would see his face forever.

"You killed that mutant."

But I always tried to convince myself that I didn't kill them. I had to pretend that I wasn't the person that everyone had made me out to be. I had to pretend that I wasn't the person that everyone thought that I was. All of me knew that I had to pretend that I wasn't just a mutant. I was a real human being. I was more than just someone with powers that made me a freak. One day I wanted them to look at me as more than just Yellow Eyes. I wanted them to see Victoria. I wanted to just be Victoria. But I wasn't. And because of that, I'd never have anything that I wanted. Not a normal life, not a normal death, and certainly not him.

He would never let me think that way. "You're a monster. Just like the rest of them. Don't be a fool. They'll never accept you. You can't possibly think that they would. They'll fear you the moment that they realize what you are."

And the horrific part was that it was the truth. I would always be a freak. I would always be the mutant that everyone had to stay away from. But I would make them fear it. If they wanted to treat me like a monster, I would act like a monster. And they would regret ever even knowing my name. So I let all of the fear and the anger that had been stashed away for seven years to bubble to the surface while I was on the edge of my escape. For the first time, I let myself become a monster.

Mother of God, she's an Omega.

"Kill her!" William screamed, desperate that I would be able to escape.

That was what it took. My entire body was buzzing with energy and I found myself shaking, desperate to let it out. The only thing that I wanted to do was kill everyone in sight of me. My mouth opened in a piercing scream as I dropped down to my knees. From the center of my chest it felt like someone had punched a hole through me. The energy burst in heavy waves, nearly knocking me back on my feet. The entire room rattled as the floor underneath my feet began to melt. My mouth closed and I watched as the radioactive waves began to ripple through the room.

My chest was heaving up and down heavily as I turned to look over at my reflection in the glass. Howard was being blocked out from the sudden brightness of the room. The only thing that I could see was my golden reflection. My eyes were completely gold, making it almost impossible to see any other color in them. Not even the pupils or sclera. The veins in my arms - that had once been burned black - were glowing softly underneath my skin. The waves in the room began to fade and as the minutes passed my eyes returned to their normal yellow color.

As the energy began to die down I noticed that the walls were charred and some of them were a little on the distorted side. When the windows finally cleared I glanced in and saw that Howard was watching me with wide eyes. He looked absolutely stunned to see what something like that had just happened. And I couldn't blame him. It was not something pretty to watch. On the floor I could see that the DNA strand - that no one else would have been able to see - was twitching slightly and glowing softly.

A few minutes later I heard a mechanical voice call out through the room. "Radiation levels at ninety-two percent," it called.

We would have to wait a while before either one of us could either move from the room or come in. "I'd recommend that you stay out of here for a little while," I called out to Howard. He nodded, taking off the goggles that he was wearing and leaning on the board. "And I'm sorry that you had to see that," I said softly, digging my feet at the metal floors.

I hadn't intended for anyone to ever see that mutation. Howard merely laughed. "That was incredible, Victoria."

He wasn't lying. But he was wrong. It was as far from incredible as someone could get. "It's not incredible. It's horrendous. I could kill someone being able to do something like that. I have killed someone by doing something like that before," I said, remembering the guards with the masks melting into their scarred flesh as I escaped. "And as much as I can, I'll try to avoid it."

Howard was silent for a moment before moving from his work station. I raised my brows, curious as to what he was doing. "I'm coming in there," I heard Howard called out.

No way. It wasn't safe yet. "Wait!" I shouted.

Clearly my comment didn't bother Howard. He continued walking over to the door. "The radiation levels are back down to normal. Nothing is going to happen to me," he told me.

"But... Just in case," I said softly.

I couldn't bear if something was going to happen to Howard because of me. Most of the people that I had hurt were people that I didn't know. I couldn't bear hurting someone that I did know. "It's going to be fine, Victoria," Howard called before walking into the radiation chamber. Thankfully, as he'd said, nothing happened to him. "See? Nothing has happened to me. I'll even give you a hug," Howard teased.

He might be alright to be near me, but I didn't want to see what would happen if he actually touched me. That could end up being extremely dangerous for the both of us. "Howard -" I groaned.

But I never got the chance to finish. He grabbed me around the back and pulled me into a tight hug. He wasn't shouting in pain so he seemed to be doing alright. "Look at that, darling. Nothing happened to me," Howard said as he let go of me. "My eyeballs didn't explode, my skin didn't melt off, and nothing crazy happened. I'm still standing here and not a corpse."

No part of me wanted to talk about anything like that. The last thing that I wanted was to pretend that something dangerous had happened to him. "Let's just see what happened with the sample," I said, walking over to it.

I grabbed it in my hands, not wanting to let Howard grab it. "Come with me," Howard said.

The two of us walked out of the hall and headed into another laboratory. It was just barely past the radiation chamber. Howard walked us back to one of the more intricate looking microscopes. We placed the sample underneath of the microscope and began to look over it. We stared at it for a little over ten minutes before finally coming to the obvious conclusion. We turned to each other with bright smiles, knowing exactly what was going on. The DNA was mutation the correct way. It was targeting muscle groups and enhancing them. The only problem that I could see was that the bone and organic tissue was degrading. But we had a way to fix that with the rest of the serum.

"Howard... Do you see this? It's working. The muscle mass, stamina, all levels are steadily rising. We do still have muscle and tissue degradation but with the serum and oral application, I think that this is going to work," I told him happily.

For the first time in a long time, Howard laughed with me and grabbed my hands. "Victoria, I think that we need to bring this to Erskine," Howard told me. I nodded at him. "I think that we've finally figured something out."

There was no doubt that we had figured something out. We had clearly just made a big advancement. The two of us laughed before wrapping each other in a tight hug once more. "I can't believe that we really figured this out!" I cheered softly.

Howard grabbed onto my hand, bottling the sample once more, and dragging me out of the lab. "Come on, we need to get back, now," he told me.

On the ride back to Camp Lehigh we chatted back and forth excitedly about what was going to happen with the serum. There was still the issue that we had to figure out the rest of the serum. The bone and organic tissue degradation would cause a big problem unless we could do something about it. And we would, in time. But in the meantime we could just be excited that Operation Rebirth was finally gaining some traction. There was finally a chance that we might actually be able to solve this. As we arrived back at Camp Lehigh, Howard and I both leaped out of the car, heading straight for the labs to bring our findings to Abraham.

We were only walking for a moment when I nearly ran straight into Chester. He was glaring at us, probably perturbed with the fact that we both looked so happy. "There you two are. Did you figure anything out while -"

"Can't talk!" I barked back at him as Howard and I continued to work through the camp at a fast pace. Chester was staring after us confusedly. "We have to get to Abraham!" Chester nodded and continued walking as I turned to Howard. "Head over there, I'll be with you in a few minutes. Prep Abraham and tell him that we found something."

We had to get the files that I had in my room before heading over to the lab. "Not a problem," Howard said before turning and walking away.

My feet were moving slightly faster than my brain was - which was certainly saying something. I just kept thinking about how I needed to get moving and finish this project. I dashed into my room and grabbed the file before turning back out and heading straight for the labs. I was running so fast that I smacked into someone, nearly knocking them to the ground. "Oh! Sorry!" I chirped.

My gaze turned straight upwards and I smiled. "Vika, you look like you're in a hurry," Bucky told me with a small laugh. I couldn't help it, I was so happy to see him that I jumped forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "And you're awfully happy. Are you really that happy to see me?" he asked with a small laugh as I released him.

"I'm just so happy." Bucky looked thrilled to hear me say something like that. "I think that we just made a huge advance in the project that I'm working on. And with this... I don't know. We might just be a few months away from getting it to work," I vaguely explained.

It didn't seem to bother Bucky that I wasn't really telling him anything that would really make sense. "Oh, congratulations, Vika. I knew that if anyone could do it, you could," Bucky told me. Forget showing no affection towards him in public, I wanted my friend. So I pulled him in for a tight hug, wishing that I could do more. "I wish that you'd make huge advances more often," he teased.

The two of us both laughed as I gave him a gentle nudge. I wished that I could bring him into a kiss, but that still had to be a secret. "One step closer to that Harvard degree. And one step closer to winning the war," I said brightly.

"Still can't tell me what it is?" Bucky asked me.

He probably wouldn't even understand what I was talking about, even if I told him the truth about what we were doing. Sometimes I didn't even understand what we were doing. "Nope. It's a secret," I told him with a little wink. "But I'll tell you one day. Once we're all actually allowed to talk about it. Until then, I think that it's back to the lab for me."

Just as I was about to turn and leave, Bucky placed his hand gently on my shoulder. "You have enough time to come and see me for breakfast tomorrow?" he asked me.

A smile fell across my face and I nodded at him. No matter what, I would always be there to do the little things like breakfast. "I'll always have enough time for you. I'll see you tomorrow, Bucky," I said, grabbing him for one last hug. He smiled and laughed, his breath fanning gently across my ear. If I could have stayed like that, I would have. Forever.

But just as was said, all good things must come to an end. "Bye, Vika," Bucky called to me.

So I gave him a soft wave and turned in the other direction. Maybe the day would come one day that I didn't have to turn away from him. Maybe the day would come that I could actually stay and enjoy his company for more than just a few minutes or hours at a time. As I walked over to the labs I saw that Howard was waiting on me. I knitted my brows together, knowing that he had a comment waiting on the tip of his tongue.

"God you two are so cute," Howard said.

I knew it. "Shut your mouth," I snapped at him, unable to keep the smile off of my face. We were pretty cute. "Come on, we have work to do," I told Howard, dragging him to the labs by the arm. For the first time in a long time, things were looking up for everyone.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

In the morning I'd gotten so used to always dressing up like a proper professional. But not today. As I'd made clear to a few people, I was not going to be going through my normal routine today. I had something a little better planned. So as I got changed, I ensured that it was something that I could move around in. I grabbed a pair of white, waist-high pants and a black shirt that I had tucked in. My white pants were tucked into my black military boots. I'd probably get shouted at for wearing something like that during training, but I didn't plan to stick around for too long today.

Every day over the past week and a half I'd been busy doing something or the other. It had been a major pain in the ass. And I was ready to take a day off. It didn't seem like anyone really minded me taking the day off anyways. After the advancement that we'd made with the radiation, taking a personal day wasn't that big of a deal. The radiation had really helped out the advancement with the serum. We were getting close. The only problem we were now facing was the fact that we needed to give part of the compound intravenously and another part orally to stabilize the radioactive effect on the body.

By now, Howard had managed to create the radiation chamber. We had to put it through a few test runs to ensure that we wouldn't blow up Camp Lehigh once it was time to use it for real. We would send it to Stark Industries before we were ready and from there I would stand inside and activate my own radioactive mutation. If the chamber could stand up to me, it would have no problem being replicated in the laboratory. With all of the work that we had been doing, and the big leaps forward that we had taken recently, it seemed like we were getting close to a solution. I had said something about it the other morning while we'd all been working. For a while I thought that everyone would laugh at me, but everyone seemed to agree with me.

On the other side of the camp, the recruits were now three days into Week Six. I felt a little bad for all of them. Week Six was one of the less fascinating weeks that the recruits had to go through. It was also one of the weeks that I didn't have much to do with them, so I spent most of my time in the laboratory. This week was all about camaraderie. They were taking a break from the more intense training of the past few weeks. For now they were helping out with laundry, working in the supply warehouses, and cleaning through the camp. They also worked on some group activities on the courses, which was the most physical they would get this week.

As I twisted up my hair into a loose ponytail, Peggy walked back into the bedroom. I gave her a small smile as she went to fixing her hair. "Things look like they're falling into place for the plan," she said with a small smile.

She was one of the only people that I had told about the plan. I didn't want anyone to know and tell me that I couldn't do it. "I think so. But I still need more time. I need to make sure that everything is working out," I told her as I grabbed the laces on my boots and tightened them up.

"They will. I'll keep the recruits distracted. You go take care of business," she told me.

I smiled at her and gave her a small hug before turning from the room. "Thanks, Peggy," I called back as I closed the door behind me.

Grabbing my pocket wallet and stuffing it down into my pants, I headed out of the barracks. I grinned up at the sun and laughed softly. The weather for the day was perfect. Good. I headed out into the main area of camp and turned towards the labs. I needed to speak with Abraham before I could leave. I needed to know if he would mind giving me the day off. I had been working so much that I assumed that it wouldn't be a problem. But I also knew that in an hour or so it would get really hard to find me. I had to take care of my plan.

As I walked through the camp I smiled at some of the workers that were walking back and forth. Over the past week or so, they had become much nicer to me. It was like with each passing day, people got nicer and nicer. Maybe it was because they were finally realizing that Peggy and I were here to stay and we really did know what we were talking about. Most of the women on the base, though, still despised me. Not just me though. Peggy too. Probably because we were the ones that actually talked to the men. I had seen Lorraine a few times in the recent weeks and each time I hated her more than the last. It was all because she still tried to flirt with Bucky.

Thankfully he always let her down easy. On my side with Bucky, things had been going well. We'd managed to act as nothing more than friends in a business-type relationship, but I was having a hard time with it. I knew that Bucky was too. We wanted to be able to have a real relationship, but it wasn't the right time. And we would both get in a ton of trouble. So we had to pretend that we were just friends that enjoyed each other's company.

Not that it really mattered. Despite how many times we'd tried to act like we were just friends, no one on the base really bought it. Everyone on the base seemed to know that something was going on in between us. Some of the women had flirted with Bucky - something that all of the recruits were jealous of - but he always politely brushed them off. The men couldn't seem to fathom why he did that. Some of them liked to tease him that he was queer, but after a while they had all figured it out. It was me. Bucky had fallen for me. Maybe not in love - I knew that we weren't together long enough for those feelings, despite what my own brain was saying - but he loved me in some way.

As I knocked on the door to Abraham's office, I smiled. Today, we would finally be able to try and act like we were a real couple. We would finally get to give it a try. Abraham opened the door and smiled at me. "Hello, Fraulein," he said as he motioned me into a chair.

I took a seat and began munching on on licorice lace that Abraham always gave his visitors. "Hello, Abraham. I was just coming here to ask you a question. I wanted to know if you would mind giving me the day off?" I asked bashfully. I didn't want to upset him and make him feel like I was taking him for granted. "I know that we're getting close to a major breakthrough but I've been working so hard lately and it's just going to be for -"

"Ja," Abraham interrupted.

My eyebrows shot to my forehead. That had been a lot easier than I had thought that it would be. "Really?" I asked dumbly.

He gave me a knowing grin and I blushed softly. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know what I was planning. "You read my mind and tell me that I'm lying," he said with a little smirk. I laughed softly and shook my head. I tried not to read minds when I didn't need to. "Of course you may have the day off, Fraulein. I had a feeling that you would come and ask me," he said.

"You did?" I asked.

He nodded at me. "Ja. Today is Private Barnes' birthday, isn't it?" he asked me.

My face fell as I stared down at the table. Damn it. There went the element of surprise. It really was his birthday today. All of our birthdays when we were kids were always pretty far apart, so it was always fun to have celebrations from time to time. Bucky was the oldest of us, being born on March 10th, 1917. Today was his twenty-fifth birthday and that meant that I wanted to do something special for him. Mostly because I had missed all of his birthdays for the past few years. In October, I'd be turning twenty-three. Not that it really mattered. I still didn't age. On July 4th, Steve would be turning twenty-four. Peggy was the youngest though, she was a year younger than me.

I stared at Abraham with wide eyes. He knew how old I was. He knew when my birthday was. But how did he know when Bucky's birthday was? "How did you even know that?" I asked Abraham.

Recruits might have had all of their records as public, but why would Abraham have gone through the files? "We have recruit files on hold. And I may be old, but I am not blind. I see the way that the two of you look at each other," he told me. I blushed and laughed. I guess we really were more obvious than we thought. "It's alright, Fraulein, you deserve someone that makes you smile. Go out, enjoy his birthday."

I stood up and walked over towards the door - not before stealing another licorice lace - and turned back to Abraham. "Danke, Abraham. I'll see you tomorrow!" I called out.

"Bitte. Have fun!" he called out to me.

If everything went according to plan, I'd be having a lot of fun. But there were a few people that could still manage to mess things up for me. Of course, I wasn't going to let anyone mess this up for me. I'd been planning today for a week with Peggy's help. Howard's too. And he was the next stop on my list. As much as he liked to mess with me, he did want to make sure that Bucky and I had a nice time today. He knew that I wanted to make up for the last eight birthdays that I had managed to miss. And that meant that I had to do something special.

As I walked to ho hunt down Howard, I ran into the one person that I had been desperately hoping to avoid today. "Victoria!" Chester barked at me.

Turning back to him, I plastered on the nicest face that I could manage. He was no fool. Chester knew that I had something up my sleeve. "What's up, old man?" I asked with a bright grin.

Chester seemed to be having none of it. He was staring at me with an even face. "Today is Private Barnes' birthday, isn't it?" he asked me.

Well, there goes any hope I had that he just wanted to have a nice conversation. So I reverted to my other plan. Pretend like I don't know anything. "I don't know why all of you think that I know things like that. I mean, I saw the paperwork. Yes, it is Bucky's birthday today. You guys should do something nice for him, maybe make the dinner in the mess hall a little less disgusting. Anyways, I'm busy, see you later," I said quickly.

I had been hoping that if I spoke fast enough, I could confuse Chester and get him to let me out of whatever chewing out he was going to give me. "Victoria," Chester snapped as I turned to leave.

"What?" I groaned, turning back to him.

Chester was still glaring at me. "I expect you to not be treating Barnes any differently because it's his birthday," he told me.

A slow grin fell over my face. He might not be my real father, but he knew how to treat me like a daughter. "Of course I won't. If anything, I'll take it harder on him," I promised before turning away and attempting to leave once more.

"Victoria," Chester called me back.

"I'm serious! See you later, old man. I'll behave today, I promise," I told Chester, turning and heading away from him before he could say anything else. The last thing that I wanted was for him to ruin all of my hard work spent planning.

Thankfully Chester didn't call after me. I knew that he would call me out for everything later, but for now, I was going to pretend that nothing had happened. I was heading over to hunt down Howard when I ran into Peggy. "So, are the plans still on for the day?" she asked me as she fell into step with me.

I nodded at her. "They are. But there are still a few things that I have to take care of. You've got the recruits covered for the day?" I asked.

She nodded at me. "Of course. They're only working on the team-building skills and things like that right now. It doesn't take more than one of us to take care of this," she told me with a small smile.

Having been engaged once before, Peggy knew what it was like to do something for someone that meant the world to me. It was probably why she was being so good about helping me out with everything. "Thanks, love," I told her with a small smile.

Before I could walk away, Peggy grabbed onto my arm. "Just remember, I'm going to want to hear everything when the two of you get back."

She was wearing a playful smile and I laughed. "Not a problem. I'll probably want to tell you everything anyways. Now, I just need to get things started. Ah, and there's the first part of my plan. See you tonight. Not sure what time I'll get back yet," I told her. It was kind of a long drive, where I was planning to go. I turned and walked away, spotting Howard almost right off the bat. "Howard! Can I borrow you for a moment?" I shouted at him.

He turned around to me and smiled. Judging by the look on his face, I assumed that it had been a while since he had harassed someone. And that meant that I would be the lucky one. "Just a moment? Pity, I was hoping for longer," Howard said as he stood next to me.

"Shut up. I need your help," I snapped at him.

Howard grinned at me. "Of course you do, darling. It must take a lot to admit that."

One of these days I was really going to bash his head in. But he was the only one that could help me right now. "Can you shut your mouth for two minutes?" I asked. Howard nodded at me, pretending to zip his lips together. "Can I borrow one of your cars for the day?" I asked him.

It was pretty obvious that I had caught him by surprise. "Well, of the many things that I expected you to ask me, that wasn't one of them," he told me. I couldn't help it, I laughed softly. I knew that I was asking a lot. "I have a car here for the day. You can borrow it if you'd like. I can call a car to take me back tonight," he told me.

Unable to stop myself, I jumped forward and caught him around the waist, giving him a tight hug. "Thank you!" I chirped as Howard laughed, wrapping an arm around me. "I owe you."

Howard released me and the two of us stepped back a few inches from each other. Howard was wearing a devious grin. "Oh I might not say that if I were you," he teased.

It was pretty clear that it was a joke, but I still shook my head. "You're disgusting. But thank you anyways," I told him.

"What exactly do you need the car for?" Howard asked me.

Slowly I shook my head at him. He couldn't know. Not yet. "Probably not a good excuse, but I can't tell you. Not yet. I need as few people knowing about it as possible. But I'll tell you the minute that I get back," I told him, knowing that he wanted to know what was going on and why I needed his car. "And I promise that I won't crash your car," I said.

Howard nodded at me. I wasn't much of a driver but Chester had ensured that I did know how to use one - just in case. "You better return that car in the exact condition that you found it," Howard warned me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I already told you that I wouldn't crash it," I snapped at him.

Howard shook his head at me. "It wasn't so much the exterior that I was talking about," he said.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? "What?" I asked dumbly. Howard was giving me a wicked grin, and after a moment, I realized why. "Oh... God! You're disgusting. Thank you, and I hate you," I howled, turning to leave.

I'd barely made it two steps before realizing that I didn't have the keys to the car. Howard was grinning at me, dangling the keys from his hand. I rolled my eyes and walked back to him, snatching the keys from his hands. He laughed as I shoved him out of my way and stomped over to the recruits, tucking the keys into my pocket.

As I walked over to the recruits, I let a small smile slip over my face. I had the perfect idea of what to do today. And now that I had the keys, the last thing that I needed to do was get Bucky away from training. He would love it. I had faith. When we were kids we used to try and convince either Bucky's parents or Steve's to take us to Coney Island almost every weekend. It didn't usually work, considering that everyone was always so busy. But just for today, I should be able to manage to take him away from training to get out there.

It was always one of our favorite places to go. I knew that Steve and Bucky had gone quite a few times. I was pretty sure that I had gone two or three times. It had been awesome, but after being taken by Stryker, I'd never gotten the chance to go back. This was going to be my way to make up for all of the birthdays that I had missed. I knew that he would love it. The only downside to my plan was that I would have to use a somewhat strange way to get him out of the camp. It didn't matter, I just knew that we had to leave soon. Considering Camp Lehigh was in New Jersey and Coney Island was in Brooklyn, it would take us just over an hour. If we left soon, we would be there around ten.

The recruits were inside one of the barracks, folding towels and sheets. I walked inside and took a look around. Bucky was working on sheets in the back of the barracks. "Gentlemen!" I barked. They all stopped what they were doing and stood at attention. "Take a break for a moment, if you will." The men all seemed more than happy to take a break. "Private Barnes, might I have a word?" I called out.

Bucky saluted me. "Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" he called out. I motioned for him to follow me into the corner of the room, away from prying ears. "What can I help you with?" he asked me.

Well, hopefully he wouldn't freak out too much. "Jessica is currently in the hospital," I said. Bucky's face fell at the mention of his sister. "She's in Brooklyn City Hospital. Nothing serious. A case of appendicitis that's being treated as we speak. However, next of kin are requested to be present during surgeries. You've been pardoned for the day to be at her side, if you'd like?" I asked him.

I knew that he would say yes. He wasn't really close to his sister, but if he thought that she was in danger, he would be there in a heartbeat. "Absolutely. Can I leave now?" he asked me.

I nodded at him and motioned him towards the door. "Yes. You'll come with me. I'll escort you from the camp and into the city. You'll return tonight for training tomorrow," I told him.

Bucky nodded at me and the two of us turned to leave the room. A few of the recruits wished Bucky's sister well and I tried to suppress a grin. He was going to be heated when he found out that we were really just going to an amusement park for the day. As we walked out towards the car I called back to the others that were hanging around. I let them know what was going on and for the most part, everyone seemed to believe it. Although Chester didn't. He gave me a sharp glare and I smiled as we hopped into the car. He was going to let me have it when I got back later.

It was a black, 1940 Packard 120. Bucky glanced at the car as we hopped in - myself in the driver's seat - and gave a low whistle. "Nice car. I wouldn't think that the Army would give you one like this," he said.

Turning back towards him as I revved the engine and started down the road, I glanced over at him. "Oh, it's not from the Army. I borrowed it from Howard," I told him.

Not that it was probably the best thing to say. "My sister is in the hospital and you just happened to get some time to go to Howard Stark and borrow a very fancy car?" he asked me. I grinned at him and looked away. I never was very good at lying to him. "Is there a chance that you've known about this longer than you're admitting?"

"Bucky there's nothing wrong with your sister," I told him, wanting to ease his mind.

Bucky's jaw dropped as he stared at me. "What?" he asked.

I nodded at him. "Jessica is fine. She's working some job over in California. Happily married to that same guy that was courting her when we were kids," I told him. I had slipped into her mind last night so I knew for a fact that she really was still okay. She seemed to be thinking about having a family. It made me smile. "I just wanted to make sure, so I looked her up," I lied.

If he wasn't afraid of dying in a car crash, Bucky probably would have hit me for telling him that his sister was in the hospital. "Vika! Why would you tell me that she was sick?" Bucky barked at me.

"Because I needed a good reason to get you out of training for the day," I told him with a bright smile. Bucky was giving me a stern glare. "Familial reasons are some of the few that recruits are allowed to take a break for. James Buchanan Barnes, welcome to the best birthday of your life! Something to make up the past few years that I missed," I told him.

A small smile had adorned his face when I'd mentioned it being his birthday, but he quickly went back to staring at me with an even look. "And this was the best way that you could start it?" he asked me.

"Well we're going to ignore that part," I told him awkwardly. Bucky turned over to me and after a beat of silence, the two of us burst into laughter. Once we had settled down, I glanced over at him. "I needed a good reason to get you off of the base, and telling them that I wanted to give you a birthday present isn't good enough," I said.

He glanced over at me and grinned. He probably thought that I had forgotten about it. In truth, it had been in the back of my mind since seeing him again after so long. "So was my heart attack worth it?" Bucky asked.

"You're still alive, so, yes."

He grinned at me as the two of us continued roaring down the road. It would take a while, but I knew that the trip would be worth it. "So where are we going on this wonderful birthday adventure?" Bucky asked after a beat of silence.

"And give away the punch line? Yeah, right," I teased him. He wasn't going to know where we were going until we actually got there. "You're gonna have to trust me, kid," I teased.

"I'm older than you," Bucky said.

"Barely!"

Not quite true. "Three years is not barely," Bucky said. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him. I might not have been older than him, but I was definitely smarter, and that had to count for something. "Fine," Bucky said. I grinned, knowing that he was going to actually let me win this one. "I'm taller than you," he said with a wide grin.

There went that one. He was such a jerk. Bucky knew that my height was the one thing about myself that really drove me nuts. He was almost a foot taller than me. "Asshole," I grumbled under my breath.

Bucky turned over to me and grinned. "Young ladies do not speak that way," he said with a teasing tone.

For a brief moment, a little frown marred my features. Bucky always seemed to like that I was tough, but was there a chance that I might have been too tough? After all, he was still a man. A men wanted a nice woman to be a homemaker and family woman. That wasn't me. "You've got eyes for the wrong person if that's what you're looking for," I finally warned him.

Bucky shook his head at me and grabbed my hand, leaving me to drive with the other. "No. I've got my eyes on the right person. I always have," he told me. I blushed softly and let him press a chaste kiss to the back of my hand. The moment that he let go of my hand, I placed it back on the wheel and focused on the road, trying to brush off Bucky's thoughts.

Thankfully we were able to make the hour long drive without having to stop. It took Bucky most of the drive to figure out where we were going too. It was rather amusing listening to him make a new guess every few seconds. It was also nice just getting the chance to be able to speak to Bucky like we were old friends, not like we were working as professionals and nothing more. Once we made it to the edge of Brooklyn - where Coney Island sat - Bucky managed to figure out our destination. We spent most of the remaining trip talking about our few trips to Coney Island when we were kids. Most of the time we spent laughing.

But the one thing that was making me nervous, the closer that we got, I realized that Bucky and I had never been to Coney Island alone. Come to think of it, we'd never been alone together. Every time that we were somewhere around Camp Lehigh, there were hundreds of other people around. The recruits sometimes, higher-ups and officers others, and Chester and Howard seemed to always be lingering around somewhere. When we were kids, Steve or their parents would always be around. Even if they were sleeping. This was the first time that I could remember ever being alone with him. And it made my palms sweat.

As we continued down the gate of the entrance to Coney Island, Bucky and I kept laughing about the old times that we'd had in Coney Island. They were all so much fun. They were some of my favorite memories. When we were little kids, we would go and eat as much as we possibly could. Steve almost always threw up. Bucky and I would fight to not throw up afterwards. As we got older, we would ride the roller coasters together. Steve would always groan and hope that after each time we went on, that we would be done with them. Of course, we never were. But when we went on them, I would almost always sit with Bucky. I used to love sitting with him. But now the thought of it made me nervous. In camp, things were different. But out here, we were allowed to act like a real couple.

Once we had parked and gotten out of the car, I walked hand-in-hand with Bucky over to the ticket booth. A young man with a freckled face stood at the gate, smiling at the two of us. "Hello, two for the day please?" I asked politely.

"That'll be ten dollars," the ticket master said.

My eyebrows rose. When we were kids, it was only nine dollars for Bucky, Steve, and myself to get into the parks. Apparently inflation and the war had done more damage than I thought. Bucky was digging through his pockets. "I don't have money," he said worriedly.

I rolled my eyes at Bucky and pulled out a ten dollar bill from my wallet. "Duh. Here you are," I told the ticket master, handing him the money. He placed it in the cash register before handing me over two tickets. "Thank you," I said, proceeding over to the turnstile, handing Bucky the second ticket.

Bucky grabbed it and handed it to one of the gatekeepers so that the two of us could walk into the park. It seemed to have expanded in the past few years since I had been here. "You shouldn't have paid for that. I could have afforded five dollars to get into the park," Bucky told me.

He was such a boy. I knew that it would hurt his pride to not pay for his own ticket. But that was too damn bad. It was his birthday and five dollars was just the beginning of what I owed him. "I know that you could have. But it's your birthday, Bucky. I missed so many of them. Let me do something for you," I told him, grabbing his hand.

Bucky smiled as we started walking through the entrance. "You don't have to do all of this," he said.

"I do," I told him before grabbing his hand and yanking him with me. He laughed and walked behind me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder. "Now come on! Let's go do something. What should we start with?" I called out to him.

Bucky glanced around the buildings and I smiled, waiting for his answer. He finally settled on the round centrifuge in the middle of the park. "How about the carousel?" he offered.

My eyes widened as I glanced over at him. "A kiddie ride?" I asked with a little laugh.

Bucky grinned at me and pushed me gently into the line for the ride. It wasn't very long, considering most kids were still in school. There were really only younger and older couples - much like Bucky and myself. "You love it," he teased me.

The group that were on the carousel already began to spin, and I watched them out of the corner of my eyes. It seemed to be mostly toddlers right now - kids that were still too young to be in school. "Okay," I said with a little laugh, leaning back against the railing. We were watching the ride spin as I turned back to Bucky. "I think that we're the oldest people here," I told him.

It didn't seem like Bucky was very concerned. He was merely grinning at me. "Then that means that we're going to have the most fun," he teased. We both laughed and stood together, his arm wrapped over my shoulder. It was a few minutes before the ride stopped spinning and we were allowed on. I walked straight towards a brown horse when Bucky grabbed me and shoved me away. "Wait. That one."

He was pointing towards a pretty white horse. It was the only one on the carousel. And it was also that had pink flowers on the reins. "This one?" I asked him curiously.

There had to be a particular reason that he wanted me to go on this one horse. But I couldn't think for the life of me why. "Yeah. It was your favorite when we were kids. The lead horse," he told me.

A small laugh escaped my mouth as we walked over to it. He was right. When we were little kids, I'd always wanted to ride the lead horse. Mostly because my parents had never taken me to a theme park or anything of the likes. "I can't believe that you actually remember that," I said softly.

"I've always remembered everything important about you," he said.

"That's not really important."

"It is to me."

A small blush rose over my face as the two of us walked up to the horses. Bucky was taking a black horse that was next to the white one. As we walked over to them, Bucky gave me a hand up onto the horse. Not that I couldn't have done it myself. But I appreciated it, regardless. It was rather sweet. Once I had swung one of my legs up and over, Bucky let go of me. As I sat on top of the horse - letting Bucky climb onto his - I glanced around and realized that the few women that were my age were not up on the horses. They were all either standing next to their kids to keep them balanced out or they were with friends on the buggies.

Despite the fact that I probably should have been embarrassed, it was rather funny. Especially the way that they were all staring at me. I let go of the pole that the horses rode on and grabbed Bucky's hand with it. He smiled and began running his fingers over the back of my knuckles. We were both smiling as the horses began to spin quickly. The music was sweet and our ride was amusing as we spent nearly three minutes spinning on the horses. Once we were finally done with the ride, Bucky jumped off of his horse, letting me climb off after. His arms were around my waist, helping me down. I didn't bother to tell him that - like getting onto the horses - I could have done it myself. His hands lingered for half a second too long.

Once we were down, I reached over and grabbed his hand. He let it linger for a moment before pulling his hand away and wrapping it around my waist. I smiled brightly, walking over towards the other rides. "So, despite the fact that we're going on the kiddie rides, is this better than a day at training?" I asked Bucky with a small smile.

He glanced down at me and nodded. "We could be standing in the middle of a ditch in the desert and this would be the best birthday ever," he said. I laughed softly. "The only thing that matters is that you're back here."

The two of us were smiling at each other when he leaned down, placing his hand on the bottom of my jaw. He tilted my head up gently and I smiled when he pushed my head closer to his. The two of us met lips for a moment, sharing the small kiss. After a moment, one of his hands came up to push the hair back off of my face. We were locked together, not really walking, when a small child made a disgusted noise near us. We broke apart and laughed as the very embarrassed mother apologized awkwardly to us, dragging her daughter away.

Not wanting to make any more of a scene, I grabbed Bucky's arm and pulled him with me. "Come on. Lets make it better," I told him softly.

We both laughed as I ran towards one of my favorite things in the park. I used to love it because I felt like I could fly. Of course, that was before I knew that I could fly. But still, we walked over to the three hundred foot iron tower that was one of the centerpieces of Coney Island. It had open sides that allowed people to look all over Coney Island. It was gorgeous. And considering what a nice day this was - other than being cold - we would be able to see all over New York.

It wasn't just me that liked this ride though. Bucky had always liked it too. Neither one of us were ever really afraid of heights. Bucky had always gotten slightly more nervous than I had. But that was mostly because I knew that if we fell, I would survive the fall. Now that would be a tough one to explain. Steve had always hated this ride. We'd used to have to drag him on it, working together to actually physically force him on. Not that it was ever very difficult. Steve was a little guy, and that meant that between Bucky and myself, it was easy to move him.

We showed the man at the gate our tickets and he stepped to the side, allowing Bucky and I to walk into the entrance of the levitating tower. It was the thing that would bring us three hundred feet into the air. There were typically two shaft that were running, but today, only one of them was running. It really wasn't that crowded. There were about eight other people in the shaft with us, including the operator. There was a younger family, the mother and father trying to usher the son over to the edge. There was also an older couple, seemingly enjoying the weather.

The platform took a few minutes to raise all the way to the top. "Take a look," Bucky told me, pushing me over towards one of the telescopes that allowed people to look out forty miles to sea. I looked out and smiled. The view was amazing, just as it always was.

Bucky was standing behind me, his arms on either side of me, glancing over past my head. "Beautiful," I chirped softly, glancing back into the telescope. As I turned it, I realized that I could actually see the old apartment building that we had all lived in. I smiled and stepped back, simply enjoying the cold breeze. "Best view I've seen in a long time," I said.

"I don't know. I've seen better," Bucky told me.

Turning back to him, I smiled. He had been speaking directly into my ear. He was still standing right behind me, pressing me gently against the railing. For once I wasn't embarrassed. I wasn't nervous. This was the way that I had always wanted the two of us to be. It had simply taken me a little too long to figure it out. We smiled at each other before he leaned into me, pressing a small kiss against my mouth. I wrapped an arm over his shoulders and laughed. Our kiss didn't last long as an older couple began to coo softly at us. After a few moments - not wanting to make the others that were up on the platform uncomfortable - I pushed him away from me.

Bucky didn't seem offended about it. He merely grabbed my hand as we walked over to the edge of the platform. "Remember that time when we came here and Steve threw up over the side and hit that poor woman down on the ground?" he asked me.

I let out a very ugly and very loud laugh. That was a pretty hard one to forget. We had been up here when we were kids - myself being nine, Steve was eleven, and Bucky was twelve - after eating lunch. Steve had, very unwisely, eaten two hotdogs before coming on. The two of us had been teasing him about how high up we were before he'd run over to the edge of the platform and puked off the edge. We had thought that it would just be on the ground but when the two of us had glanced over with him, we'd realized that he'd thrown up directly on an older woman that had been standing in line on the ground floor. The whole thing was hysterical, but it had resulted in an accident.

Even thinking about the incident, it still made me laugh. Even after all of these years. "They kicked us out for a year!" I laughed.

They really had. Our picture had been everywhere. We had tried to get back into the park afterwards, but our picture had been up on the walls and they'd refused to let us in. "It was so worth it to see the way that she reacted. I thought that she was going to kill us when we got off!" Bucky said as the platform began to lower back to the ground.

She really did seem like she was about to kill us. The park workers had ensured that she didn't. "I would have protected you," I teased Bucky. The two of us laughed. "Hey, it was better than that horribly dyed hair that she had beforehand."

Her hair really had been awful. She looked like she was wearing toothpaste on her head. Her hair had been slightly white but it had also had this extremely ugly blue tinge. The green and yellow had almost made a fun rainbow. "I think green was a much better color on her," I giggled.

The ride took about two minutes to get back to the ground. When the gates were opened the people that had been inside the ride walked out. Bucky and I walked out with them, hand-in-hand. As we walked around the park, I realized that - for the first time in a long time - I was right where I wanted to be. This was really the right place for me. Not just at Camp Lehigh, working on Operation Rebirth. But with Bucky. He had always been my home. And this right here, how happy we seemed right now, this was the way that I wanted to be. As we walked back and forth, searching for a place for us to get lunch, I finally felt like this might really be what my life would be like.

We were walking past a few of the food stands before I stopped Bucky in front of one of them. I was starving. I hadn't had a chance to get breakfast this morning. "Do you want to get lunch?" I asked Bucky.

He dug through his pockets before turning to me with a guilty face and shaking his head. "Vika, I don't have money," he said.

Rolling my eyes at Bucky, I shoved him into line for food. "I have money, Bucky." He didn't seem to like that I was offering to spend more of my own money. "It's your birthday. I pulled out some of the money that my Dad gave me before coming here. Don't worry. A few snacks here are barely anything. So what do you want?" I asked him as we got to the front of the line.

Bucky shook his head as we stood in front of the cashier that was waiting for us to order. "Nothing," Bucky told me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Fine."

"What'll it be?" the cashier asked me. He was a younger teenager, probably sick of doing this job just because his parents had told him that he needed to help out around the house.

"A popcorn and corn-dog, please," I ordered.

The popcorn was for me. It was always one of my favorite foods. But the corn-dog was for Bucky. I hated them. But I knew that both Steve and Bucky had always had a particular penchant for them. "Vika!" Bucky barked at me.

"Shut up," I snapped at him.

The cashier actually smiled at us. "That'll be a dollar," he said. I scoffed but dug through my pockets anyways. The prices at this place were insane. I handed him over the dollar. "Thank you," the cashier said, motioning for us to step to the side.

As we did, Bucky glanced over at me. "I said that I didn't want anything," he told me.

I rolled my eyes and stood against the building, waiting for our food to come up. "I don't care. Just say thank you, Bucky," I told him.

Bucky sighed and nodded at me. "Thank you," he said awkwardly. I laughed at him as he leaned in, pressing a small kiss to the corner of my mouth. I grinned at him and stood under his arm as we waited for the food to pop up.

We were waiting for barely a minute before the cashier called out to us. "Here you two are."

"Thanks," Bucky said as he grabbed our food.

"Come on, let's go on Switchback Railway," I told him, grabbing on his arm and tugging him with me.

His eyes widened as he stared at me like I had lost my marbles. "Right after we ate?" he asked me. I glared at him, letting him know that I was going to drag him on it, even if he said no. After a moment he sighed and nodded, letting me pull him with me. "Fine, but if I throw up, it's going to be your fault," he told me loudly.

I laughed and ignored him. He wasn't going to throw up after one ride. Switchback Railroad really wasn't that bad. He'd manage. We walked into the line for it and I smiled, leaning back against the bars as we finished our food. It wasn't a very popular ride, but I had always enjoyed it. I was pretty sure the fact that I liked it was the only reason that the boys ever went on it with me. Bucky and I were sharing each other's food as we waited in line, laughing and relishing in the fact that Bucky was almost done with training.

We ended up waiting about ten minutes before we were finally allowed onto the ride. Bucky and I tossed our plates and cups away and jumped into the car. It definitely wasn't the most thrilling of the roller coasters that they had in Coney Island, but we would manage to have fun. The top of the ride was fifty feet in the air and the ride made a rather large drop off of it. The car went up and down a few hills before hitting a higher hill on the far end of the track. The car would then turn around and do the ride all over again. It only took about a minute before riders arrived back at the station. The problem was that the seats were incredibly uncomfortable. But it didn't really matter. We rode it three times.

We were going to ride it a fourth time when Bucky decided that he didn't want to ride it again, in fear that he was going to end up throwing up his corn-dog. "You big baby," I teased him.

Bucky turned over to me and grinned. "Alright, we'll go on it again, and I'll throw up on you," he told me.

I laughed softly at him and shook my head. He did not want to throw up on me. If he did that, I was going to end his life. As wonderful as he was, the last thing that I wanted was for him to vomit on me. "You do that, and I'll kick your head off of your shoulders," I told him. And it wasn't a joke, despite the fact that we both laughed.

The two of us decided that we still wanted to go on rides, despite the fact that Bucky wasn't quite up to another roller coaster. So we decided to head to something a little slower paced. Not that it was really that slow. It was called the Steeplechase. It was a gravity driven ride that started between twenty and thirty feet up in the air. It was a curving metal track that was an imitation of a real horse race. There were six horses that ran parallel on eleven hundred feet of track. It would coast down a few dips before hitting a hill and using momentum to travel up it. It crossed over a stream bed about halfway through and some hurdles towards the end.

The horses had two seats together that were meant so that two people could ride together. It was so that kids could ride together, they could ride with their parents, or couples could ride together. Plenty of them did, but they were all either married or engaged. Or the women were too weak to be brave enough to do it themselves. When we were kids, Bucky and I would ride together and Steve would race us. It seemed a little weird now, considering that we hadn't really determined what kind of relationship that we were in.

We stood in line for about twenty minutes before we got to the front of the line. Bucky turned towards me awkwardly when we were asked about which horses we wanted to go on. "You wanna ride with me? I mean - uh - do you want to go on the ride with me?" he asked me.

Bucky brushed his hair back over his head and I grinned at him. He really had no idea how to talk to me. It was somewhat cute. Actually, it was extremely cute to see someone else on the awkward end of the stick. "Hell no, I wanna race you," I told him with a bright grin.

He laughed at me and seemed grateful that I hadn't messed with him about the slip of the tongue that he'd had. Of course, it had only given me some strange feelings that were fluttering around inside of my stomach. I brushed them off and jumped onto the horse, laughing and smiling as the countdown began. We rode side by side as the race began. More than once I thought about using the wind to help me along, but I decided not to. I wanted to win this race fair and square. We hit the end after a minute or two and I jumped off, groaning that Bucky had won the race by mere milliseconds. It was because he was heavier. Of course, I was furious. Bucky never beat me at anything.

As we got off, Bucky pumped his fist into the air. I crossed my arms over my chest and shoved into him. "What? That's so not fair!" I barked at him. He continued to laugh at me. "I had you until that last turn."

Bucky laughed at me and slung an arm over my shoulder, pulling him into him. "Sore loser," he teased. And he was completely right. I was a sore loser. I hated losing at everything. "Come on, let's go do something where you can't lose," he told me, yanking me along with him.

Groaning under my breath, I shoved him away from me. "I hate you," I snarled at him.

Bucky didn't seem the least bit bothered that I had said something about hating him. "No, you don't," he told me. And he was completely right. I didn't hate him. Far from it.

The two of us shoved at each other for a moment before Bucky began pulling me towards a dark ride called Trip to the Moon. It was based off of the short movie of the same name. Bucky and Steve had always liked it. I'd always thought that it was a little on the creepy side. We didn't wait that long, considering that the cars took a lot of people all at once. While we waited, Bucky and I sat against the railing, laughing with each other. More than once Bucky and I shared a small kiss. It was strange. To actually be happy, with no worries about anything in the back of my mind. Not training, not where Bucky would end up in a few weeks, and not the truth of what I was.

Once ten minutes had gone by, Bucky and I went into the ride. It started with forty-five passengers climbing aboard the ship Luna III. We would all sit inside in rows and watch a screen in front of the ship. It moved slightly as the ship raised and we watched the movie portion of the ride. It was the only part that didn't creep me out. We saw panorama versions of Coney Island and Manhattan's skyscrapers before passing into the clouds. From there, the ship stopped as we were escorted out.

Of course, the ride wasn't over. This was where Bucky began to enjoy the ride and I wanted to rush out. This part creeped me out. It almost reminded me of a joking version of being a mutant. We got out of the ride and then began to walk around a paper-machie version of the moon. I was always nervous that with everyone walking around, people would start to fall through. As we walked, people in costumes played the Selenites from the movie. Mostly girls. I wanted to light them on fire for spending most of their time dancing around Bucky. We visited the palace of the Man in the Moon with the dancing Moon Maidens - who also seemed to like Bucky - before leaving through the Mooncalf's mouth.

We left the ride nearly half an hour later and I had the burning desire to melt the skin off of my bones and replace it with fresh skin. "I don't care what anyone says, that ride is weird," I told Bucky as we walked towards a different ride.

Bucky scoffed at me as we walked. "You just don't understand it," he told me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. I'd seen A Trip to the Moon a hundred times. That whole thing made perfect sense to me. It was just weird. "I understand it just fine, but it's weird," I said.

"It is not."

"I think that you just have a crush on the moon maidens."

The moon maidens were basically girls in bathing suits that were dancing around in something akin to slow motion. They walked around the guests and definitely tried to flirt with the boys. The funny thing about them was that they were wearing these bright vests that looked like tin foil. It was comical watching them pretend to have 'powers'.

And it was also funny that Bucky found them amusing. Maybe one day he'd find everything that I could do amusing. "I think that you'd look nice in those costumes," Bucky said, nudging me gently.

I laughed loudly and shook my head. I'd look like a fool if I ever wore something like that. "Right. Like the men in training don't have enough to say about me. I'm sure that wearing those costumes would make things even better," I said bitterly. I noticed that Bucky's jaw clenched and I sighed, pulling him into me. "Come on, I want to go on the train," I said, trying to distract him.

Bucky's eyes widened. I used to hate the train when I was a kid. It had creeped me out a little bit. But now I wanted to try it again. "Really?" Bucky asked. He probably thought that I wanted to do the roller coasters.

We were pushing those off until the end. "Yeah. Why?" I asked him.

Bucky shrugged at me, grabbing my waist and pulling me with him. "I would have thought you'd want to do one of the roller coasters or something," he said with a small smile.

He was going to ride the roller coasters. But we were going to do it back to back. Until he threw up. That would make it the perfect birthday for both myself and Bucky. "Oh, I do. But I'm going to make you do them all one after another. Just until you throw up," I told him.

He laughed and shoved me gently. "It'll be all over you," he told me.

If he even thought about vomiting on me, be damned the fact that I wanted to hide my mutations from him. I'd light his ass on fire. Or maybe electrocute him. Or drop a boulder on him. Something of that caliber. "Then it'll be your body that I'm delivering back to Camp Lehigh," I told him with a serious face.

We could only last for so long before the both of us burst into laughter. We walked over to the other side of the park and went up to the entrance of the Dragon Gorge Scenic Railway. It was one of the smaller roller coasters in the park. It was also the only enclosed roller coasters in the park. There were two magnificently carved dragons that stood at the entrance to the ride; their eyes glowing a brilliant green. They used to make me slightly nervous when I was a kid. Looking back on it, Bucky always held my hand as we walked into it.

Even now, as we walked into the ride, Bucky was holding my hand. But things were so different now. I would have never dreamed of Bucky kissing me when I was nine. Liar. Okay, so maybe I would have, but I would have never acted on it. We ended up sitting in the front of the car - next to an older couple - and I was grateful. I was still too short to see in the back of the car. The ride was a scenic railroad that went quickly through scenes of a waterfall, the North Pole, Africa, the Grand Canyon, and into the Realm of Hades over the River Styx. That was the only scene that sent a chill up my spine. Somewhere - in the back of my mind - I could remember Stryker once telling me that I had come straight from Hell.

I managed to shake off the feeling as we got off of the ride, but Bucky still seemed to think that something was wrong. "You alright?" he asked me.

I nodded at Bucky, not wanting to admit what I had really been thinking about. No matter what way I tried to think of how to tell Bucky what I was, it never seemed like it was going to come out right. "Yeah. Just not the happiest ending of a ride," I told him.

He sighed at me and wrapped his arm over my shoulder once more, pulling me into him. The wind had a biting cold to it, and I tucked into him. The heat that his body was giving off was ten times better than anything that the flames underneath my skin were doing. "You'll get a happy ending, Vika, don't worry," he told me, pressing a kiss into my hair.

"You so sure about that?" I asked.

It really wasn't meant to come out that way. I didn't want to be down on Bucky on his birthday. This was supposed to be a happy day. Thankfully, he'd always known how to make things bright in a conversation. "Of course. You have me! What could be better than that?" he asked giddily.

I rolled my eyes at him. Pompous jerk. "You're right. Lucky me. I couldn't imagine having anything better in my life," I groaned.

For a moment I thought about bringing up Howard, but he was still a sore spot with Bucky. It would be a while before I could joke about him. "Now some part of me thinks that you might be being facetious," Bucky said.

My eyebrows rose. I wasn't aware that he knew words like that. "Big word. I'm impressed," I teased.

He was no fool. I knew that. But that didn't mean that I didn't want to tease him about it. "Now that was uncalled for. I know plenty of big words," Bucky said. I grinned at him. Of course I knew that. "Come on, I learned them all from you. Whenever we had a spelling test, you would always quiz me all night," he said.

He was right about that. When we were kids and the boys would have a test, we would stay up all hours of the night until they knew the answers backwards and forwards. It was the one way that they were always A students. "I can quiz you tonight, if you like?" I asked teasingly.

It took me half a second too long to realize that what I had said didn't sound very good. Bucky's face went bright red and I wanted to tear my eyes out. "I - I - uh..." he stuttered awkwardly.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! "And I can put my foot in my mouth," I said, laughing awkwardly. Definitely times like this were when I needed to think first and speak second. "Now let's not make anything even more awkward. Come on. See, now it's time for the roller coasters," I said.

Bucky seemed to appreciate that I had at least gotten off of the topic. But every now and again - as he liked to press my buttons - he said something that shocked me. "You can always come by if you want," he said.

It was my turn for my face to go pink - along with my eyes. I glanced away and searched the far reaches of my mind for something witty to say back to him. "I'm sure that the other recruits would love that," I said.

Bucky grinned at me. "I think we'd all have to take turns."

Ew. That certainly wasn't something that I wanted. Some of the recruits weren't half bad, but I didn't want any of them touching me like that. "Nah. You're the only one that I'd actually trust to not bother me. Scratch that. Actually, you'd probably keep me up all night, harassing me to hang out with you. At least Peggy sleeps," I told him.

He grinned at me. "You big baby, you don't know how to have fun," he said.

"I do too!" I barked, shoving him towards the roller coasters at the front of the park. "It's exactly why we're going to go on the roller coasters until you puke," I told him.

"You gonna want me to hold your hand?" Bucky asked.

Yes. No. My pride couldn't decide whether my heart or brain wanted to win over. Probably my pride. "Please. I'll have to hang onto your hand," I snapped at him. There's the pride.

"I wouldn't mind that," Bucky said with a grin.

Once more I blushed but didn't bother to say anything back. Instead, we walked over to the first of the roller coasters. It was called the Mile Sky Chaser. Not that it was a mile long. Or anything like that. I wasn't really sure why it was called that at all. It was only about a seventh of a mile. But it did have a fun maximum drop of eighty feet. The two of us rushed each other onto the ride, eager to see who would call uncle first. I had a feeling that we would find ourselves at a draw. We rode the ride twice together, laughing and cheering the entire time. We sat in the front together both times, trying to tease each other about who was braver.

We were intending to go on a third time too, but we couldn't. It had gone up to a forty minute wait and we really didn't have time if we wanted to do other things in the park before having to go back tonight. So we went to another one of the roller coasters. It was called the Cyclone. It was Steve's least favorite ride in the park. He had thrown up the last time that we were all on it as kids. While we waited in line, I teased Bucky that he was going to be the one throwing up this time. The ride was one of the longest in the park. It was a minute and fifty seconds. It was just like the Mile Sky Chaser, a wooden roller coaster with an eighty five foot drop. It was set in a figure eight design.

We rode it three times before getting off and moving on. To my displeasure, Bucky hadn't thrown up. But he had seemed a little queasy towards the end of the ride. So I decided to try something else. "Alright. Now how about a real thrill?" I asked with a bright grin.

It was one of the rides that we had never been on. Steve was petrified of it and refused to go. We didn't want to go without him, so we had decided not to go. Bucky glanced up at the tower that I was pointing out. A dumbfounded look crossed his face. "The Parachute Jump? I've never actually been on it. Steve was always too scared to go," Bucky said.

So they hadn't managed to go together, even after I had gone. "Getting a little nervous yourself?" I asked him teasingly.

I really wanted him to go on it. I wanted to see how well he would react to the sensation of really flying. "Of course not. I've got you to protect me," he told me as we walked.

We both laughed as we walked up to the entrance of the line. It had a relatively long wait. I assumed that it was because a lot of people wanted to see if they had the guts to actually go on it. It had always been called the Life Savers Parachute Jump - or as most people knew it, New York's Eiffel Tower - and it was one of the most intimidating rides in the park. Probably because of how tall it was. It was over two hundred and fifty feet tall, and there was almost nothing stopping someone from a face plant into the concrete below.

The ride itself was a reasonably simple design. There were two-people canvas seats that hung below a closed parachute. Twelve groups of two could go at a time. The groups would start at the bottom and get harnessed into their seats before being raised up to the top. That was the longest part of the ride. It seemed to take forever. From there the riders were hung over the edge of the ride as they waited for the attendants to release them. The drop was pretty much a free fall, only being slowed by the parachutes. At the bottom, the riders hit the landing pads that were stuffed with springs. Most people managed to fall at the end.

Bucky and I stood in line for well over half an hour as we waited for the ride. Once we finally were allowed to the front of the line, we went to the middle of the ride. The attendant took two minutes to completely strap Bucky and I in. We were holding hands as we were brought to the top of the ride. I noticed that it was mostly kids and younger men that were on the ride. We hit the top of the ride and I jokingly nudged Bucky as we waited to be released. He looked over at me with a glance that said he was slightly nervous.

"Too late to get down, I suppose?" Bucky asked me.

We both laughed and I opened my mouth to respond, but I never got the chance. The ride made a soft groan and before I got the chance to say anything against it, the restraints were released. We went rocketing towards the ground and Bucky and I both let out little shrieks - along with everyone else on the ride. We began to slow as we neared the bottom of the ride, but we never stopped completely. We were still going almost ten miles an hour when we hit the ground. We bounced on the springs for a moment before tumbling and hitting the ground, landing in a mess of limbs.

The two of us were let up by a ride attendant, and as we walked off, I fixed my hair from the fall. Bucky seemed to be a little shaky. I had a feeling that that wasn't his favorite ride. "Could you imagine what it would really be like to fly?" Bucky asked as we walked away.

I smiled at him, trying desperately to not admit that I could fly. Maybe when the day came that I told him the truth, I'd take him out flying or something like that. But I wasn't sure if I could carry his weight. "Probably be pretty cool. I'd like to see you fly. Actually, I'd like to see you try and land. We'd be having Bucky pancakes for a week," I teased him.

He laughed at me and shook his head. "I'd trust you to catch me," he said.

"I'd deliberately let you fall."

Of course, I wouldn't. There wasn't a chance in hell that I would ever really let Bucky hurt himself. "No, you wouldn't. Because I wouldn't let you fall," Bucky told me. I smiled as we walked back over to the roller coasters. Bucky had always sworn that he was an adrenaline junkie, and this was his chance to prove it to me.

Together we walked over to another ride called the Thunderbolt. It was another one of the wooden roller coasters. It was a minute and twenty seconds long. One of the longer rides in the park. It was about eighty six feet tall. We weren't in line long before hopping on. Bucky and I took to the front seat and waited for the ride to begin. Each one of us were nudging at the other as the coaster went up the ramp to the first drop.

The ride hit the edge of the hill before going over it. Bucky and I both screamed as we hit the eight six foot drop. Everyone else on the ride were shouting too. The ride made a large turnaround headed back to the station - mostly since there wasn't a lot of room in this section of the park. The coaster roughly went over two medium sized drops before making another turn and dipping down a smaller drop. I could feel my stomach lurching around and fluttering with every movement. It was nothing compared to how I felt with Bucky. The ride made three small hops - making both Bucky and I laugh - as we went underneath one of the larger turns. The ride made another three small hops and one more small turn before hitting into one last bunny hop and pulling back into the station.

Once we had gotten off of the Thunderbolt, we went onto the Tornado. It was the last of the wooden roller coasters in the park that had a smaller drop - only seventy one feet. It was about half a mile long. Bucky and I were in the middle of the train as it rose to the top of the lift and made a small drop, banking to the right. It went down the first of the big drops before rising up once more and making another large drop, going immediately into a left turn. There were another two big drops - something that had always upset Steve - and one more left turn. The coaster went into a rough, medium sized drop, before going into a wide left banking turn. At the end of the ride were two small hops - like the Thunderbolt - and a right turn as the ride pulled back into the station.

Bucky and I were laughing as we got off of the ride. We were walking back over towards the exit of the park. We were almost straight under the Wonder Wheel - the Ferris wheel in the center of the park. It was huge. A hundred and fifty feet tall. The Parachute Jump was the only thing that was taller in the park. The fascinating thing about the ride was that the cars moved back and forth over the track. It made for a much more interesting ride. It was always one of my favorite things about the park. I liked being at the top of the ride, in the night, with the lights on. It made me feel like I could be out in space, pretending like this world wasn't even here.

As we walked out towards the Wonder Wheel I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. I sighed and wrapped an arm around myself. The air was getting a little chillier. But that wasn't what was bothering me. With the sun setting, it meant that we would have to leave soon. It meant that we had to go so that at least we would have time to get back to Camp Lehigh. We couldn't be back too late.

"Do you want to go on the Wonder Wheel?" Bucky asked me, shattering the peaceful silence.

Glancing over at him, I smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Bucky's P.O.V.

It was the best birthday that he could ever remember. There had been plenty of things that they had done before. Plenty of ways that he had had good birthdays. Some years they went to the movies, other years they went out to eat, sometimes they had family parties, as he got older he held parties with his friends, and he had even been to Coney Island on his birthday before. Most of those things he had either planned for himself, his parents had planned for him, or he and Steve had planned them together.

It wasn't like Victoria was the first girl to do something for his birthday. When he was a kid, his sisters Jessica and Rebecca would help his family figure out what to do for his birthday. They were always the two of that would manage to spill the secrets about his birthday. As he got older, a few girls that he had been courting had taken him out to do something on his birthday.

There had been Mary - who'd taken him to see The Wizard of Oz. She had passed through his life - her attitude simply hadn't been for him - but the movie had remained one of his favorites. Dorothy had taken him out for dinner last year. But he had still paid - as men always did. Vika was the first woman that had ever paid for him. Helen had simply taken him for a walk around town, a picnic, and everything else that cost nothing. It was nice. But she hadn't lasted long. Betty had lasted the longest. He'd dated her for over a year. But she had come to talking about marriage - just before he had left for training. And he simply wasn't ready for that. Not at the time.

All of the girls that he had gone out with were nice, good, girls that would make someone a good wife. But they were never for him. And it wasn't until she had returned that he'd realized why. It was all because of her. Vika. He should have known that he would have never been happy without her. He loved her. It was plain and simple. He was in love with her. He'd never been in love before. He'd certainly liked a few girls before. But he had never loved any of them. He had never realized that he even had the potential to be in love.

There were plenty of things about the other girls that he had been with that he'd liked. He liked that they were all dames, he liked that most of them were funny, and he liked that they all cared for him. But there were simply more things that outweighed those. None of them were really that smart. It wasn't like they were nitwits, they just weren't as smart as he liked. They all wanted to be housewives and mothers. That was all nice - and they were things that he once thought that he would like - but he realized that he didn't want that. Not yet. He didn't like that they all went with whatever he said at any time. He wanted someone to butt heads with. He wanted someone that actually could think for themselves.

And that was all because of her. She had changed everything about him. He wasn't really sure what it was about her that he loved. Actually, he did know, but the list was just too long. He loved that she was the smartest person that he had ever met. He loved how driven she was. He loved that she was going to get her degree for Harvard. He loved how funny she was. She always had the best comebacks and always had something snappy to say. He thought that it was hysterical the way that she could hand anyone's ass to them. He loved that she was able to fight him without thinking about it. He loved that she was tough as nails. And he loved the way that she challenged him.

It was because of her that so many of his ideals on love had changed. It was because of her that this was the best birthday that he had ever had. They were standing in line, waiting for the next gondola to come for them to go on the ride. She was staring up at the ride, a small smile resting on her face. It was the most content that he had ever seen her. He reached around and brushed the hair off of her neck, watching as her grin widened. He smiled, just looking at her. She really was the love of his life.

He would always want her. He would always love her. He knew that. He knew it just by the way that he felt the burning desire for her, every time that he saw her. He knew that one day, eventually, he was going to ask her to marry him. It might not be for a long time, but he would ask her. A few minutes passed and they got onto the gondola. Bucky sat side-by-side with her. One of her hands was on his knee as she looked out dreamily, over the sky. It was beautiful. He knew why she was smiling at it. But it didn't matter. There was a much better view that he could see.

He just wished that she could see it too. He liked just looking at her. He wished that she knew how much he loved her. How much he loved the way that she looked. He knew that her yellow eyes drove her nuts. He knew that she hated them. But the one thing that she would never know was how much he loved them. They were incredible. Everything about her was everything that he wanted. But every time that he opened his mouth and tried to speak, the words got jumbled. She would never know what a bumbling mess she made out of him.

They were at the top of the Ferris wheel when he looked over at her once more. She was staring out the side, dreamily. She was tucked into his side too. "They all look so small, so significant. I just wish that we could stay up here forever. No more problems," she muttered.

Bucky grinned down at her. "I don't know. I've got something that makes all of my problems go away," he said. She turned to him and gave a bashful smile before looking back at the sky. She sat for a few minutes before giving a soft shiver. "Are you cold?" he asked her.

"No," she answered almost immediately.

But he had known her for the good part of his life. She was always good at hiding lies. Sometimes even he had a hard time telling when she was lying and when she was telling the truth. He just knew that right now, she was lying. So he moved forward, pulling the jacket that he was wearing off of his shoulders. It wasn't much - just a thin jacket that the Army supplied for training in the winter months - but it was more than nothing. He slipped it over her shoulders and she smiled, pulling herself into it. It was far too large on her, but it was cute.

She tucked herself into his side and Bucky smiled, reaching an arm around her. She stared off into the distance and out of the corner of his eyes, Bucky could see that the lights were twinkling in the corners of her eyes. She was smiling brightly. It was the happiest that he had ever seen her. She seemed to finally realize that he was staring at her as she looked back towards him. He grinned at her and she moved in, himself meeting her the rest of the way. Their lips met and Bucky smiled into the kiss.

It reminded him of the same way that he had felt when they had first kissed. It was one of the best moments that he could remember. She had been ranting about Stark and how she really didn't like him when he'd known that he was in his window. For the briefest moment after he had kissed her, he had been afraid that she hadn't wanted him to do that. But the moment that she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he knew that she'd wanted it as much as he had. They ended up staying together for a long time. He didn't even know how long that they were together. They simply stayed together, Bucky wrapping her hair around his hand and gently tilting her head back.

There was something terrifying about being with her, though. And it came as they were locked together. Because for a moment, just a moment, Bucky wished that he hadn't signed up for the military. For just a moment he wished that he had decided to stay. That way he could have watched over Steve and he could have been with her. He would say that it was all to protect her - but that was pointless. He knew that she could perfectly well handle herself. It was really just because he loved her more than anything and he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. And the moment that he got back, he intended to tell her that.

They were still locked together - what felt like hours later - when someone cleared their throat. "The ride is over," a younger attendant - a teenage boy - awkwardly told them.

Bucky sprung apart from her and saw that she had a deep blush marring her features. "Oh!" he chirped awkwardly. "Sorry, don't mind us," Bucky laughed as he grabbed Vika's hand and tugged her out of the ride.

She placed her head in her hands. "God that's embarrassing," she laughed.

"Being seen with me?" he asked her.

She smiled at him and shook her head at him. "Of course. I don't want anyone to know that I stooped so low as to be with you," she said.

He knew that she was just messing with him. It was one of her favorite things to do. Bucky smiled at her and shook his head, grabbing her tightly and shaking. "I don't know why I like you," he snapped at her.

She smiled at him. "Yes you do." Yes I do.

Victoria's P.O.V.

We had just left the Wonder Wheel. It was like a scene out of a movie. Something that I had never wanted to end. But damn that ride attendant. He was exactly the reason that I had been embarrassed beyond belief. Despite the fact that I was kind of with Bucky - not that we had really defined what we were to each other yet - I didn't want people to be seeing things like that. Not out in public. It still wasn't the proper thing to be doing. We should save things like that for private times.

But I didn't want to think about things like that. So as we walked past the game booths I smiled at the stuffed animals that were hanging up. "Look at those cute little things," I said happily, pointing to the booth where a person could throw baseballs at milk jugs.

"You want one?" Bucky asked me.

I smiled as I glanced over at him. "You gonna win me one?" I asked him teasingly.

He nodded at me and walked over to the game. "I'll try. One try, please," he told the attendant. I handed the attendant a nickel and stepped back, watching him. Bucky grabbed the baseball and chucked it as hard as he could at the bottles. Less than a minute later he had knocked over all three sets of the bottles. I grinned as the attendant groaned.

He stepped back and motioned to all of the stuffed animals that were hung up. "Any one that you'd like," the attendant said.

Bucky grinned at me and I laughed. "Which one?" he asked me.

My eyes scanned over the stuffed animals. Some were cuter than others. There was an otter that I giggled at. It looked like it was about to dive into the water. But it wasn't quite as soft as I wanted. So I looked over it. I glanced at some of the others. There were the simple teddy bears that were rather cute. But they were normal. I'd seen lots of girls carrying those. Things that their boyfriends had won them. I wanted something different. And after a few minutes I finally found it.

"That one," I said, pointing to a snow leopard on the top rack. The attendant reached up and grabbed it, handing it over to Bucky. He grabbed it and handed it off to me, the two of us leaving the stand with a quick thanks. I grabbed the soft animal and tucked it into my arms. "My hero, winning me cheap stuffed animals," I teased Bucky.

He glanced over at me and smiled. "What are you gonna name it?" he asked me after a beat.

For a while I stared at the animal. I wasn't quite sure. Something that had to be with winter. The moment that I had thought of a name and said it out loud, I wanted to slap myself. I sounded like a idiot. "Snowball."

Bucky let a wide grin pass over his face. "Really?" he asked.

You couldn't have named it something normal? "Yeah!" I said brightly, trying to pretend like I wasn't a blithering idiot for calling the snow leopard Snowball. "What?" I asked as Bucky rolled his eyes.

"Vika, you hate the snow. You basically hibernate for all of winter," he said. He wasn't really wrong. I hated the cold. It was one of the worst things about Stryker's lab. The fact that it was always freezing and I was never allowed a blanket. "And winter is your least favorite time of the year. You like the summer," he said.

But there were things about the winter that I liked. "I like Christmas," I argued.

"Everyone does. That doesn't count."

"You are such a pain in the -" I ranted until I ran straight into someone. I stumbled backwards as Bucky yanked me slightly away from the person. Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," I told the man that I had run into. He was attempting to straighten up. Once he had recovered from the impact, he glanced over at me.

For a moment I thought that he was just another guy. Some random person that I had never met before. But the more that I looked at him, the more that I remembered him. He looked very much the same that he had the last time that I had seen him. Maybe a little less bloody and a little more intact. His blonde hair was cropped, still slicked back over his head. His dark brown eyes were analyzing me the same way that I was analyzing him. My jaws ground together as he grinned at me. Right in front of me stood Johnathan Harper. The same man that had made me miserable, long before I knew what real misery was.

He looked mostly the same, but he definitely looked a little older. Like Bucky, age had agreed with him. But it was the grin on his face that put me off from his new look. "Johnathan," I snarled.

"Victoria Rogers," he purred. I was about to correct him when I remembered that as far as he was concerned, that was still my name. "As I live and breathe. Been a damn long time," he said.

The last thing that I wanted was to actually speak to Johnathan. But I knew that if I wanted to clear the air between us, I had to speak to Johnathan. And I had to do it now. "Bucky, would you give us a moment?" I asked him.

Bucky grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. "Are you sure?" he asked.

After a beat, I nodded. It wasn't like Johnathan would ever be able to hurt me. "Yeah. I'll be back in a few minutes," I told him. Bucky nodded at me and cautiously walked away, keeping me in his line of sight. Once he had gone, I turned to Johnathan. The two of us simply stared at each other. "So how's that knee treating you?" I asked lightly.

To my surprise, Johnathan grinned. "I wondered if you would ever ask me about that. It's not good, thanks for asking. Early onset arthritis. Couldn't walk for months after you attacked us," he snarled at me. I shrugged my shoulders carelessly. It wasn't my fault that he had gotten too big for his britches. "Everyone thought that I was insane. Thought that we were all insane. No record of a Victoria Rogers. Nothing. You had just disappeared. And now, after all these years, you're back," he told me.

My jaws ground together once more. "Sorry to hear about your knee," I said begrudgingly. "But I paid the price for what happened back in that alley, all of those years ago. Still, I'm sorry for I did to you. I overreacted. I was angry," I told him.

No part of me really wanted to apologize to Johnathan, but I knew that I needed to. What I had done was uncalled for. "I guess I owe you an apology too. Maybe all of those Yellow Eyes comments weren't so nice," he said. My eyebrows rose and I almost smiled. It was an apology that I had always wanted to hear. It wasn't as rewarding as I had thought that it would be. "But look at you now. What have you been doing? Where are you working?" he asked me.

"The Army," I answered quickly. Johnathan looked shocked at my answer. "I go back and forth between working for one of the science divisions and training the new recruits," I explained.

Johnathan laughed softly, making my nerves frazzle. "With a girl like you working on something like this, you're going to women on the front lines in no time," he told me.

Well that was surprisingly civil. "That's the end goal," I said.

The two of us stood together in an awkward silence for a moment. Without us barking nasty remarks at each other, we really didn't know what to say. "You here with Barnes?" Johnathan finally asked.

I nodded at him slowly. He had always thought that the two of us had feelings for each other. I hated to think that he was right. "Yeah. We're uh - we're together. Sort of. Being a Sergeant in the Army, I can't get involved with recruits. So until the time comes that he graduates in a few weeks, we're just friends," I told him.

Johnathan grinned at me. "Oh man. Wait until everyone back home hears that Barnes really did actually have feelings for you," he said with a laugh. Some part of me couldn't help but to smile. "Well, it was good to see you, Yellow Eyes. I guess I'll see you around," he told me.

He began to walk away, but before he could, I spoke up. Just because we had managed to get along for a few minutes didn't mean that I wanted him back in my life in any way, shape, or form. "No, you won't, Johnathan. I've made my peace with you. Hopefully you feel the same. Have a nice life," I told him.

Johnathan nodded at me before saying, "Good luck on whatever you're doing, Victoria."

"Thank you," I told him. The two of us shook hands with a curt nod before I turned and walked back over to Bucky. He caught me around the back of the waist, a concerned look over his face. "You ready to go?" I asked him.

Bucky groaned as we walked out of the park and towards the gates. "Already time to get back to the real world?" he asked me.

I smiled at him and nodded, grabbing his hand. "I'd keep you here forever if I could, but someone needs to get out there and win the war," I teased him. He kissed me briefly as we headed into the parking lot. "And Howard will probably kill me himself if I disappear with his car," I joked as I pulled the keys out of my pocket.

Bucky laughed loudly as we searched for the car. "You know, we're pretty close to the apartment that Steve and I share. He should be home right about now, if you want to go and see him?" Bucky asked me.

As I walked up to the car, I froze in my spot. That hadn't really been what I was expecting. I hopped in the car and revved the engine. "Oh, Bucky, I - I don't know. I love Steve, and I want to see him, don't get me wrong. But I don't know, Buck. I'm not sure if I'm ready to see him yet. I just got used to being back with you. I want to talk to him, I just need some time," I told him.

"You're sure? He'd be happy to see you," he told me.

"I know," I said softly.

The truth was that I really did want to see Steve again. But I wanted to get used to being with Bucky first. When the time came, I would be ready to see Steve again. "The Stark Expo and Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition is right after my graduation. Right after I get my orders," Bucky told me. I nodded at him as we drove through the gates of Coney Island and into Brooklyn. "Steve is meeting me there before I deploy the next morning. It'll be a good chance for you to talk to him," he told me.

"I'll be ready to talk by then," I told him. Bucky nodded at me and our fingers tangled together gently as we drove in silence for a while, back towards Camp Lehigh. A few minutes passed before I turned over towards Bucky and grinned brightly. "So you're going to the Stark Expo?" I asked teasingly.

He was no fool. He knew what I was insinuating. "Shut up," Bucky snapped at me.

"No, I'm serious. You're going and that's great," I told him happily. I was glad that he was going. They were always amusing, seeing what the potential products were that would end up in our homes in a few years. "You're not going to try and kill him while you're there, are you?" I asked.

It was a joke, but some part of me was serious. I had a feeling that Bucky really would try to kill Howard if Howard continued to mess with me. "As long as he keeps his hands off of you," Bucky said.

I laughed softly and rolled my eyes. "You know that he does it just because he knows that it bothers you?" I asked him.

"Well he's successful," Bucky huffed.

Smiling at him, I reached over and tightened my hands around his. He was glaring at the dashboard as we roared down the road, back to the base. "Hey. Still your number one girl?" I asked.

"Always," Bucky said with a grin. "Am I your number one guy?"

Now was the perfect chance to mess with him. One my absolute favorite things to do. "Now that might be a little tough to determine," I teased. We both laughed as Bucky swatted at me. "Do not mess with me!" I barked. "I don't want to deal with Howard if something happens to his precious car," I told him honestly.

I would probably be able to fix it with my mutations, but that would be awkward to try and explain to Bucky. "Why, exactly, did he let you borrow his car?" Bucky asked me.

"Because I'm persuasive," I told him brightly.

He rolled his eyes at me. I really was persuasive. But that wasn't really fair on my part. "You're a brat, is what you are." Very true.

It was always one of Chester's favorite things to call me. "And yet you still spend the entire day with me," I told him brightly. He hadn't had to go to Coney Island. Actually, he did. I would have dragged him even if he'd wanted to spend the day in training.

"A fault on my part," Bucky said.

We both laughed loudly as we silenced ourselves. The road was nice and empty this late at night, and the cool air was seeping through the slightly cracked window. Bucky still hadn't asked for his jacket back. I had a feeling that he wouldn't. Sometimes men who were going to war would give the women in their lives a piece of their clothing while they were gone. But those were people that were together. And were we together? I liked to think that we were. But I really didn't know. We hadn't said anything to each other.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, breaking the silence.

"Just did," he responded quickly.

I rolled my eyes and sped the car up a little bit. I was getting nervous. "Stop it," I said with a small laugh. "I wanted to ask you... What are we?" Bucky seemed completely confused at my question. I sighed as I tried to spit the words out. "I mean, what are we to each other? I just - I want to know. Who are we to each other?" I stumbled over my words.

Bucky coughed and tugged at the collar of his shirt. I knew that he was just as uncomfortable at this conversation as I was. "Well... What do you want to be?" he asked me.

"I think that you know the answer to that." He wasn't a telepath, but he didn't need to be. I had made it pretty obvious that I wanted the two of us to be together. I just hoped that he felt the same way.

Howard, Peggy, and Chester seemed to think that he did feel the same way. "You're going to make me be the awkward one," Bucky groaned at me.

"Damn straight."

Bucky laughed as we roared down the road. I heard him clear his throat and I stiffened, knowing that he was trying to gather his thoughts. "I want to be together, Vika. I mean, I want to be with you. I want the two of us to be together. If you're alright with me saying it, I want the two of us to go steady," he told me.

A heavy blush settled over my face. "Yeah. I guess that'd be alright," I said softly. Bucky smiled at me and wrapped his hand over my own that was resting on the steering wheel.

We laughed after a beat of awkward silence and rode together. It didn't take us long to get back to normal. The entire time back on the ride we were laughing and making fun of each other. It was while we were enjoying each other's company that I was reminded of exactly why I loved Bucky. He was the best person that I had ever known. The more time that we spent together, the more afraid that I had become for him. I was terrified that something was going to happen to him once he was deployed. I wanted so desperately to go with him and protect him. But I couldn't. I was a woman and Chester would never let me, even if I could. Even Bucky wouldn't let me go.

It took just under an hour for us to get back to Camp Lehigh. It was pretty late, after ten at night. It was past lights out in the camp and that meant that almost everyone was asleep in their beds. I locked Howard's car and climbed out with Bucky. I tucked the keys into my pocket, intent on finding Howard in the morning. We walked back towards the recruit barracks and I smiled at Bucky. We weren't touching, simply because we didn't want any questions. Snowball was under my arm, a wide smile on my face.

We arrived at the edge of the recruit barracks and I smiled at Bucky, the two of us standing side by side and holding hands. "So, a good birthday?" I asked as I turned to face him.

He moved forward and pressed a soft kiss against my mouth. His hands went to the edges of his jacket as he tugged it tighter around me. I smiled softly. He was going to let me keep it. We stood together for a few moments before he finally released me. Not that I wanted him to. "It's the best birthday that I've ever had. Thanks, Vika," Bucky said.

"You're welcome," I said softly, glad that he had enjoyed the day. It was nice that he got to get a day off. "Get to bed. I'll see you at training tomorrow," I told him.

Bucky nodded at me before disappearing into the barracks. I turned to leave and made it most of the way back towards the barracks when Howard came walking towards me. I smiled at him. He glanced down at Snowball - who was tucked into my arms - and smiled. "That is adorable. Did he win that for you?" he asked me.

"Shut your mouth," I snapped, digging down into my pocket. "Thank you for letting me borrow the car. Here are the keys. It's unscratched and unscathed, I promise," I told him, handing him back the keys.

"Thank you. Did you two have a good time?" he asked me.

"A great time. But it's late, and I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow," I said, walking away.

Howard smiled at me and walked back with me towards the barracks for a moment. He diverted at the last moment, heading out of the park. "Goodnight, Victoria. Nice new jacket, by the way," Howard told me.

I rolled my eyes and continued to walk. As I walked over towards the barracks once more, a small smile passed over my face. Today was definitely one of the best days of my life. It was amazing. I was happy about everything that had happened today. The best part was all because of the fact that Bucky had finally given the two of us a name. We were together. We were going steady. Of course, it was a secret for a few weeks, but it didn't matter. For the first time in my life, I was really with someone.

As I walked, I ran straight into Chester. I smiled brightly, knowing that I was in trouble. I could tell by the angry look on his face. "You bought her a 'get-well' bear and forgot to give it to her?" Chester asked me.

"What do you know, she's allergic to them," I told Chester with a little laugh. I gave him a bright smile and turned to leave before Chester could say anything else to me. "See you in the morning, old man!" I shouted, running over towards the barracks.

The two of us went walking towards the barracks - Chester into his and myself into mine. I walked down the hall quietly before slipping into my room nearly silently. It didn't matter. Peggy was awake and on her bed reading her copy of The Great Gatsby. Peggy glanced up and smiled at me. "How was the trip?" she asked.

"Great. We had a lot of fun. It was one of the best days that I've had in a long time," I told her as I began to get ready for the night. I dropped Snowball onto the bed as I began to change.

"That's nice," Peggy told me. I nodded at her and smiled as I pulled on my blue silk pajamas. Peggy glanced over at Snowball and I watched as a wide grin spread over her face. "Cute bear."

I dropped Bucky's jacket onto my desk and noticed that she didn't say anything about it. I was almost grateful for it. "Thanks. He won it for me," I said softly.

Peggy smiled at me and laughed as she stood from the bed, following me into the bathroom. "Look at you. Acting like you're actually being courted by him, rather than the two of you pretend that you're never going to have to talk about your feelings," she said sarcastically.

"Shut up," I snapped at her. The two of us were silent for a moment before I glanced up at her sheepishly. "We decided that we're going steady," I said at barely over a whisper.

"Called it." I rolled my eyes at her and walked back into the bedroom, Peggy following on my heels. "What's its name?" Peggy asked as we both jumped into our beds.

"Shut up."

The two of us both laughed at each other as we laid down and turned the lights off. It didn't stop the two of us from chattering excitedly for well over at hour. I was surprised that our neighbors didn't come over and bark at us to be quiet. Peggy loved to hear what was going on between Bucky and myself. Probably because her love life had hit somewhat of a dead end for the time being. But the good thing was that she had a lot of experience - and that helped me. When the time came that the two of us finally did go to sleep, I found myself curled up with Snowball at my side.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Ten minutes must have passed since the alarm had gone off. But I couldn't gather enough strength to force myself out of bed. Peggy was up and walking around. From time to time she would stumble into something and I'd hear her mutter a curse. She was about as weak as I was, this morning. We were both exhausted from long hours both training the recruits and working in the lab. I thought that I would get used to the long hours of work, but I hadn't. I still wanted to sleep.

But finally I couldn't sleep anymore. The alarm went off again and Peggy tossed a bottle of lipstick at me to wake me up. I managed to catch it before it hit me in the face and I tossed it back at her. She grunted as it whacked her in the head and I grinned. Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed. For a moment I flopped onto the floor and took in a few deep breaths. Once the fuzzy feeling had faded from my eyes, I stood and began to redo the sheets on my bed.

There was one part of my routine that I had become overly careful with. Snowball. It was one of the few things that I had from Bucky. Many of the things that he'd given me had been lost when I was a kid. I stood and placed Snowball on my shelf, next to the picture of Steve, Bucky, and I at Coney Island. It was the same thing that I did every morning. Peggy snorted at me (she saw what I was doing in the bathroom mirror) and I sent a little shock her way. Peggy squealed and cursed loudly at me.

Her hair had almost been perfectly curled, but it wasn't anymore. The shock had made her hair stand completely on end. I laughed as she went back to straightening her hair out. Instead, I went to getting myself ready. I did a quick pass over myself, merely placing on a pair of beige pants and a blue button-down shirt. Once I had my boots on I gathered my hair together and placed it in a high bun. I would be out in the field for most of the day. That meant that I had to be dressed for the warming weather.

We were three days into Week Seven. Week seven focused on building up the confidence that recruits were slowly gaining. Hand grenade training, live fire, foot marching, and overall physical fitness. It was very much a final training week for everything that they had already learned. This was their last chance to prove to us that they knew what they were doing. Before they went out and practically put everything to use. That would be next week, when they did Victory Forge.

I knew that they were all thrilled to get to Victory Forge. It would be three days of putting everything that they had learned into practical use. It was one of the toughest things that they would have to do, but it was a good practice. And the week after that would be the end of training. It would be the graduation ceremony. I knew that Bucky would be inviting his family. I was thrilled. I hadn't seen them in forever. Bucky didn't know it yet, but I had already invited them.

They had all sent me letters back almost immediately. Rebecca and her husband would be coming on family day. I knew that none of the family would be able to stay for too long. They all had their own lives to live. Plus, Rebecca was pregnant. I knew that she wouldn't be able to hang around for too long. Jessica would be coming without her fiancé. He was already fighting in the war. He had apparently proposed to her right before he'd left. Justin would be coming as well. He was working in the factories and courting some girl from Indiana. She wouldn't be coming. He wanted this to be a day for family.

But I was getting ahead of myself. That was still two weeks away. They had a few things to do before they got there. In the meantime, they had other things to worry about. The past two days had been a lot of obstacle course training and practice on their weapons. They had been spending some time getting back into the physical training after their week off last week.

On the first day of training this week they went through drills with their Drill Sergeants. I hadn't been there - I had been forced to be in the labs - but I had been watching. But it was to ensure that they still remembered those bits of foreign language that I'd taught them, and the medical training that we'd taught them during their first few weeks here. I had spotted Bucky doing well when I had been on my lunch break. He had been doing well. Not one question had he gotten wrong. I'd grinned.

Yesterday they were finishing their fitness and physical tests. I could tell that they were all exhausted. I knew that these nine weeks did a lot to the body. They all wanted to go home. They wanted their few days off before they had to go and ship out. It sent a little shiver through me. Three weeks from now, Bucky would be sent out to war. It was why it always made me feel better when I saw that he was doing well on the courses. But it would all come down to how they managed Victory Forge.

Over the past two days I'd been spending most of my time in the labs. It kept me extremely busy and made me want to tear my hair out. I missed being out with the recruits. It was so much easier. But in the meantime, we'd been getting closer and closer to the solution to the super soldier serum. Thankfully. It would be ready for animal testing in a few weeks - once we ensured that the chamber was strong enough to hold the blast or radiation waves.

Howard was almost done with the Vita-Ray Chamber. He still had it over at Stark Industries and he'd taken me to see it a few days ago on my day off. It hadn't been ready to test yet at the time. He had people working on it around the clock though. The few people that Abraham had allowed to know about the project. In a few weeks I would get into the prototype and ensure that it was strong enough to hold me. If it was, we would be able to check the chamber off of our to-do list.

In the meantime, Abraham had us working on the other two components of the serum. We needed to work on the actual serum and the intravenous solutions. Whatever we were going to buy had to be something that would help counteract the severe effects of the radiation blast. We needed something that would be able to actually target the muscle groups that we needed to expand. Abraham thought that he had an idea and I was trying to work with him. He wanted to try and inject directly into the muscle. Painful, but it would ensure that we didn't miss.

Outside of the lab, I tried to relax. I was exhausted. But, of course, I was never able to completely relax. Not with Chester on my back about everything. He clearly knew where we had gone last week, but thankfully he hadn't bothered me about it. It was the one thing that he had let me get away with. I was shocked. But I appreciated it. Because I knew that if I ever directly told him what had happened, he would never let me around him again. He already thought that we spent way too much time together.

And maybe that was the truth. But I couldn't really bring myself to care. We hadn't been together much over the past week - it was too hard to find chances to sneak away without being suspicious - but we had been able to see each other from time to time. We had gotten the odd stolen kiss in between his lessons and a few little glances in passing. We knew that we both cared, we just weren't able to show each other. Not yet. As we'd continued telling ourselves, just two more weeks.

Since we had gotten together just a few weeks ago, I'd realized that I absolutely adored him. The little feelings that I'd had for him in our childhood had come back full-force and I hadn't been able to ignore them. He meant everything to me. Some part of me wanted to be with him forever. Well... Every part of me wanted to be with him forever. Every time that I saw him I felt like the little butterflies in my stomach. His little glances over at me made color flush on my cheeks. And that wasn't it. Each time that we kissed - even if it was only for a second or on the cheek - it was like it was the first time all over again.

We had managed to keep it to ourselves for the most part. And the recruits seemed to have finally gotten over the idea that Bucky had feelings for me. Boy were they in for a shock in two weeks. But those who did know - Howard and Peggy - continuously made it obvious that they were thrilled for us. Although they both kept making comments about being at our wedding in the future. I always snapped at them to be quiet. Because I couldn't really tell if I liked it or not. The last thing that I wanted was to admit that I loved the idea of being with him for the rest of his life.

It was that exact reason that I was scared. I was scared that one day he would find out the truth about me. He would continue to age and eventually he would realize that I don't. I would have to tell him the truth at that point. And there was a chance that he would hate me. Peggy always told me that he wouldn't, but I wasn't so convinced. And even it he didn't hate me, I would still have to watch him die one day. Was it worth it? Would it be worth it to let him be with someone that could give him a real life?

Beating away the feelings that were breaking my heart, I thought about training instead. We were a long way off from those conversations. I had time to think. For now, we were all focused on making the camp safe for the first bought of hand-grenade training. Chester had refused to let me use one. Buzzkill. He seemed to think that I would toss it over at the recruits that I still didn't like. Peggy and I had agreed that we wouldn't do that. We would throw it over towards Lorraine's barracks.

Tomorrow would be the live-fire exercise. It would be a realistic scenario for the demonstration of use of specific equipment. They would essentially be training for what a real gunfight would be like if they found themselves in one. When they found themselves in one. We would all be watching over them. Live-fire could get dangerous. We had to make sure that no one accidentally shot themselves - or someone else - in the foot. I could only imagine how upset Chester would be if that happened.

The day after - at that point they would be done for the week - was the threat briefing and foot march. Threat briefing was the Drill Sergeants teaching the recruits about what to watch out for when they were in the field. They had to know exactly what they were looking out for. The foot march was ten kilometers. Just over six miles.

During the first part they would report enemy information, send a radio message, potentially engage targets, employ hand grenades, practice preventive medicine, move under direct fire, and move over, through or around obstacles. In the second phase they would react to indirect fire while dismounted, react to flares, select temporary fighting positions, camouflage themselves and equipment, and practice noise and light discipline. In the third phase they would be forced to recognize and react to chemical or biological hazard, react to nuclear hazard potentials, and evaluate a casualty. They'd be doing it all day.

My thoughts were interrupted by Peggy's voice. "Vic?" she called out. I hummed at her, rearranging the notes on my desk. "Is that Private Barnes out there?" she asked me.

Peggy was standing at the window, glancing outside. I tried to avoid looking out there, because all I wanted to do was sprint over the obstacle courses. I wanted a good fight. But I couldn't do that. Not while I was supposed to be a proper lady. "Probably. He should be heading to breakfast soon," I told her.

"Are you eating with him?"

We still did our breakfast dates on a regular basis. Although I hadn't been able to meet up with him over the past two days. "Yeah. I'll head there soon." Finally I glanced up at her. She was still entranced with whatever was out the window. "Come on Peggy, you know me, I'm never on time. It's part of my charm," I joked.

She didn't seem to catch the joke. What's her problem? "Did you invite someone else to have breakfast with you today?" she asked me.

"No. Why?"

"Because there's another woman with Barnes, hanging onto his arm," she told me.

"What?" I howled darkly.

Jumping up from the table, I got up and ran over to the window. My eyes were lit up a brilliant red and flames were licking at the end of my hair. I was never very good at controlling my anger. She was right. Bucky was walking over to the mess hall and he did have a woman on his arm. She was laughing at something he said. I could tell that he was trying to get her off of him, but he was far too polite to do that. Well he might be, but I'm not.

And it only got worse when I saw who the woman was. It was Lorraine, the woman from the medical bay. My anger only made another spike. "I'll see you later," I told Peggy before turning.

I didn't get far before she laid a hand on my arm. "Victoria, love, put out the flames. And wait until your eyes are back to normal," she told me. I took a few deep breaths and felt the flames die down. Eventually, my pupils dilated as well. "Better. Try not to set her on fire. Chester probably won't like that," she told me.

"Too damn bad," I snarled as I stomped outside.

Before the door closed, Peggy called out to me once more. "If you're going to hit her, wait five minutes for me to be out there!" she shouted as the door closed behind me.

Despite myself, I smiled. A little laugh even escaped my mouth as I stomped out of the hallways. A few women were standing around and laughing but I ignored them. Even when some of them tried to call me over. They weren't the only ones to try and speak to me. A few men tried to strike up conversations as well, but I brushed them off.

It wasn't just because I had somewhere to go. It was because I knew that the recruits had a new bet; they were bettering on which one of them could kiss me first. I had found that out just a few days ago. It explained why they had all suddenly gotten much nicer to me. I had half a mind to tell them that they had all already lost.

They were all such pains in the asses. I wanted to snap at them to leave me the hell alone or to drop the bet, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to explain how I knew. I only knew because I'd read their minds. They had all been laughing and giggling at me so much that I had to know. I had to know what they were all laughing about. Now that I looked back, I wished that I hadn't found out. In the meantime, I stomped into the mess hall and my eyes immediately locked onto him.

Lorraine was sitting next to Bucky on his seat, leaning slightly into him. She wore a bright smile and I felt my blood literally boiling under my skin. I decided to listen in for a moment, curious as to what he was going to say to her. "You're so brave, being here. Must make you miss home," she told him with a lilting voice.

It was lust, plain and clear. But Bucky wasn't me. He couldn't hear it. Bucky chuckled softly, keeping his distance from her. "A little. Got some good pals back there. But I'll get back to them. Eventually. Gotta do my part here first," he told her proudly.

It wasn't the fact that he was speaking to another woman that bothered me. He could speak to anyone that he wanted. I didn't own him. I actually wanted him to speak with Peggy more. And I'd seen him speaking to the occasional nurse or secretary. I didn't mind. He could have his friends. I had Howard. And Steve. But I did not want him anywhere near her. Not after she had already tried chatting him up on a few different occasions. That was where I drew the line.

Not that she knew that we were together. Perhaps it was just the principle. She should have known that I had feelings for him. Women's intuition. Or maybe she just didn't care. "No girl waiting for you back home?" she asked.

Watch your words very carefully, Bucky. He thought about it for a moment too long. "Not back home," he finally answered her.

A small smile fell over my face. That was better than I would have given him credit for. Lorraine's brows furrowed as she processed his answer. "But there is a girl?" she finally asked.

He nodded at her. There was a soft smile on his face and I had to force myself not to read his mind. I wanted to know what he thought about me. But I was better than that. I didn't want to stoop that low to do it. "Yeah. She's here," he told her. He was smiling at her, but I knew that the smile wasn't for her. But she clearly didn't.

I realized with a start that she thought that he meant her. She had no clue that he meant me. "Oh? Why don't you swing by the medical bay later? You can tell me all about your girl," she said huskily. Lorraine gently placed her hand on Bucky's arm. I could finally tell by the look in Bucky's eyes that he'd realized that this was a problem.

Bucky awkwardly shifted away from her. "You know, I'm not allowed to be out after curfew," he said.

Lorraine didn't understand why he was saying that. "I won't tell if you won't," she whispered. She began to move into him and I fought back the flames on my hands; I had had enough of this.

Damn getting myself in trouble or getting kicked out of the camp. And damn getting Bucky removed from my unit. She was not going to kiss him. I marched over to her, completely intent on setting her on fire. But before I could get to her someone stepped in front of me. I was desperate to shove them out of the way, but I never got the chance. The figure stumbled into the table and I watched as they spilled coffee all over Lorraine.

She shrieked at the top of her lungs - drawing attention from all over the room - and my eyes went wide. That was definitely not the way that I intended for this to go. But maybe this is for the better. She jumped from the table and I watched as Bucky stared at her in horror. He turned his gaze to the figure that had run into the table, and so did I. Howard had run into her and spilled coffee all over her. He had more than likely done it to keep me from physically harming her. Howard was looking at Lorraine with false pity.

Howard finally stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She was still looking down at her soaked shirt and skirt, seemingly fuming. "Oh, my! Look how clumsy I am," he said. Lorraine was about to look up at him and scream, but when she realized that she was speaking to Howard Stark, she calmed down. I rolled my eyes. "I'm so sorry, darling," he continued.

She cleared her throat and began straightening out her clothes. "I suppose it's alright," Lorraine muttered.

One glare from her and most of the recruits turned back to their meals. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up," Howard offered, placing his hand on her upper back. As they passed, he glanced down at Bucky with twinkling eyes. "Sergeant Barnes," he greeted.

"Mr. Stark," Bucky muttered.

I could tell that he was still thrown from what had just happened. Howard caught my eyes and I slipped into his mind. Figured you were going to light her on fire or something of the likes. Would have been funny, but definitely would have gotten you in trouble. You owe me!

Grinning lowly, I nodded. Definitely. Thanks, Howard.

His thoughts didn't continue after that, so I watched them for a moment. Lorraine seemed much calmer now, and she was speaking to Howard just as she had spoken to Bucky earlier. Harlot. I would definitely owe him something later. Maybe I'd bring him the scotch that he liked so much. Or maybe I'd offer to clean his car. Something like that. As they disappeared around the corner, I took a seat on the other side of Bucky. He still looked shocked from the previous events.

He gave me a small smile and handed me his spare cup of coffee. "Thank you," I said softly, taking a few sips. "An eventful morning we're all having," I joked as I picked a few pieces of bacon off of his plate.

"I'll say. You think that coffee was hot?" he asked me.

"Who cares?" I snapped, much harsher than I meant to.

Bucky glanced up at me with knitted brows. "Well, I don't want her hurt," he told me. I do. Bucky stared at me for a moment before something finally seemed to click in his mind. "Stark did that because you were jealous, didn't he?" he asked me.

Actually, I didn't have anything to do with what Howard had just done. But I knew that he had done it for me. "I don't know. I don't control what he does," I told him softly, glaring at Bucky's plate of food.

When I finally looked up a few minutes later, I saw that Bucky was grinning at me. I rolled my eyes. I didn't know where this was going, but it wasn't going anywhere good. "You were jealous," he said.

No point in lying. "So?"

Bucky laughed and reached across the table. He grabbed my hand and ran his thumb over my knuckles. "Ah, come on, Vika. That's cute," he told me.

I wrenched my hand back from him. "It is not cute, you baboon," I hissed.

Bucky didn't seem bothered by my insult. Instead, his smile only grew. "It's very cute. It's a funny side." I raised my eyebrows at him, curious as to what he was talking about. "You're the one that always claims that you don't like romance. It's kinda nice seeing that you actually do care," he said.

A twinge of hurt shot through me. I was sure that he hadn't meant to insult me, but it definitely hurt. I couldn't help not showing that I always cared. I had spent a good part of my life being unable to care. I had spent most of my childhood as nothing more than a science experiment. I'd been forced to lay on a cold table for years, my parents not even wanting to acknowledge me. I had spent my teen years being tortured and torn apart over and over again. Over the years, I had been taught to be a weapon. I had never been taught to show that I cared.

To care was to show weakness. And that earned me a bullet to the brain. But Bucky could never know that. So I settled for the one thing that I had always known to do. The one thing that I had been taught to do. Shut down - turn ice cold - and force everyone out of my heart. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but it was the only thing that I knew how to do.

"Of course I care, you nitwit," I mumbled.

The entire time I wanted to try and say something, explain how much he really meant to me, I couldn't. I couldn't force myself to say anything to him. "But you're jealous too. You really think that I'd go for someone like her?" he asked me.

You would be smarter to. "I'd hope not. And you act like I'm the only one that gets jealous!" I snapped, unable to stop myself. I lowered my voice, hoping that no one would hear us. "Need I remind you that the only reason we actually even realized that we had feelings for each other was because you thought that I liked Howard," I said.

Bucky's face went pale. "I was not jealous!" he barked at me.

"You were too."

"I was not!"

Of course he was. He would just never admit it. "No?" I asked. Bucky slowly shook his head at me. "You wouldn't get jealous if another recruit started to get a little hotsy-totsy with me?"

It was obvious that it was an internal battle in his mind. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. "No..." he finally mumbled. Now I knew that it was about his pride.

"Okay."

I would have been lying if I'd said that his words didn't hurt me. They hurt me much more than I would care to admit. All of those years that I had endured everything that I had, the only reason that I hadn't risked my own life - I would have loved to let Stryker kill me - was because he always held Bucky and Steve over my head. I hadn't known it then - I'd thought that it was only because we were friends as children - but I'd been in love with him. I could never admit it though.

Even now, I couldn't admit it. I'd heard people say before that you could only truly love someone when you knew everything about them. I knew everything about Bucky. Even if he'd wanted to, he could never keep a secret from me. But it didn't go both ways. I was keeping a huge secret from him. More than one. And even if he accepted the secret, it didn't matter. He would live a short life. He would die and I would have to watch it. I'd have to grow up and get over it. And I wasn't sure if I could handle that. He was the one person that I wasn't sure that I could live without. And I didn't like that weakness. I didn't like any weakness.

"You don't believe me," Bucky said, interrupting my thoughts.

For a moment I almost forgot what he was talking about. But then I remembered. And I knew the truth. He hated when they all flirted with me. "Come on. Just admit it. You're jealous that the other men look at me. You're jealous that they talk about me," I told him.

Bucky growled before taking the rest of his coffee. He glanced back at me and tightened his grip on the coffee mug. "Doesn't matter. None of them really know what you're like," he said.

There had to be something more bothering him that I didn't know about. "They know me," I muttered.

Bucky glanced up at me and I saw that he was giving me his award-winning smile. I wanted to slap it off of his face. "They've never kissed you," he told me with a small grin.

Play along. Stop your moping. "You so sure about that?" I asked with a devious smile.

Bucky's eyes bulged as he stared at me. "What?" he snapped.

I laughed softly and leaned over the table, grabbing his hand quickly. I retracted it a moment later, not wanting anyone to spot us. "I'm just kidding. Come on, you know that they're all terrified of me. They just think that I'm funny," I said. I couldn't read the look on his face. "The girls around here, they all like you. They'd all go after you in a heartbeat. Just ask Lorraine," I snarled.

Well that certainly wasn't the way that I wanted it to come out. "I knew that you were jealous!" Bucky laughed, clapping his hands together.

For a moment I thought about throwing my cup of coffee on him. But I decided that honesty might have been a better way to go. "Of course I was! She was about to kiss you, you ditz!" I shouted.

Immediately I ducked my head down, hoping that no one had heard. Bucky's face fell. Had he not noticed what she was about to do? Was I taking it a little too hard on him? "No she wasn't," he whispered.

I knew that I should have been nice and tried to talk it out. But I couldn't. "Yes she was. You didn't even bother to stop her," I said softly.

The blow was harsh and I saw Bucky recoil slightly. I knew that it wasn't something that I should have said. He would have stopped her. I knew that he would have. He didn't care for her. He wouldn't dare risk something happening with us. I wasn't sure why all of this was coming out right now, of all times. I didn't want to fight with Bucky. But the urge to fight with someone - perhaps because I was itching to get into another one after being away from Stryker's lab for so long - was coming out. And I was taking it out on the wrong person.

"You didn't say that you weren't talking about her," I said, making things even worse.

Bucky seemed to be completely exasperated with me. I was exasperated with myself. "I can't, Vika!" he barked at me. I jumped slightly. He never raised his voice at me. "You told me that we couldn't tell a soul about us. What was I supposed to say? I've got the hots for my Sergeant? Lorraine would have me out of your unit by sundown," he said.

My heart gave a painful twinge. He was right. But the limbic center of my brain was going into overdrive and it wouldn't allow me rational thought. "I don't know, but I was expecting you to say something," I growled.

Thankfully Bucky had a much better cerebrum than I did. I was convinced that mine had been damaged at some point in Stryker's lab. I knew that parts of my brain were much more powerful than others. My frontal lobe - where impulse was controlled - was much larger than the cerebrum - that contained rational thought. The M1 and M3 gene clusters - that determined intelligence - were also well-developed. To the point that it affected the hippocampus - which determined emotions - however it did not tend to affect emotions.

My brain was going haywire as I attempted to reason with myself. I tried to shut down the M1 and M3 gene clusters, but I couldn't. They were still controlling the small part of the hippocampus that was desperately trying to push its way forward. But it was out-ruled. Although my thoughts were stalled when I felt Bucky gently pressing his leg against mine underneath the table. He was softly rubbing it against myself and I smiled. I knew that it was the best that he could do right now, considering that we couldn't give each other a kiss out here.

Bucky leaned forward to me slightly and I knew that we were both trying desperately not to kiss each other. It was what I really wanted to do. It was taking over my rational thinking. "I wouldn't have kissed her," he told me softly.

The M1 and M3 gene clusters reacted before I could. And I wanted to shoot myself for it. "Be honest with me. Are you really with me because you genuinely have feelings for me or are you with me because you're just excited to see me after so long? I mean, am I just something familiar to you?" I asked him.

The look on Bucky's face told me that I should have taken it back. For a moment I wanted to reach across the table and wipe his memory of me ever saying that. But at the same time I didn't want to. I wanted to know what he really thought about me. And I wanted to do it without having to read his mind. Perhaps this was crueler, but the slight alexithymia - the inability to process or feel emotions caused by a disturbance in the right hemisphere of my brain during the Adamantium injection - that Stryker had given me kept me silent.

Clearly Bucky had been waiting for me to retract my statement. "You're joking," he said, when he realized that I wasn't going to speak.

"Please tell me," I said softly.

You're ruining things! You're breaking his heart! Say something. "I shouldn't need to tell you the truth. You should know. Of course I'm with you because I want to be with you," he said. I could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to tell me something. "Vika, I -" he started before cutting himself off, looking disturbed.

I gave him ten seconds to continue. When he didn't I spoke, "You what?"

Bucky stared at me for a moment. I could feel the powerful desire in him to say it. But he wouldn't. And I wouldn't read his mind. He'd tell me when he was ready. And I wouldn't force him to say anything. "Nothing," he muttered. We were silent for a few moments before Bucky looked up at me once more. "Why are you with me?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

My heart felt like it was breaking. But my brain understood exactly what was happening. He was hurting, so he was attempting to deflect the pain. It was a base human instinct. "Why are you with me? There are plenty of other men on the base. Are you with me just because you've missed me as a friend after all of these years?" he asked.

This time my heart got to me first. "Of course not!" I howled at him. My chest twisted painfully as I began to move. I needed to leave before my brain took over again. So I did the one thing that made me want to cry. "Maybe we should have waited until training is over to give this a try. I think that there's too much strain on the both of us right now. I don't want to make things worse. So... I - I think I should go," I said.

The heartbreak was clear in his face as I stood to leave. Bucky stood after me and stepped over the edge of the bench, trying to grab onto my arm. "Vika, wait," he pleaded with me.

But it was too late. Tears were building in my eyes as I walked through the camp. Most of the people standing around me seemed to realize that I was in a nasty mood. It was probably why they were all avoiding me. Each time someone would pass me they would attempt to smile and then leave when they realized that I wasn't in the mood to talk.

So I walked. I walked past the training field - where I was supposed to be in just under ten minutes - and I walked past the barracks. I headed straight back into the labs. I wasn't really sure. There wasn't anything in there that was going to help me. I didn't want to talk to the men on my team and I didn't want to work. I wanted to be left in piece. But right now I was too wound up to actually be able to sit still.

In all reality, the only thing that I wanted to do right now was crush someone's skull. But that wasn't me. Not really. That was Stryker speaking. And that was exactly what he wanted. It was what he got. My anger taking over me, I marched up to Abraham's office, walked inside and spotted that no one was there, and reared back. As quietly as I could, I punched the cement wall as hard as possible. It crumbled under my fist, the wall splitting all the way to the ceiling. A large chunk about three times the size of my hand fell out of the wall. There was no physical damage on me. Just some dust from the wall.

There was a presence behind me. I could tell that they weren't shocked by what had happened, so I knew that it was someone that already knew what I was. Probably Abraham, considering that this was his office. A hint of shame creeped into my stomach. I'd just destroyed part of his office because I'd let my anger get the best of me. It was something that Stryker had taught me. And despite trying every day for the past year to knock it out of my system, I couldn't. Logan was right, I was Savage.

But I couldn't tell if that was something that I liked. Finally, I turned back to see that Abraham was leaning against the unbroken wall. He had closed the door behind him and was now staring at me. I could feel the pity rolling off of him in waves. I grit my teeth. The one thing that I hated was pity. Everything that had happened to me was of my own doing. I'd earned no pity.

He took in a few deep breaths before coming to stand beside me. He stayed at a close distance, but it was not because of fear, it was due to personal respect. "Fraulein, something seems to be perturb you," he said.

As angry as I was, I still had to laugh. "I wonder how you could tell," I commented dryly. Abraham smiled as he motioned for me to take a seat in the chair. I did so, the buzz of energy alive in my veins. I couldn't calm it down. I wanted to do something. I needed to hurt someone. But I couldn't. I needed to get my mind off of things. "Abraham, do you know what alexithymia is?" I asked.

"The absence of human emotion," he answered without hesitation.

"Yes." A beat passed before I spoke again. "Do you know if there's a way to rid yourself of it?" I asked.

He smiled at me and walked forward, kneeling in front of me, much the way that a father would lean in front of their scared child. My eyes narrowed into slits. I was not a scared child. Not anymore. "I don't think that's what you need. Look at you, Fraulein. You would not be feeling this way - so angry and so hurt - if you couldn't feel emotion. What you really need is to take a step back. Learn how to balance the emotion with the reasoning. You can do it. If anyone can do it, it's you. Give Private Barnes a few days to cool off. You both need it," he said.

Just like Chester, Abraham wasn't a father, but he knew exactly how to act like one. I smiled weakly, grabbing his hands. "Thank you, Abraham. How did you know that it was about Bucky?" I asked softly.

He knew that I had feelings for him, but he hadn't been there earlier to hear our argument. "I haven't known you that long, Victoria. But I've learned much about you in the short time that I have. And I can see how much Private Barnes means to you. If there's anyone that can get you riled up like this, it's him," he told me.

I smiled softly. "Yes. He was always the one person that could."

And it was the truth. The only person that could ever rile me up was Bucky. He always knew just which buttons to push. "Take a few days apart. Couples need it from time to time. Especially with threats like his departure looming overhead," he said.

A twitched slightly, trying to ignore that part. I couldn't let him leave while he still thought that I was angry with him. "Thank you."

"Take a break tonight. Try and avoid him. Keep with Agent Carter and Mr. Stark in the meantime. In a few days, sit down with him and work things out. I guarantee he won't be angry with you," he said.

My head snapped back as I headed towards the door of his office. "Why's that?" I asked.

He merely grinned at me. "I have a feeling that you'll know soon enough." Cryptic. And so dramatic. Before I could leave, Abraham spoke again. "And in the meantime, please find someone to fix my wall," he told me, a teasing look on his face.

Color rushed to my cheeks. Oops. "Sorry about that," I muttered.

He gave me a soft smile. "It is fine. Perhaps it will make for a good window," he told me. We both smiled as Abraham walked over to me and pressed a small kiss on my forehead. "Enjoy training today, Fraulein. Try not to use any of the other recruits as punching bags," he said as I opened the door and stepped out.

I laughed softly and called back, "I'll try my hardest."

It was amazing how much lighter I felt as I walked back through camp. Although I did still feel the excited buzzing in my veins. That was the most action that I'd had in well over a year. I was desperate to do something more. As much as it unnerved me, I wanted to feel someone's neck snap beneath my fingers, I wanted to watch their blood suffocate them. Don't think like that. You're not an animal.

Swallowing harshly I continued to walk, grabbing at the small stress ball in my pocket. Peggy had given it to me last week when she'd noticed that I was getting antsier with each passing day. Perhaps I was getting sick. No, that was stupid. I didn't get sick. So I brushed off my thoughts and walked up to the men that were all standing around. Bucky was standing off in the back, chatting and laughing with his friends. My jaw tightened. Even though I could tell that he wasn't really happy, it still hurt that he was at least better than me at covering it up.

Instead of focusing on the days training activities, I started thinking of the one thing that I didn't want to think about right now. Bucky. I never was very good at pushing things from my mind. Once they were in, they got stuck. And that was what was happening right now. Deep down, I knew that Bucky was going to tell me before he stopped himself. It almost made me smile. But in a way, I was glad that he hadn't said it. I didn't want him to, after the harsh end to our conversation. The rational part of me once more reared up. He wouldn't have meant it anyways. He just wanted to salvage the fight.

My jaw clenched tightly as a recruit came to stand next to me. I glanced over at them, almost grateful for their interruption. It was Marcus. He was grinning down at me, unaware of my irritation. "Sergeant Phillips, what's got you down in the dumps?" he asked.

So maybe he wasn't as stupid and unobservant as I thought that he was. "Nothing, Marcus, thank you for asking," I said, forcing a smile onto my face.

A moment later, Jeremy stepped up to me. Oh good, they're going to try for their bets again. "Come on, what's a pretty girl like you doing looking so sad? A boy done you wrong?" he asked me. Actually, I've done a boy wrong. "Tell us his name, we'll get him and straighten him out for you," he teased me.

Pretend like nothing is wrong. "Defending my honor. Awful kind, boys," I said.

Anyone that was listening could have heard that my heart wasn't really in the joke. "You know us, Sergeant, always here to help," Collin said, giving me a very messy and informal salute.

"Just gotta let us know what you want us to do," Harry added.

Normally I would have messed right back with them. But my temper was short right now. And I didn't want to take it out on them. To be fair, they hadn't done anything to me. "Right now, I want you to get to work. Excuse me, gentlemen. Gotta get ready for the day," I said, walking over to where Chester was waiting for me.

On most days Peggy would be standing right there with him. For today, I was glad that she wasn't. I wouldn't have been able to make it ten minutes without pulling her aside and telling her what had happened. We would be labeled just as any other women were. Incompetent, wanting to gossip before work. She was in her own office today, working on the recruit files. I knew that she had a partial say in where the recruits went. She had promised to try and keep Bucky out of danger. But he was good and she didn't have much sway.

I still appreciated the attempt. I glanced up from staring at my scuffed boots and saw that Chester was giving me a hard look. I set the same glare on my face. "What's wrong?" he finally asked me.

As angry as I was - and as much as I wanted to see someone hurt - the last thing that I wanted was for Bucky to be hurt. And I knew that he would be if I dared tell Chester what had just happened. So I played dumb. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Chester continued to glare at me. "It's written all over your face. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Victoria."

My head snapped over at him. "Nothing, old man." Like any good father, he knew when to take a step back and let me come to him. So he nodded at me. "Come on, let's get this started. Recruits!" I shouted. They all jumped to attention. I avoided Bucky's piercing stare. ""We're doing hand-grenade training today. Make sure you wear the ear protection, it gets loud. Best of luck. Take care with each other. Be cautious. The Drill Sergeants will be walking around to help. Call out to us if you need us. We might not be able to hear, so don't be afraid to call more than once. Best of luck. Get to work," I instructed.

They all nodded at me and went straight to work. Everyone had to ensure that they were wearing their earphones correctly. Even the instructors were wearing them. I was the only person that wasn't. Instead, I was wearing one of Howard's inventions. It was a headphone, or something like that, that would allow people to speak to each other. Once it worked, that is. It didn't at all protect my hearing, but I didn't need it. And I really didn't want to be wearing headphones today.

I didn't want anything restrictive on me. The first grenade that went off - thrown by one of the Drill Sergeants - startled everyone. Nearly every recruit jumped as they got used to the sound of the blast. The ground shook for a moment and the dust flew up. A moment later we could all see the target that he had been throwing at. It was completely destroyed, the small parts that remained were on fire.

A small sigh escaped my mouth as the recruits went to throwing the grenades. Right now they were just getting used to using them. It would take a while. Grenades were powerful. Of course, I'd be able to hold one and let it go off. Stryker had made sure of that. Most of the recruits were doing fine. But some of them couldn't throw that hard. They weren't hitting their targets. It would take practice, and to be fair, most of them wouldn't ever carry a grenade. The Army would be careful about distributing them.

We were short on resources for the war. It was why everyone had weapons assigned to them and only a set amount of supplies. It was highly frowned upon to need more or lose anything. As I walked I realized that all of the recruits were turning back to me and trying to flirt with me. It sent my spirits a little higher, but not enough. I hated to admit that I was extremely hurt that Bucky hadn't bothered to speak to me yet. I knew that I had just told him to give me space, but it wasn't what my heart wanted. It was what my overbearing head wanted.

It was what the part of me that couldn't figure out why anyone would ever care for something like me wanted. As I walked back and forth - trying to avoid Bucky - I finally let myself glance over at him. He was throwing with an extremely tense jaw. He was angry. It was rolling off of him in waves. I was surprised that other people couldn't tell. I politely excused myself from speaking with an older Drill Sergeant about which recruits were doing the best, to stand near Bucky.

I was hoping that he would speak to me. After about five minutes, I finally got what I wanted. He turned back to me with a reasonably loud shout. I almost told me that he didn't need to speak that loud before remembering that his voice was drowned out to anyone else that was standing near us. The only reason that I could hear him was because of my mutation. The explosions didn't bother me, and I could hear Bucky over them.

"Sergeant Phillips," he said, turning back to me.

Making sure that no one else was watching me, I stepped forward. "Recruit," I greeted, a lump forming in my throat. "May I help you?"

"Am I throwing it right?" Bucky asked me.

Nodding at him to demonstrate, I took a step back and watched as he pulled the pin. He waited a moment before releasing the clasp and throwing the grenade. I noticed that at the last second he had slightly diverted his hand to the left. It hadn't been accidental. He wanted me to show him the right way. My heart fluttered slightly. The grenade hit the target and I pretended to cringe from the loud noise. I glanced up and saw that the target had mostly detonated. But the far right was still intact from his slightly-off throw.

He turned back to me with a questioning glance. Smiling slightly, I moved forward. "Let me help," I said, raising my voice a little.

We stood together as I reached over and grabbed another grenade. I tossed it in my hands for a moment, desperate to throw it. But I wasn't the one that was training. I was supposed to be slightly unnerved by them. I laid my hand on Bucky's arm and positioned it so that he was going to make a perfect throw. I held his torso still as he leaned back and threw. The grenade went straight into the target and after a beat it exploded. The target was completely decimated when the smoke had cleared.

Bucky and I both laughed slightly at his throw. It was the first perfect one that I had seen all day. "I'm standing far away from you for the rest of the day," I teased, trying to lighten the tense air around us.

Bucky turned back to me and sent me a playful scowl. "Now that's not fair. My aim isn't that bad," he said.

"Well it certainly isn't that good," I shot back.

He grinned at me. Perhaps we would be alright, after all. Bucky leaned over to me and grinned. "Come on, I'm not that bad," he said. I knew that he was trying to tease me, but we were standing so close and staring - unblinking - at each other, that the air had suddenly thickened once more. I could tell that neither one of us wanted to move. Finally, Bucky whispered. "You should probably move along."

My eyebrows knitted. "Why's that?" I asked.

His voice had dropped into a whisper. Something that would have been almost impossible for anyone else to hear. But I heard it loud and clear. "Because you want the two of us to take a step back. You want us to make sure that we really want this. And if you don't move right now, I'm going to kiss you," he said.

Please do it. No... As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. I wished that he would have told me that I was being stupid. I wished that he would have kissed me anyways, no matter what I said. Why would he? You were the one that wanted to take a step back. Twit. "Keep training, Private Barnes," I said, trying to force a smile on my face.

The rest of the day was spent at the grenade stations. By the end, almost everyone's ears were ringing. Even those that had been standing at a distance. I knew that everyone staying at the main camp hated grenade day. It was so loud that it didn't matter that we were almost a mile away. They still felt the concussions. It disturbed anyone in the labs or offices from their work. I was glad that Howard was spending most of the day at Stark Industries. He would hate hearing all of this. But he would be back tonight.

Partially to ensure that the lab would be able to hold the Vita-Ray Chamber, partially because it was easier for him to sleep and work here, and partially because I had tapped into his mind earlier, asking if he would come back tonight. I needed to talk to someone. And right now, I needed a man. I loved Peggy to death, but she would have the same thoughts that I would. I needed someone that thought like a man. There was no one better suited for that job than Howard.

In the meantime, I spent most of the day with Peggy. We weren't really talking to each other. We were mostly doing work in the same room. We had come to like working like this. It wasn't lonely, since there was another person in the room, but we also didn't feel obliged to speak with each other and have to interrupt our thought process.

I knew that I should have been doing something with the super-soldier serum, but I couldn't focus enough. And Abraham had told me to take the day off anyways. So I thought about doing something for myself. I wanted to know why I was getting so eager, so antsy to start a fight. I needed to know what was wrong with me. So I stuck a syringe in my arm and took two vials. I'd be having Howard test them. He was the one person - that could read and understand the results - who I trusted. Abraham too, but he was far too busy.

There was one thing that I wanted him to search for. Actually, there were a couple. Orexin was the first one that I wanted to check. It was present during increased energy expenditures. If it was invading my system, perhaps that was why I was feeling so high-strung lately. And there were drugs to decrease production. Osteocalcin was the other hormone I wanted to check for. It was very similar to Orexin. It favored muscle function, memory formation, testosterone synthesis, and energy expenditure. The presence of testosterone might explain the vicious tendencies and thoughts that I'd been having lately.

When Peggy and I went to dinner that night, I shifted awkwardly. It had been a long time since I hadn't gone to dinner with him. There had been a few times here and there, but it had always been because we needed to keep a little distance to prevent suspicions, or because one or both of us were too busy. It was never because we were trying to avoid each other. Thankfully Peggy kept me distracted, and we didn't stay long. She knew that I wasn't comfortable tonight, and thankfully, she didn't ask why. She knew that I would eventually tell her.

By the end of the night - after they'd called a lights out - I had managed to almost completely avoid Bucky. He'd briefly said hello to me during dinner but that was it. It pained me to have to stand there and simply say another greeting back. It pained me to watch him sit with his friends and have to act like he was happy, when I knew that he was heartbroken. All because of something stupid that I had done to him.

As night continued to fall over Camp Lehigh, I grabbed two of Peggy's crystal glasses. She'd already told me that I could borrow them as long as I brought them back to her in one piece. I grabbed them in my hands and said a quick goodbye to Peggy, leaving and walking into the other hallway in the barracks. Howard lived towards the back, where no one else was. I was grateful. I didn't want people to start thinking that there was something going on in between us. We'd just gotten over those rumors.

I knocked gently on his door and watched as he opened it. It was one of the least dressed-up that I'd ever seen him. His pants weren't pressed and his shirt was wrinkled, with two unbuttoned at the top. It wasn't very Howard. He was barefoot and his hair looked like he had been running his hands through them lately. I smiled at him and dangled the glasses limply from my fingers.

He was smiling at me. "Hey. Wanna drink?" I asked him.

Howard nodded and welcomed me into the room, closing the door behind us. "Come on in, sweetheart." We both took a seat at his table as he poured me a drink. "Wanna tell me what happened?" he asked.

We had barely been sitting for a moment before I began to spout off the story of everything that had happened. Everything from spotting Bucky with Lorraine this morning, thanking him for spilling his coffee on her, to the argument at the table, to avoiding him for the rest of the day. I included the thoughts that there might have been something in my chemical makeup that was causing me to act differently. Howard agreed that I had been a little viler lately. After my trip to Coney Island, I hadn't really felt like myself.

For a few hours we sat and drank together, Howard allowing me to complain about everything that had happened. He was actually good to speak with. More than once I thought that he was going to tell me to shut up and get over it, but he actually talked through it with me. It was the first time that I wasn't afraid to tell someone my feelings. Back at Stryker's labs, if I dared to tell him what I was feeling about something, I would get my teeth and nails extracted, one by one, until they grew back. They would do it over and over again until I had finally stopped crying. I'd quickly learned to cover my emotions.

In the meantime, Howard helped me realize that one of us was going to have to apologize. And as much as I hated to admit it, I knew that he was right. He'd come up with a good reason too. There was too much uncertainty on what was going to happen with the two of us for us to be angry with each other. We didn't have the time and we didn't have the opportunity to be angry or confused at each other. We would simply have to realize that we had both gotten too hot-headed in the moment. I couldn't lose him, having him think that I didn't care for him.

The sun was beginning to rise over the hills in the distance before I finally stood and left his room. I knew that Howard wouldn't be moving much today - he'd drank far too much. I'd be fine. I didn't process alcohol normally. It didn't affect me. I walked back to my room anyways and got changed, getting ready for the day. Chester would kill me if I came back out to training today in the same clothes that I had been in the day before. I wouldn't want to explain to him that I had been in Howard's room all night.

Thankfully the day went fast. I managed to avoid Bucky at breakfast. As much as I wanted to apologize to him, I hadn't figured out what I wanted to say just yet. Actually, I knew what I wanted to say. But it was the one thing in the world that I was scared of. I had garbled down my meal before heading to the live-fire training day. It was easy and the recruits knew it. They'd already trained for this two weeks ago. We just wanted to make sure that they still remembered what they'd been taught.

I was absolutely positive that I was imagining things, but the recruits seemed to be a little less lively today and a little more down in the dumps. Maybe it was just because each time I would meet Bucky's eyes I would see his sad stare. I had to force myself to look elsewhere. I didn't like knowing that it was me who had put that look on his face.

Despite wanting to say something to him, by that night I hadn't gotten a chance to speak to him. We'd never really had the time. And every time that I'd found myself in a room with him or out in the open, any words that I had died on my throat. I wanted to go see him. I wanted to apologize to him and tell him that I was so sorry for what I said. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because I was afraid that once I started speaking, I'd never be able to stop. I was terrified of what I might say once I opened my mouth. So I went to bed that night, alone and depressed, clutching Snowball close to my chest.

Things didn't get better after that when the next morning came. We were almost to the end of Week Seven and that meant that we had moved on to the foot march. I knew that the recruits would be out all day. By the time that I had finally woken up, they were already gone. They wouldn't be back until after curfew. So I resorted myself to going to the lab and working out our project. Well... not really. I would be trying to find something to say to Bucky. One way or another, I wanted us to get back to normal.

Bucky's P.O.V.

They were nearing the end of the foot march and Bucky had never been happier to almost be done with the foot march. It wasn't really because it was hard - which it was. It was because this thoughts had been so consumed with her over the past few days that he hadn't been able to focus on anything else. It was why he kept screwing things up today and it was also why all of the other recruits were laughing at him. They thought that it was because he was still bumbling over his encounter with Lorraine.

In all honesty, Bucky had almost completely forgotten about Lorraine. He couldn't have cared less about her. He didn't want her hurt; it was the only reason that he'd been concerned about Stark spilling his coffee on her. The only person around here that he cared that deeply about was her. She meant everything to him. Even after the things that she had said - things that he could tell she hadn't meant to say - he still wanted to be with her. He just wanted to be back with her. He wanted to be able to touch her, or give her a kiss, or even be able to laugh with her, like they were still the oldest of friends.

He knew deep in his heart that he really did love her. He'd loved her since the moment that he had laid his eyes on her all those years ago. He wished that he knew whether or not she felt the same way. He had a feeling that she did, but he didn't know. He had never said those three precious words to anyone before. All of his life, the only person that he'd wanted to say it to, was the person that would become his wife. And he wanted that to be her. He really did. In time, he wanted to see her walking down the aisle. But that was a long way away. Right now, he just wished that he would have told her what she really meant to him.

He had already made himself a promise to tell her that he loved her before he had to ship out. He had a little over two weeks until he would be shipped out. If it was the last thing that he would ever say to her... That was fine. He just wanted her to know. It broke his heart that they were fighting. They never used to fight. They would get into little disagreements on a regular basis when they were kids, but at the end of the day they would always be best friends again. But now, things were different.

Now, there was something different about them. They were romantically entangled, and while Bucky had the experience, he knew that she didn't. And that was fine with him. He liked knowing that he was one of the only people she'd ever had eyes for. He desperately wanted the next two weeks to pass. He knew that keeping their relationship a secret was half of their problem. He just wanted to be able to walk up on that stage, get his orders, and kiss her. And of course, tell her how he really felt.

His mind was so far off in the distance, thinking about her, that he missed a step. His foot got caught on a rock and he tripped, barely able to right himself. He was shouted at by a Drill Sergeant and he grit his teeth as he continued walking. They were at the final point in the foot march. There wasn't much time left, which was good, considering that the sun was already set. Bucky was walking with his friends, trying to think about the march or listen to them, but his mind kept drifting back to her.

That was, until he heard what they were talking about. They had been talking for a while, all trying to get Bucky to join in, but he'd been giving them mostly one-word answers. "Come on, Bucky, you gotta admit that Lorraine is a damn fine bird," Jeremy said.

"That she is," Marcus put in.

In the past, Lorraine would have been exactly the kind of girl that Bucky would have gone for. Not because he particularly liked her personality, but she was cute and reasonably nice. She was the type of girl that his friends would drool all over. Except for Steve, who would never dare look at Bucky's date that way. The thought made him smile. He did miss the little punk. He could use him right now. He'd make a good conversation. But Lorraine... She was just someone that Bucky would have taken out a few times in the past. They were all that way. Bucky had thought that one day he would find the right girl. It had taken him far too long to realize that she was always there.

He didn't say any of those things to the men. Instead he said, "She was sweet."

The men all stared at him open-mouthed, as if they were waiting for him to say something more. "That's all you have to say about her?" Jeremy asked. Bucky nodded. "Come on, man! You saw the way that she was looking at you. She had a button or two more undone than normal," he said with a little snicker.

Had she? He hadn't noticed. He always noticed when Vika's shirt was slightly lower. His face would light up and he would desperately try to look anywhere else. "Didn't notice," he mumbled.

"Of course you didn't notice," Harry scoffed.

Bucky rolled his eyes as they walked. They were back onto the path for Camp Lehigh and he'd never been so excited. He needed to see her. He needed to talk to her. "Man, I remember the Bucky that got here with his arm around each dish that he saw. You would have loved to jump on the chance for her," Collin said.

And he was completely right about that. Bucky hated thinking about it. "That's before he caught sight of Victoria," Jeremy teased.

Bucky's face drained of color but he tried to desperately hide it. They already thought that he had a crush on her, he didn't want to add fuel to the fire. "She's my friend," he muttered under his breath.

It pained him to even say that. She was so much more than that. "So you've said. But we all see the way that you look at her," Marcus said.

He finally looked up at them. They all looked slightly concerned for him. "She's a friend from childhood. Of course I look at her that way. I'm just glad to be back with her," he said harshly, hoping that they would drop the subject.

"Ah, so you don't mind that we're all trying to see if we can get with her? See who she lets in first?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh I'd love to be let in," Harry added.

Bucky clenched his fists together to keep from hitting him. He could see Camp Lehigh in the distance and he was trying desperately to keep from running over to her barracks. "I don't care," he finally mumbled through gritted teeth.

They were less than two minutes away. Bucky wished that he had his headphones back so that he wouldn't have to listen to them anymore. "You think she's kissed someone before?" Harry asked.

They all laughed, but it was Collin that finally spoke. "I think she's done a lot more than that. Come on. She had Howard Stark in her room the other week. You honestly think that he's going to wait?" he asked the others.

She insisted nearly every day that nothing was going on between herself and Howard Stark. And Bucky trusted her. After all, she was right. His jealousy had been one of the only reasons that they'd admitted their feelings for each other. But just because he knew the truth, didn't mean that he wanted to hear the rumors.

"She must be good if Howard Stark is after her," Jeremy said.

"I'm telling you boys, I'm gonna be the first one to find out. Don't worry, I'll let you all know how she is," Marcus teased.

And it was those words that broke Bucky. He couldn't stand it anymore. As they dropped their packs and shoved them back into their cubicles so that they could leave, Bucky shoved his in and turned on his heels, not speaking to anyone. "Barnes?" Jeremy called. Bucky ignored him. "Hey, Bucky! Man, where are you going?" he called out.

In the back of his mind, Bucky knew that it was rude to leave without saying anything to anyone. He knew that he would get in a ton of trouble for leaving after hours, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He knew just how much trouble he would get in if he was caught. He even knew that she might not want to see him right now. He knew that this was all incredibly inappropriate. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He just wanted to get out there and get his girl back.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The day had been almost useless. I knew that there were so many more things that I could have done today. But it had been almost a waste. That was why I was going to go to bed for the night and try again in the morning. I was coming back from the labs - not that I really got anything done. I mostly just stared at the papers that I was trying to work with and couldn't think straight. I was walking through the halls and had just reached the door to my room when I heard it. Heavy breathing. Whoever was behind me was tired. I turned back and saw that it was Bucky. He was sweating and looked exhausted.

I waited two seconds for him to say something. When he didn't, I decided to speak. "Evening, recruit," I greeted formally. I wasn't really sure what kind of terms we were on right now. He didn't answer me. He merely continued to advance on me, looking completely serious. My eyebrows knitted. "Bucky? What are you doing? It's late. You just got back from the foot march, I'd think that you really wouldn't want to do anything but go to sleep right now," I said awkwardly.

I wasn't really sure that I liked how serious he looked. "You'd be wrong," Bucky said as he advanced on me.

He was about three feet away from me when I realized that he wasn't going to stop. "What do you -" I asked before being cut off.

In a way I was glad that he cut me off. I had a feeling that if he hadn't cut me off, we would have merely fought again. And I wasn't sure that I could stand that. He backed me into the wall and despite my normally perfect balance, I was thrown off slightly. Bucky never acted like this. And the carnal part of me liked it. We were backed into the wall and I gasped in surprise. This was a new side to Bucky and I was rather fond of it. He stared deep into my eyes before leaning down and capturing my lips in a kiss.

It didn't even take me a second to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into me. He had me pressed back roughly into the wall but I didn't care. The only thing that I cared about was the fact that I never wanted him to leave me. Deep in the back of my mind I knew that someone could be coming at any second. But I didn't care. I knew that this was his way of saying that he was sorry for our little pissing contest over the past few days. And it was the perfect apology for me.

He didn't need to say a word. And neither did I. We both knew that we were sorry. We didn't need to actually say anything to each other. He had me pressed back against the wall and I smiled into the kiss. One of his hands was wrapped around my waist, pulling me in to the point that were I anyone else, I wouldn't be able to breathe. The other was underneath the back of my neck, holding my face to his. My arms were both wrapped over his shoulders, keeping his head down to me. Not that I thought that he would have moved anyways. But just as I thought that he wouldn't leave, he backed away slightly.

We were both out of breath. He was holding my chin up and keeping me staring at him. "I hate watching them talk to you like that. I hate seeing you with them. I hate not being able to kiss you in front of them. I hate having to pretend that you're nothing more than an old friend. I am jealous, I'm jealous of all of them," he panted.

My cheeks heated up as I stared at him. "Two more weeks. Just two more weeks," I whispered softly. Every part of me wanted to bring his mouth back down to me. But there were things that I needed to say to him. "I didn't mean what I said the other day. I was just angry. With myself, not even with you. I just took it out on you," I said softly.

He needed to know that I regretted everything that I had said. He pushed the hair that had fallen out of my bun back over my shoulders. "I know. I didn't mean what I said either," he said. We both nodded, trying to even out our breathing. "Vika, I'm kissing you up on that stage. I'm not hiding the truth anymore," he said.

That was all that I wanted. "Good. Now come back here," I said, tugging on his neck gently.

Bucky grinned at me and pressed me back against the wall gently. I smiled and fingered the hair that was just barely reaching the bottom of his neck. He gave me a very sloppy salute. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

He didn't need any more coaxing than that. He grinned at me and pressed us back against the wall. One of his arms slipped slightly from around the middle of my back. It lowered slightly - still respectful - as he wrapped it around my waist. His arm found its way to my hipbone and I smiled as he rested his fingers gently across it. My hands went up to his hair, threading their way through it. I couldn't even bring myself to care that there was built-up sweat all over my fingers now.

Our mouths tangled together and I could feel Bucky shaking against me. I had a feeling that I was shaking too. As strong as I always was, this wasn't something that I was used to yet. For the month that we had been together, we hadn't really done anything more than light kissing. A few times - like the first time - it had been in the heat of the moment. But it was never like this. I'd never had the overwhelming urge to drag him into my room and go through with something that I didn't even completely understand.

But I was trying to keep my hormones under control. As much as I wanted that, it was so inappropriate. Even if we were engaged it would have been wrong. So I simply forced myself to remain content with the kiss. I wasn't content for that long though. From down across the hall I heard someone coming. In a panic I jumped back from Bucky - ignoring his look of surprise - and grabbed him by the shirt collar. He began to speak but before he could I opened the door to my room and shoved him inside, slamming the door behind us.

Bucky's jaw was nearly on the floor as he turned back to me, wondering what had just happened. I was a little flushed. He clearly didn't know what was happening. "What was that?" he finally asked me.

"Someone was coming," I mumbled.

We had been standing here for nearly thirty seconds when Bucky finally heard the voices from the two women in the hall. I knew who they were. They lived in the next hallway over. "You heard them all that way away?" Bucky asked me quietly. I nodded at him. "Jeez. That's impressive," he chuckled.

I smiled at him, but the moment didn't last long. I very quickly realized that pretending to have been talking to him in the hallway would have been a lot easier. Now we were standing alone in my room. There was no one else around, no one to break the buffer in between the two of us. It was pretty obvious that neither one of us had any clue what to do. The previous attitude of the hallway had followed us in here. But out there, it was nice and it was exciting. In here, the air was stifling. And the beds on each end of the room posed as somewhat teasing.

It was almost like they were asking if we were brave enough to do the one thing that we shouldn't have been doing. I had no answer. So instead, I looked over Bucky. His hair was sticking up on all ends and I smiled. It looked like he had just woken up. His eyes were slightly fuzzy and looked darker than normal. Lust, I realized with a little jolt. His shirt and jacket were slightly ruffled, and I knew that it wasn't from the foot march that he'd just been on. Even his chest was slightly flushed. He was clearly just as excited as I was.

But now that we were in here, things had gotten awkward. And neither one of us knew what we were supposed to be saying. Finally Bucky managed to gather his thoughts. "Where's Agent Carter?" he asked, not wanting to speak too loudly to alert the other two women that there was a man in my room past curfew.

I shifted uncomfortably. This would have been a lot easier if Peggy was here. "She's in the laboratories tonight. She needed somewhere quiet to work on files without bothering me. She's using Abraham's office. She won't be back tonight," I muttered.

Damn you, Peggy! "Oh," Bucky mumbled dumbly.

The two of us stood, shuffling stupidly for a moment. We were like two little kids that had gotten scorned. But I had no idea why we were acting this way. We hadn't been caught by anyone. We just had to make it a few minutes before the two women in the hallway left. There was no way that the two of them would be out there for that long. Once they were gone, I would make Bucky wait a few minutes before leaving. But fate didn't seem to want to work out that way. Ten minutes had passed and they still hadn't budged. The two women were still talking and laughing right outside of the door.

Bucky would never be able to slip away unseen. And that was what we really needed. I glanced over at Bucky. He was grinning at Snowball, still on my bed from last night. "I don't think that they're leaving any time soon," I said softly.

Bucky pressed his ear against the door before sighing and shaking his head. "I was thinking the same thing," he said.

He stepped away from the door and walked over to the shelf I had above my bed. His eyes lingered on Snowball and a sweet smile fell over his face. As he placed the bear down softly on the shelf, his eyes turned over to the picture of Steve and the two of us at Coney Island when we were kids. In the back of my mind I made myself a promise that one day soon we would all go and recreate the picture.

He was holding it gently in his hands and smiling down at it. "This is cute," he said softly.

I slowly walked up behind him, standing less than three inches behind him. "Yeah. It's one of the few things that I managed to keep from my childhood," I said softly. It was actually Bucky's, taken from when I broke into the abandoned apartment, but I decided not to say that. "I always loved that picture."

Bucky placed the picture back down on the shelf and turned to me. "I did too. Seeing you in those old pictures, it reminded me that you really were real. It reminded me that you were still out there, that I could still find you," he said.

There was a painful twist in my stomach. The urge to tell him what had happened to me bubbled up in my throat, but I pushed it back down. Instead, I said, "Did I live up to your very high expectations?"

Bucky grinned at me. "You did. You still do," he said.

A little color flooded my cheeks, but I was glad that it wasn't enough to change my eyes. "Was I how you remembered?" I asked him softly.

He had no idea just how different I was from the little kid that he had known all of those years ago. I'm nothing like the way that I was before. What happened to me back there, it's changed me - forever. I'm cruel. Violent. Savage. But Bucky had always thought the best of me. He walked over to me and wrapped an arm gently around the back of my waist, pulling me to stand flush against him.

"In some ways," he said, never breaking eye contact with me.

My eyebrows rose as I smiled at him curiously. "In what ways?" I asked.

Bucky grinned at me and swung me gently on my feet. I giggled and stumbled over myself slightly. "You still like to beat me up for fun," he said. We both laughed softly at the very true statement. "You still want to be right about everything." Also true. "But there's one thing that's different about you."

I rose my eyebrows once more. I knew what was different about me, but it wasn't something that I could say. I wanted to know what he thought was different about me. "Pray tell," I said.

"The old Vika would have never done this."

He gave me the grin that was only reserved for me and leaned in. I was about to ask him what I wouldn't have done when it finally clicked. My heart skipped a beat as he pressed his lips to mine and tugged me into him. Every neuron in my brain was firing and telling me how wrong it was, what we were doing. Everything in me wanted to stop. This was so inappropriate, to be kissing him in my bedroom. But I also didn't want it to stop. So I didn't. Instead I wrapped my arms over his shoulder and tugged him into me. Bucky smiled and walked us backwards, his grip tight around me.

As our kiss deepened I felt the chemicals begin to release in my body. One of the downfalls of having an extremely developed left prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain that controlled intelligence - was that I always was well aware of what was happening. I could never just go with the moment. I could feel the cortisol releasing, letting go of all of the stress of the past few days. But I also felt something much more unnerving. Epinephrine began to release. The hormone that stimulated the flight or fight response. And I could feel what it was telling me to do. Fight. Fight what?

That was unnerving. Epinephrine was not supposed to release when someone was in a physical bonding state. The worst part was that it was telling me to fight. What was I supposed to be fighting? Bucky? No. That was foolish. Did I secretly want to throw Bucky off of me? No. I wanted him to keep going. But my muscles began to tighten and my heart rate spiked. It almost felt like I was ready to throw him to the ground and attack him. Or... maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was something much different.

Color rose to my cheeks as I began to think of a way out of this. Something was seriously wrong with me. But my thoughts were cut off. We smacked into something and I gasped as we fell backwards. Thankfully, we were saved from the fall by my bed. Maybe that's not such a good thing. My nails dug into the bed, tearing the edge of the mattress. I released my grip on the sheets and ran them back over Bucky's shoulders, trying to stop the urge to act way out of line. The two of us laughed against each other's lips. Bucky rolled slightly so that we weren't half hanging out of the bed and pushed us into the center. I was underneath him and he was leaning on his forearms over me.

My entire body was shaking as I desperately wanted to throw myself over him. Perhaps this was something with the Chronicle. Because I was well-aware that this wasn't a normal reaction. Normal people wanted to kiss or they wanted to stop before things got past the point of no return. I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to do what we were on track to do, run ten miles, or snap someone's neck. Probably all three.

We stayed together for a few moments - my legs gently running over his - before Bucky backed away from me. I was about to ask him if something was wrong, but I didn't. I could see it in his eyes. I didn't need to read his mind. I knew what he was asking me. He was asking me if I was okay with this. Whatever this was. I didn't really know. I had no clue where this was heading. The only thing that I knew was that I was okay with it. And I didn't want to speak. I didn't want anything to ruin the moment that we had created.

His eyes were dark, but in the way that men's eyes normally went when they were lusting over someone. It wasn't like mine. As my eyes opened, I realized that I was going through some physical changes. My eyes had actually gone completely black. I was glad that in the darkness of the room, Bucky couldn't tell. My vision had gone slightly red. I could feel his pulse pounding in his neck, his heartbeat thumping against my chest, and I could... smell him? It was almost like how pheromones worked in animals. Androstenone, I realized. Even my sense of smell shouldn't have been that good. So what was happening to me?

Why was I suddenly acting more like an animal than a human? I realized with a start that Bucky was staring at me, unsure of what to do next. My heart skipped and I smiled at him, trying not to make it a snarl. I gave him a nod and pulled him by his jacket back down to me. He laughed and pressed me gently back into the mattress. One of his hands wound its way up my torso, just barely grazing me, before wrapping gently in my hair, tugging me closer to him. As if we could really be any closer. The other hand stayed a little lower. For a moment he let it linger on my cheek before bravely dropping it down to my collarbone. It just barely ran over my shirt as he ran his hands over the bone. Tell him to stop, this isn't appropriate. I stayed silent.

Bucky laughed softly as I leaned away from him and pressed a small kiss on the underside of his jaw. We were laying on our sides, facing each other and I relaxed into it. There were much more intimate things that we could be doing. This was no different than kissing while standing up. His hand that was in my hair dropped and played at the bare skin on my neck. His short nails made goosebumps rise on my skin. I clamped my jaw shut, desperate not to make a sound. My hands wound their way over his chest and I let one leg gently graze across his.

We broke the heated kiss after a few minutes as Bucky rolled on top of me and pressed me into the bed. My skin heated and I prayed that in the darkness of the room, Bucky couldn't tell that my eyes were pink. He wasn't away from me for long. Another second had passed before he was back on me, his mouth feeling like it was almost on fire. And I knew what that felt like.

Suddenly, I could feel him get a little more daring. His muscles contracted on top of me and I could feel his blood pressure rising. It was pounding through his veins, making him shake gently. He let one hand rest on the top of my neck and gently push my head up. I could feel his lips part slightly and my heartbeat sped up once more. Calm down. For a moment I let my mouth linger, slightly open, before Bucky decided to make the first move.

At first, I jumped when I felt the gentle brush of his tongue against my lips. Bucky took it the wrong way. He thought that he had done something wrong. He hadn't, I was just surprised. I hadn't known what it would feel like. I grabbed his shirt collar and gave him a bright grin. He laughed softly as I brought his mouth back down to mine. The next time that I felt his tongue brush against me, I was more prepared for it. And after a moment, I let my own linger with his. We went into a battle for dominance after a few minutes, and he won. Huh, I guess being a mutant doesn't strengthen every muscle in the body. It was almost reassuring knowing that there was something that he could beat me in.

He was positioned himself over my legs and I took in a few shallow breaths. I could feel his body was slightly sweaty on top of mine. So was I. In fact, I was far too hot. So I decided to take some of this into my own hand. I grabbed the edge of Bucky's jacket and gave it a gentle shove, making sure that he was okay with this. He glanced at me and I nodded. He grinned before coming back down to me, letting me push the jacket from his shoulders. Once it had slipped off of his shoulders, he shoved it off and onto the floor.

My hands darted down to the first button on his shirt but I was stopped in my tracks. For the first time in a long time, I heard my mother's voice. Proper ladies never act intimate with a man that isn't her husband. Bucky's voice broke my memory. "You're beautiful," he mumbled, his mouth against the skin on my jaw. Well, I never was very proper, was I, Mother?

A smile played on my mouth as I tilted Bucky's head back to meet my mouth. He laughed with me as he pressed me back onto the bed. He had clearly gotten more daring with my last action. His hands wound down my sides before coming to a rest at my hips. And after a moment of deliberation, I decided to go for it. My arms reached up to Bucky's shoulders before trailing back down to his shirt. He tensed slightly as my fingers played with the top button on his shirt. He froze for a moment but as I began to fiddle with it, he relaxed. Unfortunately, my eagerness got the best of me. I attempted to unbutton it, but I tore the button clean off of the shirt.

Bucky seemed genuinely surprised. He broke away from me long enough to stare down at the shirt and laugh. It clearly hadn't bothered him. But a moment later he looked at me and silently asked if what we were doing was alright. Is it? Yes. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. Anything that had been there had flown away. So I let my fingers play at the next two buttons, undoing them as well. My legs moved over his and I felt his hips gently graze against mine. My heart was beating at one hundred and twenty six beats per minute. I couldn't believe that I was doing something like this. Bucky's hands fell at the hem line to my shirt and I felt him grab it; they were shaking.

But the moment that he began to raise my shirt, there was a loud bang on the door, followed by two girls yelling in horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I tripped! Hope I didn't startle you," one of the women called in.

My entire body was trembling as Bucky laid completely still above me. I forced myself to slow my heart rate. "It's alright, just gave me a little startle. Have a nice night," I called back to her.

"You too!" the woman called back. The next moment, she was gone.

We stayed completely still for a moment. Neither one of us wanted the girls outside to know that there was a man in here. I was staring at the door and Bucky was trying to catch my attention. But I wasn't sure that I could look at him. Not after that. What had we just done? What had I just done? No proper woman did something like that. But I'd wanted it. I'd wanted it more than I wanted anything. And I knew for a fact that he wanted it too.

Bucky waited two minutes for the women to walk away before gently placing his hand on my cheek and turning me to face him. He was out of breath and each time that he did breathe, he was panting on my face. His eyes were still dark. He had laid down gently, turning the two of us to face each other side-by-side. I could feel his heart pounding as he searched the far reaches of his mind for something to say. Right now even I was at a loss for words. How did anyone manage this that wasn't married?

Finally Bucky seemed to gather his thoughts. "Vika... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen," he said weakly.

I shook my head at him. The last thing that I wanted was for him to think that I was blaming him for this. It might have actually been me that had enticed him. "Don't. Don't apologize for it. You weren't the only one that wanted it," I panted.

He seemed a little surprised that I had said that I wanted it, but he didn't say anything about it. "I should have known to stop it," he said.

That was the way that society was. In the bedroom, it was always the man that was supposed to stop it. But on the outside world, if a woman wasn't pure by the time that she was getting married, it had somehow become her fault. But I didn't care. Even if it had gone that way, I wouldn't have cared what anyone thought. I had really wanted it. And Bucky meant the world to me. Just like I wasn't ashamed that Howard was my first kiss, I wouldn't have been ashamed if Bucky was my first. It was my damn business, no one else's.

"Did you want to?" I finally asked, wondering if he had wanted to stop anyways, or if those girls were the only reason that we had stopped.

Bucky stared at me for a moment, probably deliberating on whether or not to tell me the truth. I nearly rolled my eyes. No point in lying to me. "No," he finally admitted. My cheeks burned slightly. "Did you?"

"No," I answered almost automatically. He looked somewhat shocked that I had admitted it that quickly. Finally, another question seeped into my mind. I couldn't stop myself from asking. "Have you - Have you ever... done... that with someone?"

Bucky's eyes widened. Nice one, Victoria. Ask him one of the most personal questions that someone could ask. "What we were just doing? Or something else?" he asked me with a bright smile. I thought about whacking him over the back of the head. I knew that he was teasing me. He was enjoying how embarrassed I was.

"Shut up. You know what I mean," I snapped.

The grin faded from his face and I prepared myself to hear the worst. Men didn't have to wait. It wasn't frowned upon. I shouldn't have been shocked. "No," he finally said. If I didn't know what my heart stopping felt like, I would have said that it was exactly like this had felt like. He hadn't been with anyone. "Nothing like that. I mean, I'll be honest. I've kissed some girls before. Maybe a little longer than I meant to." I cringed slightly. Bucky sat upright and grabbed me by the hips. I was slightly surprised at his strength and he pulled me into his lap, facing him. "But nothing ever like that. You're the only one that I want. You're the only one that I've ever wanted."

A small smile fell over my face. He had waited. For me, too. He had kept to himself for all of these years just because of me. Even when he hadn't known that I would be coming back to him. "Good. Because you're the only one that I want," I said softly.

Bucky smiled at me as he placed a hand behind the back of my head. I was well aware that we were sitting chest-to-chest with myself straddling his lap. It was extremely inappropriate. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I smiled at him and gave him a soft kiss, pulling my hands up to the back of his hair and threading them through his hair. My fingers slipped out of his hair and I gently let it graze across his bare chest. His pectoralis major muscle was extremely strong. Push-ups, I guessed.

We stayed together for a few moments before Bucky pulled away from me. "I'm gonna come back to you, Vika." You damn well better. "And we're gonna be together. Really gonna be together. We're gonna go steady, you know, like normal couples," he said.

A small smile broke over my face as I placed my hand over his heart. Ninety-two beats per minute. He was still calming down. "We're not really normal," I said.

"I don't want to be."

I smiled at him and pressed a small kiss against his temple. "Can I ask you something?" I asked after a beat. Bucky nodded at me. "Would it be wrong - selfish - of me to say that I don't want you to go? That I wanted you to stay here? With me?" I asked softly.

He glanced up at me and shook his head, tucking my hair behind my ear. He played gently with a strand of my white-blonde hair. "Not at all. Sometimes I wish that I could stay here. I wish that I could just be with you," he said, giving my hair a playful tug. "But the world needs people like me. People that can go out there and win this war."

My heart gave a painful twinge. If they'd let me go out there this war would be over tomorrow. But they never would. Even if they knew what I was. Because people were terrified of me. "I wish I could go out there with you," I said.

Something akin to panic settled into his eyes. "I don't. I never would. I don't want anything to happen to you. I'd rather be tortured every day for the rest of my life than have to watch something bad happen to you," he told me.

I could survive the torture. It wouldn't bother me a bit. But it could kill you. "Don't say that," I pleaded.

The last thing that I wanted was him to sacrifice himself for me. Mostly because if I did the same for him, it wouldn't matter. We'd both live. But I still couldn't tell him that. "I mean it. I do, Vika. Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise. You're stuck with me. No matter what," he teased me gently. He knew that this was a serious time.

So I smiled and shoved his chest, making him fall backwards. I laughed and slipped with him, landing on top of his chest. "And you're stuck with me," I said, flicking his nose gently.

I did not want to break his nose on accident. That would have been an interesting way to end this night. "Good," Bucky chirped.

We stayed tangled together, just staring, when I finally said the one thing that I didn't want to. But we had managed to stop ourselves, I shouldn't make any temptation even worse. "You should leave," I sighed, trying to force myself to know that it was the right thing to do. "It's getting late."

Bucky let out a sigh, similar to mine. "I know," he whispered to me, placing his forehead against mine. "Would it be wrong of me to say that I really don't want to?" he asked me with a guilty grin.

"Yes," I said immediately. Bucky's eyes widened. He probably hadn't been expecting that answer. "But I don't want you to either," I added.

The relief was pretty easy to see on his face. He didn't want me to think that what had just happened was an accident. I didn't regret it. Hell, I'd wanted to continue. "You need to know why I was so upset earlier," Bucky said after a moment. "The other day, at breakfast. Why I got so angry when you brought up the other recruits," he said.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We were both angry," I said, trying to distract him. I didn't want him to think that I was still hung up on the argument. I wanted to move past it.

Bucky was still shaking his head at me. "No. I need to tell you," he said forcefully. After a moment, I nodded. "I need to tell you that it isn't about you. It isn't even about them. The recruits. I know that you don't like them. I understand. That's not why I was so upset," he said.

"So what was it?" I asked softly.

He gave me a soft sigh as he began to run his fingers through my hair, keeping the strands gently on him. "I was always so scared of losing you. Scared of pushing you away, I think. Vika, I don't want you to think that I'm a coward, but I'm scared," he said.

My heart broke for him. He had every right to be scared. I was scared for him. This was one of the most dangerous things that he could have done. "I would never think that you're a coward," I said softly. "Bucky, I can't blame you for being scared. I'm terrified for you. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here," I said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him against me. "But I know that you've always wanted this."

And it was true. There was always one thing that he had wanted. He wanted to go and fight for his country; he wanted to make a difference in the world. "I have. But there's one thing that I want more. You," he told me, gently pressing the bottom of my chin.

Slipping off to his side, I laid gently against him and draped a leg over his. My hand was gently pressed against his chest and he covered my hand with his own. "You have me. I promise that you have me. You always will," I whispered.

"Vika, if something happens to me out there -" Bucky started before I cut him off.

"Don't. Please don't," I interrupted. I didn't want to hear him tell me that something was going to happen to him. I wasn't sure that I could handle it.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

But this was something that Bucky wanted to talk about and I knew that he would. He wasn't going to let me out of this. "You need to know. You need to know just what you mean to me," he said.

For a moment I wanted him to say it. I wanted to hear it. But there was also another part of me that wanted to make sure that he really meant it. That it wasn't just in the heat of the moment. So I said the exact opposite of what I really wanted. "Do me a favor. Don't tell me yet. Make sure that it's exactly how you feel before you say it. I don't want you saying it just in the moment. I want to know that you mean it. And when you come back - because you damn well better come back - you can tell me again," I told him.

He had smiled brightly about my comment that he better come back. He seemed to understand why I was asking him to wait to tell me. "Okay. But I won't change my mind in two weeks," he said.

Each time that I thought about the fact that there were only two weeks left that we would be together, it felt like it had gotten even shorter. "God, that's all that we have left. Two weeks," I whispered.

He sighed at me and grabbed my hands, pulling me as tightly to him as he could. "I don't think so. We have a lot more time than that. We have the rest of our lives. You got me, now you're stuck with me," he said. I laughed. We had the rest of his life. Not mine. "I gotta go. Training starts in just a few hours," he said. I nodded at him and leaned into the soft kiss that he gave me. It was much less heated than our normal ones. "Goodnight, Vika," he whispered when he pulled away.

"Goodnight, Bucky," I said. He stood from the bed and pulled his jacket back on. He pressed his ear to the door and sent me a little wink before slipping out of the hallway and heading back to the barracks.

Once I was sure that he had gone and hadn't been caught, I allowed myself to relax and smile back against the bed. He really was the best thing about me. And that was why I was so afraid of losing him. He was the best part of me. He was my redeeming quality. Although he would never know that. Because I was too much of a coward to tell him. I would have to tell him something before the time came that he deployed, because on the off chance that something happened, I needed him to know just how much he meant to me.

My thoughts were harshly interrupted the moment that I saw the clock against the wall. It was telling me that it was just past two in the morning. It had been a little after midnight when Bucky had come to find me. My cheeks started to burn. Very few women dared to be intimate with a man before they were married - almost none went as far as sleeping together. About thirty percent, maximum. I had been very close to adding myself to that statistic. I'd actually just found out that Peggy had never slept with her previous fiancé. They had decided to wait until their wedding night - something that had never happened. She was just as pure as I was. Maybe even more so.

But that wasn't what I was concerned with. The urge to destroy something had settled while I was with Bucky. At first it had been raging while we'd been on top of each other, but after a while it had calmed down. And while we had been laying on top of each other, speaking like a real couple, I hadn't felt it at all. But now it was back and full-force. It was taking over me, consuming me. My hands were gripping at the sheets and tearing them slightly. I had kept Snowball off of the bed. I had a feeling that I would rip the head off if it was anywhere near me.

The more that I thought about, I eventually realized that the answer had been staring me in the face this entire time. I realized with a start that it was a part of my programming. After all of the years with Stryker, the experiments that my family did on me as a child, and the trip to the hydro-chamber, they had changed my genetic material. Even more than it had already been changed with the mutation. It had essentially made me more animal than human. And without being able to unleash those desperate acts of destruction - my training sessions with Stryker - I'd been holding it in. It was making me angry and irritable, that I was desperate to fight. It was what caused the skirmish with Bucky.

And it was also what had caused our little bonding session. It was animal nature. The need to reproduce. I wasn't exactly sure if that was what was happening, but I knew that it was something like that. The animal nature made me want to fight and attack everyone. It explained everything about my behavior recently. Irrational and tense. It was the need for adrenaline - something that that activity would have been sure to bring.

It was past four in the morning when Peggy finally came in. I was still lying awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to repeat every calming method that I knew. Nothing was working. She was extremely quiet until she realized that my eyes were open. She had halfway undressed when she glanced over at me and jumped. She had clearly thought that I would be asleep.

"Oh, you're still awake," she said softly.

The walls were thin and we didn't want to wake our neighbors. "Yeah."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Not really."

She smiled and pulled on her pajamas, settling on the edge of my bed. I straightened up and leaned against the wall. "Good, then stay up and gossip with me. I need something to melt my brain," she told me.

I grinned at her and took a deep breath. Maybe I needed more than a scientific brain. Maybe I needed a woman to shine some light on the subject. "Perfect!" I chirped, excitedly sitting upright and launching into the story of the past few days. "Because I've got a good story and I need you to listen to it. So it started with this stupid argument that we had when Bucky thought that I was jealous of Lorraine..."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

It was far earlier than I wished that it was. Yawning over and over again, I stumbled across the room and grabbed everything that I would need for the next three days. It wasn't much. Some basic toiletries, paperwork that I would need, and a few changes of clothes. Chester had given me the bag that I would need for everything. We couldn't bring much. There wasn't that much room in the trucks with all of the tents and gear that the recruits would need for the next three days.

We would be going with the recruits on the Victory Forge retreat. It was the last thing that the recruits would be doing before they got to graduate in a week. I knew that they were all excited. Normally - considering it was four in the morning - the recruits would either still be asleep or they'd be trudging around like the dead. Today they were all running back and forth, getting ready for their last few days as an Army recruit. Graduation was right on the horizon. They had every right to be excited.

For whatever reason, I had volunteered to join them on the retreat. Not that I really knew why. Perhaps it was because I was sick of sitting in the camp every day. Or maybe it was because I liked being with Bucky for these last few days - even if I wouldn't get the chance to speak to him much while they were gone. I knew that part of it was because I had a say - albeit very small - in where the recruits would be deployed. I would be watching them and giving my remark on where I thought that they should go. I knew that everyone would be easy except for one. James Buchanan Barnes. What would I do when it came time to write my suggestion for him?

But I was getting ahead of myself. That was still a ways away. Three more days. In the meantime, I had been watching them the day before - the first day of Week Eight. They had done the drill and ceremony competition. It was a way to rank the recruits on shooting, fighting, and overall fitness for the Army. There were forty men in Bucky's platoon. He had come in the third rank overall. I had been somewhere in between proud and disappointed. Proud because he was so good at what he was doing. Disappointed because I knew that his continuous success would mean that there would be no choice but to put him on the front lines.

Yesterday I hadn't been around to watch. While they'd been doing all of the drills and ceremony competition, I'd gone to Stark Industries. Howard had taken me there to do a live test on the Vita-Ray Chamber. We were ensuring that it would be strong enough to support the radiation before removing it from Stark Industries. We couldn't risk radiating the newest troops. Thankfully, the machine had held me. There were a few scorch marks and warps in the metal that Howard would have to buff out, but nothing too bad for the brief amount of time that the rays would be subjected to the soldier. In the meantime, the chamber had been moved to Camp Lehigh.

It would remain here until we were ready to use it. I knew that Abraham was looking back and forth all over the Army recruit files for someone that could end up in the chamber. The closer that we got to being able to operate it, the more that we realized that we actually needed someone to get into the chamber. Over in the corner I saw that Peggy had finally managed to stand from her bed and was now rubbing her eyes, trying to get herself ready for the day.

She would not be coming on the trip. For a moment I wished that I hadn't signed up. But I knew that Chester would have signed me up anyways. I had to be there to watch them. "Morning, Peggy," I chirped at her.

She turned to me and smiled as she began combing through her hair. "You seem awful chipper this morning," she told me. I smiled at her. I was rather chipper today. Perhaps it was because we were so close to the end. I would at least get to get away from training the recruits for a few weeks. "Is it the fact that in just over one week Private Barnes will be available?" she continued.

My head snapped over to her and I smiled. "That might be part of it," I muttered.

Peggy was clearly pleased by my statement. She opened her mouth and I rolled my eyes, already well-aware of where this was going. "Remember, I'm to be -"

"The Maid of Honor, yes, Peggy, I've remembered all of this," I interrupted her. She was smiling at me. "I'm pretty sure that you and Howard will have my wedding planned long before I ever actually get to walk down the aisle," I teased her.

And it was the truth. They had already decided what they wanted to happen. It was going to be somewhere warm, since they both knew that I didn't like the cold. Peggy had already determined that she would go dress shopping with me since I apparently didn't know anything about personal style. Howard would ensure that there was only the best. He had so much money that I couldn't imagine that he had much else that he could use it for. They already had everything planned. There was only one thing missing. The groom.

Peggy's voice brought me back to reality. "Well I never really got to plan my own wedding, so I'll plan my best friends instead," she told me softly.

Suddenly I felt terrible for teasing her about it. She was right. Her own wedding had been called off. She'd never really gotten the chance to plan for it. And I knew that where she was from she had never really had a friend before. Not like me. Well, no one was really like me. But she'd never had a girl that she could talk to and get along with.

So I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her in. "Love you, girl."

"Love you too."

We released each other and I finished packing up the last few things that I needed for the trip. "You ready for the three day Victory Forge?" I asked her. I figured that it was somewhat of a break for her since almost half of the camp would be gone.

She rolled her eyes. "No. It's never exactly fun for me while I'm here." I raised an eyebrow. "I have to go back and forth taking care of everything before graduation. I don't get a second to myself," she said.

Now I understood. We were getting so close to the wire that no one really had a second to themselves. The recruits were enjoying getting to lay back for a few days until they got to graduate after all of their hard work, but we certainly didn't. We had to make sure that everything was running smoothly. And we didn't even get a second after they were gone. Just days after they all deployed, we'd be ready to bring in the new recruits. This time they would all be here as possibilities to begin human testing for Operation Rebirth.

But still, at least she got air conditioning here. We would be out in the hot woods. Spring air had seeped into New Jersey, and with it came the humidity. "At least you get to stay here. I have to actually go out there with them," I groaned.

I could bring up the wind columns around me, but I had to be careful. Chester would smack me if I got myself caught. "I thought that you volunteered for Victory Forge?" Peggy asked as she began to change.

"I did. But that doesn't mean that I actually want to do it," I said. She laughed at me. "I just wanted to get out of the labs for a little while. I'm sick of staring at the same equations over and over again. Plus, I want the recruits to know that if I can do it without complaint, they had damn well better be able to do it without complaint," I added.

Peggy glanced over her shoulder at me with a raised brow. "Well keep in mind that you're not completely human," she said.

Maybe true, but that didn't mean anything. Plenty of other humans had done it before. They would be just fine. I decided to have a little fun with it. "That shouldn't matter, they're men. They're superior to women," I droned.

Peggy and I both stared at each other before bursting out into laughter. We quieted down quickly, knowing that our neighbors wouldn't appreciate the noise this early in the morning. It took nearly two minutes for us to calm down. "Not having breakfast with Private Barnes this morning?" Peggy asked me as I tied my boots up.

I shook my head at her. "There isn't really time. I'm getting ready and he's getting ready. I can manage. We'll be able to openly show affection in a little over a week. I think I can make it that far," I told her.

The air changed in the room and I glanced up to see that she was grinning at me. I shouldn't have told her what happened. "I'm not so sure, considering..." she trailed off.

"Oh, stop!" I barked at her. After a moment I shoved my palms into my eyes. I thought about that moment far too often. "I still can't believe that happened."

"I can," Peggy immediately responded. My head snapped up and I sent her a playful glare. She merely continued to smile at me. "So has Howard finished checking the vials of blood that you sent him?" she asked after a beat.

He had been running them through every test in the book over the last few days. "He sent me a message yesterday saying that he had finished looking over them. Said that he found a few oddities. Shocking," I commented dryly. We both laughed as I stood from the bed and placed my bag outside the door for one of the men coming with us to grab. "But he also said that he found a solution."

"Solution?"

Now she looked genuinely interested. I knew that she found everything to do with me interesting. I suppose I was. "You know. To the rather... animalistic... tendencies that I've been having recently," I said awkwardly, unsure of how else to put it.

As usual, Peggy was giving me a sideways grin. "Are you sure that it's actually something in your DNA that's changed?" I cocked my head at her, unsure of what she was getting at. "Maybe you're just experiencing new feelings towards Private Barnes," she said.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at her. It went much beyond our little bonding session. "It's not just that, Peggy. I feel like I want to destroy something all of the time. I haven't felt as good as when I broke Abraham's wall in weeks. It's a predatory urge. It's something that happens in animals, not so much humans," I told her.

She was trying to process the information. "Do you think that it's something that Stryker did to you?" she finally said.

It was one of the things that I'd been thinking of. But to be completely honest, I wasn't really sure. "I think that it's a mix of the things that Stryker did to me, perhaps aging, the recession of physical activity, and it might even have something to do with Bucky. Every day that I was with Stryker I was pushing myself to the limit, exerting all physical energy that I had to the point of exhaustion. It's not like that anymore. I've kept physical activity to a minimum," I told her.

"It's like a soda can," she said. I stared at her blankly. "Shake it up and the bottle pressurizes. When it's released even a little, the contents begin to expand quickly, too fast to control," she continued.

My jaw nearly dropped. Peggy was no fool but she didn't exactly understand science the way that I did. I was rather impressed by her explanation. "That's actually a very good way to put it," I told her.

"Thank you," Peggy chirped proudly. "I thought so too."

"Should have been a teacher," I joked with her.

Something about her reaction told me that I had said something that hit a little too close to him. Immediately I clammed up. "No way. That and nursing were the only two options for women at the college that I attended." I raised a brow at her. At least she was allowed to go to college. Plenty of women went to college here in the States, but that didn't mean that they were treated well. "I decided that there was no way that I was going to do either of those things," she added.

"So what did you do?" I asked curiously.

I knew that she had worked for MI-6, but she hadn't told me the whole story. "I went into espionage. Luckily, you don't need a degree for that," she said.

We both giggled together for a moment before I backed away and headed towards the door. I would have loved to stay and chat with her, but we both had things to do. "Okay, I need to go warn the recruits that they have one hour until we're leaving. I don't know if I'll be back or not before we depart, so I'll see you in three days," I told her.

She nodded at me, heading into the bathroom and running the faucet. "Have fun out there. And remember, pine trees make for the best coverage," she called out.

My face wrinkled in confusion. What the hell did that mean? "What are you -" I began to ask before realizing exactly what she was getting at. "Oh! Peggy!" I shouted at her.

Peggy popped her head out of the bathroom long enough to grin at me. "Get going. I'll see you in a few days."

"Bye, Pegs."

Opening the door, I stepped out into the hallway and greeted the Drill Sergeant that was grabbing my bag, giving him a quick thanks. We were both quiet about it, trying to avoid waking up anyone else in their rooms. On my way out I said hello to a few other members that were up and walking around. Most of them looked tired but also ready to get the day going. I knew that they were all ready to be done with this recruit class and bring in the next. It didn't feel like they could be taught anything more.

As I walked past the lab I said hello to my team - all who groggily said their hello's back. They were clearly tired and I couldn't blame them. I knew that they had been up for most of the night working on their pieces of the project. Last night I had left them all with requests for things that I wanted them to work on while I was gone. I knew that Abraham would ensure that they were working by my orders while I was gone. I had no doubt that John would try and ignore my orders.

Heading over to the trucks, I handed one of the men that backpack that was slung over my shoulders. It had the files that I would be working with in it. I would be going back and forth between walking with the men and assisting and riding in the trucks. It was so that I could observe them close up and from a distance. Plus the workers seemed to think that I would get tired if I actually had walk the entire time. Fools. But I couldn't say that. So I would keep in my place, making remarks to help suggest where each man would be deployed to. I had thought about sabotaging Bucky to help keep him safer, but I wouldn't. He'd be furious if he ever found out.

Plus I could only imagine how I would feel if someone did the same thing to me. I knew that this was what he had always wanted. In some ways I wanted it for him too. I wanted him to feel the gratuity of all of his work. But I also wanted him safe. He had promised me the life that I had always wanted and here he was, potentially throwing it away. I knew that my thoughts were selfish, but I couldn't help it. Perhaps Peggy was right. Maybe I was in love with him. Maybe that was why the thought of saying goodbye in a week hurt so badly.

Trying to brush off the thoughts and pretend to look excited for the recruits, I stepped up to the loading bay. They were all standing there, each looking more excited than the last. They were clearly ready to get underway with Victory Forge. I knew that they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Gunfire. I shook that thought off when I spotted Bucky standing with Jeremy. They were both fixing up their uniforms. Bucky turned towards me for a moment - looking slightly surprised to see me - before regaining his composure and winking at me.

I smiled and looked away, treasuring the small moment. One of the last few that we would have for a while. "Did he just wink at you?" Chester snapped at me, startling me slightly.

I knew that he was here, but I hadn't thought that he was standing right behind me. "No," I answered quickly.

"Yes he did," Chester snapped.

Distract him. "You need to get your eyes checked, old man. You think your old ass is actually going to be able to make it out there for three days?" I asked teasingly. Some of the Drill Sergeants walked away fighting back smiles.

Chester glared at me before checking that no one was standing too close to us. "I should have shot you back on the farm," he deadpanned.

Definitely a good thing that no one else was around to hear that. Giving him a little grin, I shook my head. "I warned you back then, it would have only made me angry."

"Okay, so it's not too effective on you. What about on your little friend?" he asked me, giving Bucky a very pointed look. My face paled slightly. I knew that Chester wouldn't resist shooting someone if he really felt the need. "What do you think a buckshot to the ass would do to him?" he asked me.

Despite the idea that Bucky getting shot was terrifying, I couldn't help but to laugh. "Please don't. But if you do, make sure that I'm there to watch," I said. Chester let one of his rare smiles slip and I stepped past him. "Let's get this show on the road. Good morning, recruits," I called out. They all turned to me. "How is everyone feeling?" I asked.

The men straightened up and nodded at me but I could tell that they were fidgeting. They were excited. "Good," they all muttered back to me. There were small whoops of excitement and a little bit of chattering. I didn't say anything against it. They'd earned being a little excited.

"I know. You're all excited, as you have every right to be. You're almost done. This is the last thing that you need to do before we send you off to your graduation and on to defend our country. We thank you for your service and your dedication to training. I know that each and every one of you is going to go out there and make us proud. You're going to make me proud." I gave Bucky a quick glance over at this. "You have one hour to prepare for Victory Forge. Take a breath and remember, you aren't to graduation just yet. We will meet you back here at oh-six-hundred hours," I said before stepping off.

Chester gave me a quick pat on the back as I turned back to the mess hall. I intended to pick up a muffin or something of the sorts before we were ready to go. Maybe I'd stop in and say goodbye to Abraham as well. After all, he had been extremely good with me over the past few days. And we had bonded when I'd spent a few minutes fixing the wall yesterday. He had been fascinated to see me at work. Cement was harder to work with considering that it wasn't really earth, but I managed well enough.

About one hundred feet away from the labs, I heard a call. "Victoria!"

I turned back and smiled when I saw that Howard was running up to me, straightening out his suit. Always dressed to the T. "Good morning, Howard," I greeted politely.

With everything that he had been doing for me, I could try and be nice. "Can I speak to you for a few minutes before you embark on your trip?" he asked me.

"No," I answered quickly with a blank stare. The two of us stared at each other before I cracked a smile. The two of us began laughing softly as I motioned for him to follow me. "Sure. Let's go to my office," I said.

We weren't even walking for ten seconds before the berating began. "Are you and Barnes sharing a tent?" he asked me.

Bucky actually wouldn't be in a tent at all. He and the other recruits would be sleeping in the open air. If they even slept. Tonight would really be the only night that they would get a chance to sleep. The Sergeants and Colonels that would be coming - as well as the Drill Sergeants on their off time - would be the only ones that would actually get to sleep in the tents for the two nights that we would be out there. But I didn't say any of that. Instead, I settled for the childish route.

"Shut up."

Howard knew that he was getting to me. He had that damn twinkle in the corners of his eyes. "You could snuggle together to provide each other warmth after those long, hard, days trekking through the wilderness," he continued.

"Shut up."

"But, you know, they say that the best way to keep someone warm when they're freezing is by direct contact -"

I knew where this conversation was going. "Shut up!" I howled, giving him a rough shove.

Howard didn't seem fazed. He turned a little grin on me. "Your eyes are pink," he said.

Of course, I knew that my eyes were pink. My imagination was wandering towards what would have happened the other night if that woman hadn't accidentally knocked into my door. "I wonder why that could be," I snapped at him.

Howard grinned at me and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "I'm just messing with you, Victoria," he told me.

I knew that he was messing with me. And that was exactly why I decided to mess with him. "How about this? When it comes time to do human experimentation with the chamber, we put you in there to test it out?" I asked.

"I might be able to beat you afterwards," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him. There was no way that he would beat me. He wasn't trained like I was. The one thing that I could thank Stryker for was the fact that he had ensured that I would never lose. "Yeah, right. I don't care who comes out of that chamber or what they look like. I know that I'll be able to beat them without a problem," I said.

"Humble," Howard quipped.

I raised a brow at him. "Do you own a mirror?"

"Quite a few, actually."

We strutted off to my office somewhere in between smiling and wanting to kill each other. It seemed to be the way that our friendship was most of the time. We walked into the offices and I headed into the back, where mine was. It had been added recently. Abraham had thought that I should have one of my own so he had changed it to an office from a small closet. It was just enough for myself and one other person. Which was probably a good thing, since every time that I was in there, Howard was too.

As we walked into the offices I greeted my team. They all smiled weakly at me before glancing down at their paperwork once more. They seemed much more eager to talk to Howard. Not that it was anything abnormal. As I walked I noticed that Abraham was nowhere to be found. He was probably in his office, considering that the window blinds were closed. He must have been pining over his own work. Howard and I made our way back to my office before walking in and closing the door behind us.

There were no windows so I flicked on the light. There was only the one light so sometimes it really was hard to see outside. But the additional light from the crack underneath the door helped. The office wasn't much. There was a filing cabinet on the far wall that I had already managed to fill. My desk sat on the other edge of the room with two chairs. One for Howard and one for me. Right next to the door was a table for me to place whatever I needed down. Right now it was cluttered with paperwork and my assigned pistol. A Colt 1903, just like Peggy.

Howard took a seat and began spreading out paperwork. He must have been working here last night. He had the spare key to my office. "So I spent some time going over the vials that you sent me. Took me a long time to decode them, considering the presence of Chronicle, but I was finally able to separate the hormones from the chemical reactions of the Chronicle," he said. I nodded at him to continue. "I found a few oddities."

"Shocking," I muttered.

Howard glanced up at me as I took the empty chair. "Even for you."

"What did you find?" I asked.

"Take a look."

He moved his torso back slightly so that I could look over what he was showing me. It was a large spread of papers. Some had most of the sections crossed out. Others were barely written on, only a few words. I could see the pages that were my medical files. Almost everything had notes scratched out by Howard. I recognized his writing. Clearly he had been pouring over these quite a bit.

Numbers and equations were written everywhere. To the average person it probably looked like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. But I knew that it was my DNA. It looked startlingly different from normal. Not that it was surprising. Everything was crammed together and I knitted my eyebrows in concentration. It was hard to understand. After a few minutes, Howard grabbed a paper and pushed it in front of me. On the last page was a slightly more comprehensible list.

They were the hormones that were most present in my bloodstream. I had a feeling that whatever was wrong with me had something to do with my hormones. Thyroxine was near the top of the list. T3 and T4. My eyebrows rose. They were most commonly present in animals. It was there to increase metabolism. It was also responsible for growth and neural development. Kind of lacking on the growth there, kids. But it was doing its other job. Maybe a little too well. Although this was uncommon. It was found in animals more than humans. And it was always present in high levels in predators. Around one hundred. My level was over two hundred.

There was also a high level of cortisol. It mediated metabolic responses to stress. Like the other hormones, I had an extraordinarily high rate. It was to a dangerous rate. Perhaps this was why I'd been so tense lately. Epinephrine followed with another high level. It was essentially adrenaline. It came from the adrenal gland and stimulated the immediate fight or flight reactions. For most people it tended to lean towards the flight reaction. My levels were overwhelming and all motivated straight at the fight reaction. Perhaps that was why I had been having so many homicidal tendencies lately.

There was also a high level of the growth hormones that were found in animals. It was a little different from humans. It was stronger and targeted more to muscle mass. From the anterior pituitary gland, it stimulated protein synthesis and growth. It was half of the reason that my muscles - despite not looking like much - were so strong. Even without my Adamantium skeleton, my muscles were so strong that I could have easily punched a hole through someones sternum.

The melanocyte-stimulating hormone was normally present in humans. Animals as well. It controlled endorphins and enkephalins pain control. But not in me. There was absolute absence. That was something that Stryker had given me. It was what had happened to me when I went into the hydro-chamber. Thymosin activated immune system in T cells. It was part of the reason that I never got sick. They all equated to levels found in animals such as tigers, lions, and jaguars. Nothing close to humans.

They were all animal hormones though. There were human hormones present too. They were down towards the bottom of the page. My eyes scanned over them, my hands shaking gently. This wasn't anything that I had ever seen before. I'd always known that I was different. The Chronicle was proof of that. But I hadn't ever actually gone this deep. This was just proof that I wasn't really human. No matter what Chester, Howard, Peggy, or Bucky thought, I was not normal. I never could be.

I began reading over the human hormones. Leukotrienes increased vascular permeability. It was partially responsible for the healing factor, considering that I was able to carry proteins through my body faster. Enkephalin regulated pain. There was a near absence. The only reason that there was even a slight presence was so that I could actually feel human touch. But it was so low that my body didn't process pain as anything more than a normal feeling. It was strange. The whole thing was strange.

Endophilin smoothed muscle contraction. It was why I was always able to deflect hits. It might have also been why I was on the smaller side. Ghrelin stimulated appetite. There were low levels. It was probably from my time at Stryker's lab. But it also secreted a growth hormone. Even though the hormone was supercharged, the low levels must have kept me from growing. Leptin was what was helping keep my metabolism high and appetite low. Orexin and osteocalcin were good for increased energy expenditure. Thrombopoietin produced platelets.

Many of these hormones were the reason for my regrowth mutation. Producing platelets was the reason that I was able to keep myself from bleeding out. Some of these hormones were also what we were adding to the super soldier serum. But nothing was at this high of rates. Androgen was the last hormone I saw. Libido, growth of muscle mass and strength, and bone density. They were all at extremely high rates. Much higher than normal. Even for a super-soldier.

Finally I looked back at Howard. He had been looking at me the entire time, gauging my reactions. "These levels are even higher than what we're trying to put into the super-soldier serum," I muttered.

Howard sighed and began pulling the papers back together. I noticed that he left one paper out. "Super-solider or not, if these levels were in anyone else, it'd kill them," he said. He was right. These should have thrown my vascular system into overdrive. But for some reason, it didn't. "Victoria, I think that it's safe to say that you're the only person that's able to tolerate these kind of levels."

"I've done blood-work before though. My levels were always high, but they were never like this," I said awkwardly.

And I had. My parents had. Stryker had. Everyone had. But these levels were something new. Recently I had still been able to pass off as somewhat normal. "I have a theory for that," Howard said.

"Please share."

"You mentioned to me last week that you felt more like an animal lately than a human."

He was right about that. At any moment I was preparing myself to develop a taste for raw meat. "I did."

Howard took a deep breath before speaking. "I think that you might have been onto something there." Well that definitely doesn't sound good. I nodded at him to continue. "Humans - physically - reach maturity somewhere between twenty-two and twenty-five. Now that case might be a little different for you. You've reached maturity - physically - faster than the average person." I was twenty-two, but I understood what Howard was getting at. The average person would still have a ways to go. "Now, for a normal person like myself, maturity means attracting a mate and producing offspring," he said.

These were all things that I was well aware of. But I knew that Howard had a reason for repeating them. Still, I couldn't resist harassing him. "That's the most serious I've ever heard you sound about sex," I teased.

His serious demeanor turned playful. "I could make it much worse if you'd like," he offered.

Oh no. That wasn't something that I wanted. I had no doubt that he wouldn't spare me a single detail from that part of his life. "No, thank you. Continue," I said.

Howard grinned before speaking again. "But when we look outside in the animal kingdom - take big cats for example - they reach maturity in a different way." I raised a brow. I understood animals well enough, but they'd never really been my thing. "Sure, they're looking to mate for offspring as well, but there's something else that they're looking for. Acceptance into the pride. That means hunting, killing; proving themselves to be efficient hunters and fighters. Providers. Leaders. They fight for their spots at the top of the food chain.

"I think that something that Stryker did to you, and your design by nature, has designed you to act more like a predator now that you've reached maturity. Your epinephrine levels are through the roof. And it seems that you're locked onto the fight reaction. You said that you broke Dr. Erskine's cement wall the other day?" he asked me. I nodded. "A fight reaction. You were angry and you fought. Despite the fact that you fought with something that couldn't fight back," he teased.

My grin fell off of my face as I deadpanned at him. "I'd kill anything that could fight back," I said seriously. Howard had to know that no matter how much I liked to laugh and try to pretend that I was like him, I wasn't.

"I know," Howard said softly.

I could tell that he was hurting because he couldn't figure out how to help me. He knew how much my predicament really bothered me. So I decided to try and appease him. "So how do we curb it? I can't just inject myself with other hormones. The Chronicle prevents it from seeping into the bloodstream," I told him. Whatever we used, it would have to be fast-acting. "Howard, I can't just act like an animal for the rest of my life. I could end up seriously hurting someone," I said softly.

As mean and tough as I pretended to be, I couldn't tolerate really hurting someone. Especially not Bucky. As usual, Howard had an answer. "Two steps ahead of you, doll. That's why I've been as Stark Industries all weekend. It took some researching - a lot of research with minimal sleep - but I found something. I've been working on it all weekend," he told me.

He backed away from the desk slightly and I watched as he went digging through his pockets. He took a moment before seemingly finding what he wanted. He pulled out a plastic bag of something that looked like pills. I cocked my head to the side. What the hell were those? They were white with a tiny X marked on them. I almost smiled. It was for the X-Gene. This was something that only I could take. I did a mental count of the pills and - despite not being able to actually tell how many there were - found that there were about one hundred pills right now.

Howard seemed to know that I was confused. "It won't present itself in the bloodstream at all if you swallow it. The body will process it as food since it won't dissolve until it hits the stomach acid and from there it will expand to the rest of your organs. It'll slow down some of the hormone production in your body." I nodded blankly at him, grabbing one of the pills. "We can't allow your body to get used to it, so take it once a week, maximum. It should curb the effects. Those should last you about two years."

"What is it?" I asked after a beat.

Howard had never seemed like much of a medicine man, but I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. "Lots of things. I have the whole chemical list right here. You're more than welcome to look at it anytime." I nodded and tucked the remaining paper into my desk. "Mainly it's composed of oxytocin." I nodded at him. It was the calming hormone. It decreased stress and anger.

We sat in silence for a moment as I rolled the pill over in my hand a few times. "So it should decrease all of these levels," I said.

Howard nodded at me. "Yes. Nothing about your physical state should change." Well that was good to know. I looked strange enough, as is. "It'll just make you a little calmer and less prone to homicidal tendencies," he said jokingly.

"Good. I can't stand to be weak," I answered.

His head cocked to the side as he stared at me. The two of us simply sat in silence for a few moments. "Nothing about the homicidal tendencies?" he finally asked me.

I gave him a small shrug. "What part of Savage did you not understand?" I asked.

Howard grinned at me before shaking his head. "Nothing. Overall, you'll be exactly the same. I can't slow down the ghrelin levels. They should actually cause you to continue growing. Theoretically speaking, you should be the size of the Statue of Liberty." The two of us both snorted. I was barely over five feet. "However, your metabolic rate is so fast that no physical changes can be seen."

Taking one of the pills, I swallowed one and gave Howard a tight hug. "Thank you for this. I'll let you know how they work," I said.

At least the Chronicle would ensure that I couldn't be poisoned in the event that Howard had made a mistake somewhere. "Considering they're designed by me, they'll be flawless," he said arrogantly.

A small glare settled over my face. "Need I remind you about the flying car?"

It would have crashed to the ground had I not caught it. "It's still a prototype!" he barked at me. I grinned and took his hand to stand. "I'll be showing it at the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition after the recruits graduate. Will you come with me?" he asked.

The Modern Marvels of Tomorrow would be happening just a few hours after the recruits graduated. I'd go with Bucky to meet up with Steve beforehand. It made me shake slightly that a week from today I would be seeing Steve again after all of these years. He had always been my best friend, but it had been a long time since we'd seen each other. I could only hope that he didn't hate me for being gone all of these years. But considering that it was Steve, he might be shocked, but he wouldn't hate me.

"I'll be there anyways," I finally said, remembering that Howard had asked me something. "Bucky is going with our friend Steve before he deploys. He invited me to come with them."

Howard scoffed and shook his head at me. "No, Victoria. I don't want to steal you away from your boy on your last night together," I gave him a sharp glare, "but I do want you to come up on stage for a while and speak with me. I'm the chairman and corporate executive officer for Stark Industries. I want to introduce my new corporate operations officer," he said.

My jaw was nearly hanging limply. Corporate operations officer was only one step below the corporate executive officer position - the highest in the company. Howard was waiting for my answer with a grin. "Really?" I asked softly.

Howard smiled at me and grabbed my hand. "I told you, Victoria. I want you to work with me once we finish with Operation Rebirth," he told me. He had said that before, but I wasn't really sure that he actually wanted to work with me. "After everything, you'll be one of the most sought after minds. And I want first pick. So what do you say?" he asked.

It was a no-brainer. Once I got off of Operation Rebirth I'd have to find something else to do. And working at Stark Industries would be a good start. "I say that I'm on board. I'll meet you there before you get on stage. And I also say that I'm late. I have to go. Thank you for doing all of this," I said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. We were close to the one-hour mark. "See you in three days!" I called.

My feet rushed me out of the offices and I shouted back to my team a quick goodbye. I got mostly grunts in return. Howard chuckled as I ran out and shut the door behind me, going back to his own work. I didn't mind him using my office while I was gone. He used it most of the time that I was here anyways. I assumed that it was mostly because he didn't like working by himself. Even if we didn't talk, it was always nicer to be sitting with each other. At least then we knew that we were both frustrated with our lack of progress.

But that was a thought for another time. I hoped that by the time that I got back, Abraham would have begun animal testing on a regular basis. We'd tried with a rat two days ago. Unfortunately the animal hadn't made it. It had overwhelmed the nervous system. We were hoping that it wouldn't happen in a human. I dashed through the camp before heading over to the start of the foot march area. The men were all getting ready for Victory Forge to begin. Chester was already sitting up in the truck with a spot open for me.

Chester glanced down at me as I ran up. "You're almost late," he growled.

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," I said. I noticed Chester's lips twitch upwards. He had always said that at home. I cleared my throat and faced the recruits. "Let me have your attention!" I shouted. They all turned back to me. "At this point, you must complete a six-mile tactical foot march in three hours. You must wear all equipment properly, you must have Kevlar helmet on your head, and you must carry your M1903 Springfield rifle at the ready position. This means that the rifle must be ready for use against the enemy. What are your questions?" I called out.

Thankfully there were none as recruits made last minute changes to their uniforms. A few Drill Sergeants that were in the trucks were making comments to themselves about incorrect stances or slight differences in uniforms. Mostly there were just small things that were wrong. Bucky didn't seem to have anything wrong with himself. I sighed and nodded at him. I really was proud. I was just scared for him too. I paused a full five seconds to observe everyone and wait for questions.

"Begin!"

Day one progressed from that moment on. The men began marching at somewhat of a run. It wasn't really a run. More of something like a slow jog. I hopped into the truck besides Chester, kicked off my boots, crossed my legs up on the dashboard, and grabbed my papers. Slowly I slipped my glasses onto the bridge of my nose and began flipping through them. I wasn't planning to write anything just yet but I wanted to be comfortable. I intended to spend most of the day watching them.

They started with the ten kilometer foot march. They had done this last week so I knew that they would manage to do it by themselves. But the Drill Sergeants were still around to watch over everyone. They were also making sure that they had enough water to keep them. Although, it really wouldn't look good to take extra water. The march was exactly six-point-two miles long. It would be a long day for the recruits, especially considering that the sun was already high in the sky and beating down on the men. By noontime it would be excruciatingly hot.

They began with individual tasks. There were three sections of each of the individual training that the Drill Sergeants would be watching. The men ran about half a mile before coming to a stop. They all began working on the first part of their individual training. They had to know both the Original Morse Code and the International Morse Code. Original had gone out about ten years ago - replaced by teleprinters - but it was still important to know on the off-chance that they couldn't use International. They were all kneeling in their spots, each person working to deliver messages that the Drill Sergeants were ordering.

Most of the time I hung around Bucky's station. He had been ordered the easiest More Code to do. SOS. Come on Bucky, you know this one. He sat over the telegraph and began programming the order. Three dits, three dahs, three dits. He did a few others like 'My position is...' and 'Infiltrate at...' He got them all right. I made a small mark on his paper, feeling my chest give a painful twist. That was one of the skills that men on the front lines were looking for.

Afterwards they had to send a radio message as well. He was alright with it. There were some men that were faster, but there were plenty that were slower. The radio message was always something that would be done in desperation. They then moved on to engaging targets - that had already been laid out to expand over a fourth of a mile - with the M1903 Springfield. As expected, Bucky was good. He would make an excellent sniper. He had perfect eyesight and was one of the best men at long-distance shots. He never missed. Begrudgingly, I added that to the markings on his file.

From there they moved after an eighth of a mile off of the trail that they were doing the foot march on. Here they were employing hand grenades. It wasn't really about accuracy - as long as they were hitting near the targets - as long as the men understood how to safely use them and use the warnings. They moved back over to the main pathway afterwards and began practicing the preventative medicine. I smiled, knowing that Bucky wouldn't get a single question wrong. We had gone over these questions plenty of times.

He moved on from there to the next test of the foot march. It was moving under direct fire. They had to be careful with this part of the training exercise. The recruits moved in pairs through dredges, being careful to avoid the Drill Sergeants that were firing their rifles from up in lifts in the trees. Every now and again the recruits would be ordered to change directions or to stop. They had to manage to get out of the path in two minutes without getting injured. Thankfully no one was shot. Bucky was one of the fastest recruits to get in and out of the dredge.

Tomorrow this would be harder. During the Night Infiltration Course they would do this all over again. But it would be pitch-black. Their last task for this first phase of the foot march was moving over, through or around obstacles that had already been laid out. Most of them were repeats from the training courses back at camp. But these were more practical. They had been weathered, some were slippery, others were narrow, they weren't all the same size, and most were made of splintered woods. Plenty of recruits were cut. Bucky slipped off of one of the obstacles but he didn't fall. I made sure to mark that as well.

At this point they were allowed to take a break. They would get one more before finishing the rounds and being allowed to stop for the night. They would be allowed to take lunch after the next set of individual tasks. I walked out of the trucks and headed around the group of recruits. They were all panting heavily. They knew that there was a mile run after this to the next section. I was ensuring that everyone had their water bottles with them and were doing alright. Camp Lehigh had had the occasional recruit pass out from heat exhaustion.

Slowly I walked back and forth between them. They were all sitting on the ground with their heads in their hands. No one was speaking to each other as they thought over what they were going to have to do when it came time to move again. They were only allowed to rest for about ten minutes while we all went around and checked on them. One of the Drill Sergeants - Randy - was headed straight towards Bucky so I discreetly stepped in front of him and stood at Bucky's feet.

He was mumbling to himself. It sounded like he was repeating a mantra to himself. "Recruit?" I called professionally. Bucky glanced up at me with tired eyes but they brightened when he saw that it was me. "You're doing alright?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're doing well. Keep it up," I said.

Bucky glanced around us for a few seconds. No one was watching. Even Chester was busy with someone else. Once he realized that no one else was watching us he glanced back at me. "Where are you going to be tonight?" he asked.

I should have figured that he was going to do something like that. As much as I wanted to see him, we both had things that we needed to do. "Working," I answered bluntly, before glancing back at him. "And you'll be sleeping."

It was said like a request, but he should have known that it was an order. It didn't matter to him. He grinned at me and leaned into me, keeping a distance that could still appear respectful if someone happened to spot us. "Come on, where's the Vika that always liked to break the rules?" he teased.

He wasn't wrong. I had always liked breaking the rules. But we were breaking enough rules lately. "Making sure that you get put where you belong. Focus on training for the next few days, Bucky. This is the last thing that you have to do. And you're doing well so far," I said.

My words did almost nothing for Bucky. He stared at me blankly for a moment before grinning up at me. "I'm gonna come see you tonight," he said.

"Are you deaf?" I snapped.

Bucky grinned at me once more. "No, it's just called selective listening."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing to him. He was going to come see me, no matter what I said. So I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. "Get ready to get back to work," I snapped at him. He chuckled and nodded at me. "You better be working hard. I'll whoop your ass if you aren't," I warned him, taking a step back.

There was a dangerous twinkle in his eyes. "I just might enjoy that," he muttered.

The blush that fell over my face was something that I wasn't surprised about. Before my eyes could turn pink I glanced away and walked off, over to the next recruit. I could feel the laughter oozing off of Bucky. He knew that saying something like that would get me going. And he was right. I didn't know if I wanted to go on a sprint to brush off the feelings that had seeped into me, or if I wanted to pull him behind one of the towering pine trees. Damn you, Peggy!

Not far from me a whistle blew and I jumped slightly. Glancing upwards I saw that the men were all standing and getting ready to move out again. They had now moved on to the individual task rotation, two of three. These were harder than the first set. There was less theoretical and more practical. There was almost no time for the men to sit and talk to the Drill Sergeants during this set. So, with another whistle, the recruits jumped up and dashed through the mile-long run.

Hopping back up into the truck with Chester once more, I kicked off the shoes that had been on and the jacket. The car began to follow the recruits and I made marks about who was fast, who was good with staying in line, and who were on the slower side. It took them just under six minutes to finish the run before heading over to the next section of the course. This was a large portion of somewhat cleared woods where the men had to run back and forth between the sections.

The first thing that they had to do was important. They had to react to indirect fire while dismounted. Essentially it meant that the men were standing in a field without any weapons. They had to figure out how to get out of the field without being injured. They were using a type of colored chalk - to ensure that if someone was hit, they wouldn't be injured. A few people were clipped by them, some were hit directly, but most managed to avoid the fire. Bucky was one of the men that had managed to get away without a scratch, although he had taken a fall. I hadn't felt as relieved as I did when I saw that he got out without a chalk mark on him in weeks.

Afterwards they had to move to reacting to flares. One of the Drill Sergeants stood off about a mile away and fired the flare. It was up to the recruit to go hunt down where the flare had been fired from. Everyone managed, but some people needed two or three flares to actually find the person firing them. It would be dangerous in battle. If one went off there would only be so much time before enemy forces found them as well. Bucky was one of the recruits that managed to find his Drill Sergeant in one try. It took him about nine minutes to find him.

After that was one of my personal favorites. They moved to temporary fighting positions to show how they would attack an enemy soldier. I rolled my eyes watching them. They were good enough, but none of them were fighting accurately. They would have never been able to fight someone like me. If the day ever came that I admitted what I was, I was going to be sure to show them exactly how to fight properly. Bucky was doing reasonably well, but he was keeping his weight on his toes rather than his heels, and he was keeping his head straight up rather than tucked in slightly. Someone would break his jaw if he wasn't careful.

My stomach curled slightly as I jotted down a few notes. He was one of the better fighters, but being the analyst that I was, I spotted everything that could be used against him in a fight. And there were far too many things for my comfort. After that they moved to the camouflage section. Unfortunately Bucky wasn't too good with it. Good enough from a distance, but not good up-close. He moved to working with the individual equipment afterwards. He had to prove that he could clean, disassemble, assemble, and functionally operate his weapons. He had done well on that section and I marked him with full points for it.

He then moved on with some other men - so that we could progress the foot march. There was still lots more to be done before the day was over. They moved on to noise and light discipline. Essentially it was ensuring that the recruits were able to move around with drawing attention to themselves from enemies. Finishing the second round, they had to ensure that they knew how to put on, remove, and store the M40A2 protective mask with the hood. No one seemed to have any issues with that. Not that we had been expecting them to.

After that they were allowed to take a brief break. They would make a two-miles jog after their break. I could see the recruits dropping to the ground once we stopped. The sun was high in the sky and I knew that they were all exhausted. The Drill Sergeants were given food to hand out to the recruits and we walked back and forth, handing them out. They would have thirty minutes to eat and get ready for the run. When I handed Bucky his food, he let his hands linger on mine for a moment and I smiled.

We waited for them to finish their meals and get in their breaks before the whistles began to blast, giving the recruits the one-minute warning until they had to move onto the third round of individual training. Thankfully this was the last tough portion that they had to take care of while moving. They would be allowed to take a break afterwards. We were about two hours into the three-hour foot march and I knew that the recruits were long past ready to turn in for the night.

The whistles gave another long blast and I watched as the recruits jumped up and headed on their two-mile run. My team stayed behind for a few minutes to pack up the gear that the recruits hadn't been told to bring. Once we had gathered everything we hopped back into the trucks and headed off to follow the men once more. We caught up with them towards the end of their run. Sweat was dripping down their foreheads and I saw that some of them looked close to dropping. Bucky looked exhausted, but still determined. I made comments on the files for the recruits that seemed to be having a harder time with the run.

Finally they were allowed to stop so that they could take care of the last three individual training portions that they had to do. They had learned how to recognize and react to chemical or biological hazard. Most of it was easy. They walked through the woods and spotted the tiny little mistakes that might have been triggers to warn someone that something was wrong. They also showed that they knew how to properly dispose of human waste and take care of personal hygiene while deployed. Chester and the other men had written up the reports on that. Partially because I didn't want to write about it, but also partially because it was rude to ask a woman to observe a man in his primitive state.

Once they were done with that, they moved on to things that were a little less awkward for me to deal with. They had to react to nuclear hazards first. This would mostly be a problem if they ended up somewhere in Russia, but just in case, everyone had to know how to handle themselves. I made special notes on anyone that seemed to excel on this point. Bucky was not one of them. The last thing that they had to do was evaluate a casualty. It was reasonably easy. Each man was shown someone with a different ailment. Bucky managed his just fine. In fact, everyone did. I could feel the emotional shift in the air. They were genuinely hurting over the thought of not being able to save everyone.

Cringing at the memory of the purple-skinned mutant boy that I hadn't been able to save in Stryker's lab, I closed my eyes and waited for them to finish the casualty reports. Chester asked if I was alright but I brushed him off, fabricating that it was a bad headache. He hadn't pushed me, probably knowing that whatever I was thinking about wasn't a pleasant memory. And he was right about that.

Thankfully they ended the foot march just over three hours after the start. I knew that they were all exhausted. I could see them dropping into the campsite that we would be staying at today and tomorrow night. They were all muttering to each other and trying to fight off sleep. I smirked as I jumped from the truck, knowing that this was only the beginning. They still had another two more days after this. And this was the easiest of the days.

Stepping in front of them I gave them all a reassuring smile. "Well done today, recruits. We're watching and recording everything that you're doing so work to the best of your ability. This is one of the ways that we determine where to deploy you. Rest up. Get dinner. Get to sleep. Tomorrow you'll have the day to recover. We commence the Night Infiltration Course at sundown. Goodnight," I called out.

They really wouldn't be going to sleep for another few hours, but that was okay. They really wouldn't want to be working at all for another few hours. I could tell that they were all exhausted. Most of the time they were standing and talking to each other. As time passed, I noticed that they were all perking up. I wanted to sit around the fires with them once the sun began to sink, but I had work to do. So I sat in my tent by the lamplight and ate my dinner on the small cot that Chester had laid out for me earlier.

Glancing down at the wristwatch that Chester had given me before departing on our trip, I realized that it was my turn to take the watch. I was somewhat of a nocturnal creature. I much preferred the night, but since society decided that humans should be active in the day, I'd adjusted. But when I'd gotten the opportunity to take the night shift checking on the recruits and sending them to bed, I'd jumped on it. And no one else had wanted the position, so I hadn't needed to fight for it.

Standing from the tent and leaving the papers, I headed out into the little camp that we had set up. The recruits weren't sleeping in tents. They would on the ground. Not exactly comfortable, but they'd have to get used to it. Fires were going all around and I knew that we would have to put them out soon. I walked back and forth, checking on all of the recruits and making sure that they were all still doing alright. They seemed to be fine, simply wanting to learn to eat and live in the woods. I wanted to stop and speak to Bucky for a few minutes, but he was sitting with his friends and I knew that I couldn't have the conversation that I wanted with him around them.

Slowly as the night progressed, one-by-one, the Drill Sergeants and recruits stood to go to sleep. The Drill Sergeants were pairing up in small tents. The recruits had already laid out the tiny bedrolls that they had. The campsite eventually emptied out and I loved off to the furthest fire out from the center of the camp. I didn't want to disturb anyone. I didn't bother changing but I did gather up a blanket that was sitting on my cot and Bucky's jacket that I'd brought with me. I grabbed the files and headed back towards the fire.

Even if I was tired, I wouldn't have been able to sleep. I'd gotten the other files from the rest of the Drill Sergeants and spent nearly half an hour looking over Bucky's. They were all recommending him for the front lines - sniper positions. Smart move. He's good. I knew that I should have marked the same thing, but I couldn't force myself to sign off on his. So I moved to the others. As I sat and filled out forms, writing recommendations and whatnot, a few recruits passed by me to go to the restroom. Most said a quick goodnight after I would warn them to watch out for any animals or traps that we had set - not true, but I liked seeing the minor panic on their faces.

Besides, it was nighttime and I knew that without the glow of the fire they would have a hard time seeing. I would have been able to see just fine even without the light from the fire. But that would have looked strange. I smirked as another recruit headed back to bed, stumbling over a root. I could beat them all at night with my hands tied behind my back and my legs bound. Stryker had ensured that my eyes were well-adjusted to seeing in the darkness. My vision was just as good now as it was in the middle of the day. My head slowly turned up at the sound of another recruit approaching me from behind.

The camp was empty other than the two of us. I opened my mouth to give him the warning that I'd been told to give. "If you're headed to relieve yourself, take precautions," I mumbled.

My hand was flitting over Harry's file. I wasn't sure what I wanted to write for him. He was good, but he wasn't the best. "Romantic," an extremely familiar voice called, "talking about my bowel movements."

Slowly I glanced up to see Bucky leaning on a tree not far from me. He was clearly staring at me with a smile. "You should head back to bed. You might get the day to rest tomorrow but you still have to do the Night Infiltration Course. It's not easy," I told him.

My words weren't meant to be rude. I just wanted him to know that he had things to do. We would have a day or two together once he graduated next week. I needed him focused on the military right now. "I'll go to bed soon. I wanna talk to my girl," he said. I couldn't help it, I smiled as he seated himself on the log next to me.

We sat in silence for a while. Bucky was normally the type of guy that liked to talk the entire time that we were together. He wanted to laugh and tease me and normally I liked that too. But there was a lot weighing the air down right now and I was content just sitting in silence. It seemed like he was too. After a few minutes I offered Bucky a piece of the blanket and he wrapped himself in it, sitting pressed against me. I would hear someone coming, so we were in no danger. After a few seconds he noticed that I was wearing his jacket too. He laughed but didn't ask for it back. Instead, he grabbed the edges and tucked it closer around me.

The two of us sat with our fingers intertwined. My head was resting gently against his arm. I was too short to be able to reach his shoulder. "How did you end up here?" I finally asked.

Bucky glanced down at me with raised brows. "What?" he asked confusedly.

I realized too late that he would have no clue what I was talking about. I gave him a bashful smile and clarified, "The Army. What made you join?" I asked.

His face flushed and for a moment I wondered if a woman had gotten Bucky to join. "I - uh - Steve." My head tilted to the side. "He actually made me join. In thirty-seven, Steve and I were in Art class. That's when we found out that the States had entered the war." I hadn't even known about the war. Stryker hadn't told me anything that was happening in the world. Chester had told me. "By that time I was a three-time YMCA welterweight boxing champion."

A small smile fell over my face. He really was strong. I felt it in his hits. Too bad he didn't have anything in him made from Adamantium or Vibranium. He might stand a chance against me at that point. "I didn't know that," I said softly.

"I never told you. There's lots that I haven't gotten the chance to tell you. I'll tell you everything once I'm back." And you damn well better come back. "Anyways, I spent two weeks training Steve at Goldie's Boxing Gym. We visited the US Recruiting and Induction Centers in New York City. Steve was classified as 4F and rejected from service. I was drafted in the Army later on," he told me.

My heart dropped. He hadn't come in right away. He'd been drafted. But he had signed up for this. He knew what might happen. "Oh. Well, I can't say that I'm surprised that Steve was rejected," I said.

It probably sounded bad, but it was the truth. Steve was a shrimp. He'd been flattened within seconds of signing up. It was safer for him to avoid the military. "It broke his heart," Bucky told me.

Again, it was unsurprising. Joining the war was the only thing that he had ever wanted. "I know. If there's one thing that Steve was ever good at, it was getting in fights that were far bigger than him," I said. We both laughed at the memories of Bucky having to save Steve. "He'd make a wonderful soldier. Too bad nature didn't agree with me."

Bucky smiled at the thought. "It's why I practiced with him so much. I knew that this was the one thing that he wanted," he said.

"You're a good man," I whispered.

Bucky didn't say anything back to me, but I knew that he appreciated it. "Do me a favor," Bucky said after a beat. I hummed at him, running my fingers over the back of his knuckles. They were rougher than they used to be. I liked it better this way. "Take care of Steve while I'm gone," Bucky told me.

Once I got back in touch with Steve I intended to never lose contact with him again. "Always," I promised. "You know, you and Steve, you both always took such good care of me when we were kids. You treated me like a little girl. Is it hard to realize that I'm not a little girl anymore?"

Maybe the day would eventually come that women could manage to take care of themselves. But that day wasn't today. "We live in the day and age where all women should be protected. It's how I grew up," Bucky told me. I nodded, remembering his mother always telling him to treat women well. "You're the only woman that I've ever met that didn't need or want a man to protect her."

My lips turned up in a bitter smile. I would never need anyone to protect me. "I guess it's the one thing that I can thank my parents for. A few others too." I'd be sure to thank Stryker one day by ripping out his heart. "They might have made my life harder but they taught me that I couldn't rely on someone else to protect me. They taught me to think and fight for myself. They taught me not to wait for a knight in shining armor. I guess that's the way that I've always been. I don't need someone to fight for me. I can fight for myself," I said.

We sat in silence for a moment. I knew that Bucky wanted a girl that he could treat well and protect. But that wasn't me. It never would be. "I think that if you were allowed out on the battlefield the war would be over tomorrow," he said.

The two of us laughed softly. "That's probably true," I added.

"Vika?" Bucky called to me. I hummed at him and tucked myself into his side. "I never asked you but I've always been curious." I nodded at him to continue. "What did happen to your parents? You never mentioned them. But I know that you had them," he said.

It was the truth. Bucky and Steve had taken me in with little to no word about what had happened to my parents. But we had been kids. They didn't need to know. They just saw a little girl that needed help and took her in. Their parents had asked me what had happened and I'd told them that it was a house fire that had gotten out of control. I'd run and panicked. They had been nice enough to know that I was terrified and didn't want to be in an orphanage. So, once I'd proved myself trustworthy, they had taken me in as their child.

We had known each other for sixteen years. I shouldn't have been shocked that he finally wanted to know what had happened to them. "I didn't have them for very long. They died in a house fire when I was eight. I was just lucky enough to escape. That's when I ran right into you," I said as simply as possible.

My parents weren't a topic that I was particularly fond of thinking about. Even Howard and Chester knew not to push me about them. Bucky suddenly seemed guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," he told me, wrapping at arm around my back.

I glanced up at him and gave a bitter smile. I wasn't upset for the reason that he thought. "No, you didn't upset me. I've never exactly been heartbroken at the loss of my parents. They weren't really parents." He gave me a sad stare. "I don't remember much about them," I insisted. Liar. You remember everything. And suddenly the memories came rushing back to me like a train had just struck me.

The memory stung but I forced myself to stay. There I was on the table, cold and shaking. My parents had just come to wake me up only moments before. I was still tired. All day long they'd been doing blood-work and sending me to the doctors. They had sent me to bed without food. The tests had run so long that Mom had stopped cooking and refused to make something else for me. Now I was here. I was shaking from the absence of clothes. The basement was always freezing and I never dared go down there without a jacket. But here I was, in nothing more than a nightgown. They hadn't even given me anything to cover myself with.

The lights were streaming into my eyes and I cringed. The florescent lights were killing me. And everyone - the doctors - were walking back and forth, practically ignoring me. My parents were standing at a distance and trying to ignore me. They were doing a good job. I continued to cry softly, wanting to brush my tears away. But I couldn't. My arms and legs were strapped down. So was my torso and head.

Turning my head back as far as I could, I glanced back to see them speaking with a doctor. They weren't even bothering to glance over at me. "Mommy? Daddy? What are they doing to me?" I pleaded.

My thin voice echoed off of the walls. Mom's head snapped over at me with a nasty snarl. I couldn't see any similarity to my yellow eyes in her brown ones. "We told you to never call us that in here," she growled.

"I - I - I'm sorry," I muttered. Tears were staining the lace on my nightgown as I desperately tried to scramble from the doctor that was walking towards me. "Please. Let me out of here. It hurts. It hurts," I cried out as the doctor began pressing a scalpel against my arm.

I gave a soft cry as the skin broke and the green liquid began to seep out. The wound quickly closed itself and the doctor wiped away the excess liquid into a test tube. "Be quiet," Mom hisses at me.

Dad glanced over at me and for a brief moment I thought that there might have been a little hint of pity. But he still looked away from me. "It'll be over soon," he whispered to me.

The doctor placed the test tube with one of his workers before coming back over to me and pressing down against my vein. He was treating me more like I was toy. He finally glanced back over to my parents. They were trying to ignore me and focus on the doctor. "Where did you find this specimen?" he asked them.

My heart skipped. He thought that they had gotten me somewhere? They hadn't. I was their child. Their baby. Even though they hadn't told me that, I knew. I could remember. "Specimen. You speak of it like its special," my mother hissed.

Bile rose in my throat. Wasn't I supposed to be special? Wasn't she supposed to love me? "It is special," the doctor said.

It. It. It. They were calling me an it. Was that really what I was? I thought that they loved me. "It's a monster," Mom snapped at him.

No. No, I'm not. I am not a monster. They couldn't call me that. I did what everyone else did. I did everything that my parents told me that normal kids were supposed to do. I did my work, I played on the playground, I played with puzzles, I listened to the radios, and I danced around while laughing. Those were all normal things? So why were they speaking about me like I was some kind of creature?

"Be that as it may, the child is different. She is a creation. A wonder. How does Chronicle keep her alive?" the doctor asked. Chronicle. That must have been what the green substance was. I'd known for a long time that I didn't have blood. "How is it not invading the immune system and shutting it down? We'd like to take her. For a price, of course," he said.

Take me? Was he going to adopt me? "The world can't know about it. I refuse to have reporters and journalists outside of my door every day for the rest of my life because of this abomination," Mm snapped, motioning down to me.

She hadn't even bothered to look at me. "Of course not. We intend to take the cadaver."

The thumping of my heart stilled for a moment. Nothing was happening. The world felt like it was spinning. It felt like everything was slipping away from me. I might have been eight, but I recognized the word. I knew that I was smarter than the average child. And that was half of the reason that I knew the word. Also because I could hear it in their minds. They wanted me to die. They did intend to take me away with them. But they intended to take me away as a corpse. Somehow they intended to kill me before handing me over to the doctor. They were my parents. They couldn't kill me. They were my parents.

There had to be something here that I was missing. "Mommy?" I called out, my voice wavering with tears.

Mom snapped her head over to me with a nasty glare settled over her face. She looked nothing like her normally calm and smiling self. "Do not call me that!" she howled at me before turning over to the doctor. "Do it. Do it now and be quick about it. I don't want to hear it screaming. We can't risk waking the neighbors," she said.

"Not to worry. I'll make it fast." No. No. This couldn't be happening. The doctor turned over to Dad, who had been mostly silent. "Mr. Davies, is this alright with you?" He gave an absent nod. "Mind you, the two of you will be compensated well for the child. I wish to study the remains. Perhaps medicine will be advancing soon enough. A polio cure, maybe," the doctor mumbled.

Polio or not, I did not intend to let them kill me. There was no way that they could. I had a life to live. They couldn't do this. Not for all of the money in the world. "Do what you will. Just rid us of it," Mom said.

The doctor walked over to me and pressed my head back against the headrest. "Relax. It will be over soon," the doctor said.

"G - Get away from me! Get away from me! Mommy! Daddy! Please! Help me!" I screamed.

"Silence it!" Mom barked.

The doctor's arms were over my head and pressing down against my temple. He clearly wanted me to sit still. But I would not let him. He was not going to kill me. He had no right. They had no right to do this to me. He pulled out a syringe and tried to fight away my arms. I was desperately trying to claw my way out of the restraints. One leg had broken free, but everything else was still tied down. The syringe was just inches away from my arm when the real panic set in. It was lethal, whatever it was. Other guards were standing in the back of the room with knives and guns held out to me. They intended to kill me if the doctor failed. My parents would be of no help.

The needle pierced the edge of my skin and I panicked. This was the end of it. They were not going to do this. My arms ripped free of the restraints as I panicked, desperate to get away. My hands flew up in front of my face, knocking the syringe to the ground, and I felt the blast of the heat wave. Flames shot from the palms of my hands and burned the doctor. He fell to the ground screaming in excruciating pain. My heart leaped in my throat and in a sudden wave on fear, I ripped the restraint off of my leg, stomach, and head. Dizzily, I shot upright and jumped off of the table, trying to remember how to get out of the basement.

But fear had taken over me and I was rooted to my place. It was only for a moment. Men were beginning to shoot at me. The pain from the bullets was overwhelming but I couldn't slow down. Something was happening to me. No matter how painful it was, they weren't slowing me down. But it didn't matter. Flames continued to shoot out my hands, burning everything in my path. They hit the back of my parent's vials and test tubes and they blew up. The explosion rocked the house and the lab went up in flames, pieces of the building already collapsing.

I was crying, desperately trying to get away from the burning house. It would come down in a matter of seconds. My feet were dragging me towards my parents. I had to know why they had done this to me. I deserved to know. Maybe they had been acting. Maybe the government had made them do this. We could leave. We could all live together and be happy again. As long as we were away from here. We had to leave. They were still my parents. They loved me. They had to. But they were sitting on the ground, cowering and backing away from me. Mom was holding a gun up to me as I continued to burn everything.

If we wanted to leave, we had to do it now. "Mommy, Daddy!" I pleaded with them.

I wanted to grab them and force them to come with me, but they merely cowered from me, trying to push back even farther from me. But they couldn't. There was nowhere left to run. "Stay back!" my mother shouted.

Dirt and soot was covering the both of them and I could see tears staining her cheeks. Were they scared of the fire? Of course. But it wasn't just the fire. They were scared of me. Mom held up the gun that was in her hands and I screamed, pulling my arms up to shield myself from the bullet. Before she could pull the trigger, the flames shot from my hands and burned the two of them. Flames were burning across their faces as they desperately tried to roll on the ground and put the flames out. I screamed in fear and tried to run after them. Flames were burning the bottom of my nightgown and myself, but they didn't hurt me.

"Mommy! Daddy!" I screamed, wanting to help them.

They could heal from the scars. "Demon!" Dad shouted at me.

He raised the gun that my mother could no longer hold and shot at me. I cried out and ducked out of the way. The bullet missed me as I crashed to the ground. I groaned and pushed myself back up, trying to go after them. I loved them, no matter what they had done. I could still get them out of here. But it didn't matter. A beam from the roof fell and cut me off from my parents. Their screams suddenly stopped and my breath escaped me. It felt like I had been punched with a steel column. They were dead. I'd killed them. They were right. I was a monster.

But I had not gone through all of this just to let myself die. My feet moved on their own accord and shoved myself off of the floor. I ran through the basement and sprinted up the stairs. They were collapsing around me and I nearly fell through the floor as the stairs and wood floors began to give way. All of those people were dying. But had they deserved it? Yes. They were going to do the same thing to me. As I sprinted out of the door to the house, the door flying off of the hinges, I dashed through the yard. There was another explosion and I watched as the windows shattered. My home, gone up in flames, all because of something that I had done.

They'd always told me that I was different. But was I really that different? I hadn't thought so. But as I looked at the house, I saw how different I was. I'd just killed my parents, the doctor, and everyone else inside. All because I'd lit the house on fire. How? My heart skipped as I began to hear the sirens of emergency vehicles responding to the fire. Run. Run! I knew that I had to make a life for myself somewhere else. My parents were right. I was a monster. I was a criminal.

Whoever would come to the house had to think that I was dead. But where would I go. So I sprinted straight towards the center of Brooklyn. It took me nearly an hour of running before I found something acceptable. I could see a pair of dilapidated apartments that were rising in the distance. They would be good enough. I could climb up to one of the top floors, find something to eat, sleep for the night, and move on in the morning. I could stay there, just for one night.

The horrible memory of my childhood was startled by Bucky gently nudging me. It was a terrible memory, but there was an upside. It was the reason that I had met him. "Vika?" Bucky muttered softly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

Clearly he felt bad for mentioning my parents. It had been a long time since I had thought about that night. "I'm sorry for mentioning it. That must not be a fun memory to relive," he said.

"No. It isn't."

"I'm sorry."

It wasn't his fault. He had to know that. "It's not for the reasons that you think," I said.

We both sat in silence for a while after that. It wasn't even a little while. It was a long time. But I enjoyed the silence. Our hands twined together as I rested my head against his shoulder, tucking my knees into my chest. His spare hand went up to gently tug at my hair. The only problem was that I could feel the guilt pouring off of him in waves. I rolled my eyes. He thought that I missed my parents. I didn't. It had taken me a long time, but I'd finally realized that I didn't love them. I never had. I hated them. They were not my parents. They were the real monsters. They had never loved me. It was their only job, and they had failed me.

Finally Bucky spoke again. He had been trying to think of something to say that didn't involve my parents. His thoughts were loud and almost impossible not to hear them. "What are those that you're working on?" he asked.

I glanced down and noticed that he staring at the files that were sitting on the ground. "Files," I answered plainly.

"What kind of files?" he goaded.

It was like a little game. "Recruit files," I answered.

His face fell and he glared at me. The two of us stared at each other and I giggled softly. "Not gonna give me anything more than that?" he asked me. I shook my head with a small smile. "They're your suggestions on where to deploy each of us, aren't they?" My face fell. "I overheard the Drill Sergeants talking about them earlier."

There was no point on lying. "Yes. They are. I've done almost everyone's files. After watching all of you for this long, I know where I want them all to go. I'm only a minor voice in the matter, but my opinion does count. I'll make my final judgements during the foot march back to Camp Lehigh," I said, trying not to say anything about Bucky's file.

I should have known that he would ask about his. "Have you done mine yet?"

"No."

Bucky stared at me for a moment before tapping the bottom of my chin and forcing me to look up into his eyes. "Don't mark me somewhere that you think I'll be safe." My eyes clearly showed that it was exactly what I was thinking of doing. "I know that's what you're thinking about doing. Please, Vika, mark me where you think that I belong. On the front lines," he said, his voice dropping off at the end.

Was he scared? There was an emotion coming off of him, but it wasn't fear. I didn't like that I couldn't pick it out, no matter how hard I tried. "I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be sorry. I signed up for this, Vika," he told me softly.

I waved him off, trying to brush off the weight that had fallen on my chest. He had wanted this since we were kids. So why was it that it seemed like it was the wrong this to do now? "I know. I know. I'll make my decision soon. But not yet," I told him.

Bucky went to reach for the files, probably to see what I had written on his, but I yanked it away from him. He wasn't supposed to see them anyways. "No matter where I end up, I won't blame you," he whispered.

Leaning back, I placed the files onto the grass once more. "I know that. Come here. Please," I said softly.

He didn't need anything more than that. He leaned towards me and pulled the back of my head gently to him. His short nails brushed over the back of my skull and a shiver shot down the length of my spine. I'd miss this. But it wouldn't be the last one. I just had to remember that. It was a sweet and long kiss. It was nothing like the one that we had shared last week. This one was soft. It seemed like we were almost scared. Scared that if the kiss became too hard, we'd shatter the moment and reality would come crashing into us again.

We were both scared for what would happen to the other. I was scared for Bucky leaving, and he was scared for me in general. Probably because he thought that I would manage to get myself into trouble. He was right about that. I loved to get myself into trouble. The one thing that he was wrong about was that I would need someone to get me out of trouble. That wasn't the truth. I could handle myself. I always had. Finally he pulled away from me, giving me one last short peck on the lips.

Staring up at him, I brushed off a fleck of dirt from his hairline. He smiled and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Will you come see me off at the train station before I leave?" he asked me.

I was somewhat surprised. I would have thought that Steve would be the one seeing him off. "Steve isn't going to be there?"

Bucky looked a little pained. Steve wasn't going to be there. The boys were brothers. They didn't want to have to see each other right then. Not with so much emotion in the air. I understood. "We're gonna say goodbye the night before." I nodded at him. "I gotta be there pretty early anyways. Most girls come to say goodbye," he said, giving me a pointed smile.

Turning to him, I gave him a wicked smile. "Am I most girls?" I asked.

Bucky grinned back at me. "Not at all." His thoughts were too loud to ignore. And that's a damn good thing."But I'd like for you to be there," he told me.

He was stupid if he thought that I wasn't going to be there to see him off. I wanted to see him for as long as possible. "I will," I promised. He gave me a bright smile. "You should get to bed. I've got work to do, and you need to get your rest," I told him.

It was obvious that he didn't want to go to bed, but he nodded at me anyways. "Goodnight, Vika."

I leaned into him and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. "Goodnight, Bucky," I whispered.

He leaned over the edge of the log and I stared at him sidelong for a moment. What the hell was he doing? I grabbed the files off of the ground and placed them back in my lap. He grabbed something in his hands before whipping it towards me and clicking a button on it. I jumped backwards as the flash nearly blinded me. It took me a moment to realize what he had done. That was when I figured it out. It was a 35mm Leica camera that he was holding. He'd taken my picture. Chester had one himself. That was the only reason that I knew what it was.

"What the hell did you just do?" I asked him.

He gave me a prideful grin. "Men bring pictures of their girls with them when they get deployed." I nodded at him. I knew that. They wanted to remember that they had something to fight for. A soft blush filled my face when I realized that I was his something to fight for. "I wanted a real picture of you. The only ones that I have were of us as kids."

He went to leave before I grabbed him. "Take another one, at least! That one's going to look terrible," I complained.

"It's you. It could never look terrible." Once more I blushed. "I don't want a picture that's posed. I want to remember you just the way that you always are. Working, and looking damn good while you do it." We both laughed as I fought back the pink tinge to my eyes. "Mom gave me this before she died."

Bucky held out a pretty locket that had been tucked into his shirt. I raised a brow. I had never seen it before. I hadn't even known that she had owned a locket like that. It was reasonably large for a locket. It was square-shaped and golden. It must have been polished recently, the outside was glowing softly in the firelight. There were flowers engraved on the front and a lock on the side. I clicked it open gently, wondering what picture he had on the inside. There were two slots for pictures, but both were empty.

"I've been waiting for something to put into those. I think I found it," he said.

"You only took one," I pointed out.

"Smile," he told me. I rolled my eyes but gave a small smile. The camera flashed and Bucky grinned, hooking it onto his belt. "I'm going to get them developed after graduation. I'll show them to you before I get back," he promised.

Nodding at him happily, I pulled him in for one last kiss. "Go to bed before I decide to keep you here," I said.

He seemed like he might have liked that, but he didn't say anything. He saluted me before tucking the locket back into his shirt and heading back towards the camp. I sat out by the fire for another hour before finally deciding to go to bed. Two other Drill Sergeants had since come out to tell me that I could sleep. I had thought that I might have been able to accomplish something, but I couldn't. My pen had hovered over where I thought that Bucky should be deployed all night. I couldn't bring myself to do it before I'd gone to bed. Every day it was getting harder and harder. So I went to bed and pushed off the problem for another day.

Not that sleep had really been prevalent that night. I had only managed to sleep for about two hours. And most of that had been restless. I'd dreamed about everything that I hated. Bucky never coming back from war, my time with Stryker, and my brief life with my parents. So when the morning came I spent it in my tent. I knew that I didn't look good and I didn't want people to see that. Particularly not Bucky. Chester had given me a long stare, but hadn't asked me about it.

In the early afternoon - once I was sure that I didn't look like a walking corpse - I'd done a brief walk through the camp and observed the recruits. General behavior and attitude went into the files too. They were all trying to be upbeat and positive, telling me that they were alright and ready to get on the Night Infiltration Course. I could tell that they were exhausted. But I appreciated that they were at least trying. I made notes of everyone that was trying to find work around the campsite. It worked. They were impressing the Drill Sergeants, Chester, and myself. And that wasn't something easy to do. So I smiled and moved on.

Purposely I tried to avoid Bucky. But the few times that I walked past him, he gave me a little wink. I rolled my eyes and placed myself in the middle of the camp, working at the files. I was tired but there was work to be done. I continued to mark their files. Tonight would be the Night Infiltration Course and I wouldn't be there for it - something about being out all night would be too tiring on a woman. Whatever. I would get the reports from the Drill Sergeants and work off of those.

The Night Infiltration Course was when the recruits moved out about a mile from the campsite to keep everyone safe that remained. And to let them sleep. There would be live-fire and we all knew how loud that got. The recruits had to go through a low crawl, and they had to move through concertina wire - the circular wire on top of prison fences. Once they got to the low crawl, they would have to go through about a one hundred and fifty meter craw under live ammunition flying over their head.

It was to prove that they would be able to infiltrate some type of Nazi headquarters without a problem. They would be split into two platoons, taking turns making one course of action and then the other. One of the platoon's job was to go around one side and secure the area from potential hostile threats. The other team had to advance through the obstacle without getting caught. They would have to perform each of these movements flawlessly to be able to complete the Night Infiltration Course. Usually everyone managed, but some people were much better than others. And this was where we saw the recruits that would make good potential leaders.

Once they were done, there was a lot of celebration. Other than the last foot march - which wasn't that hard considering they'd already done it once - they were done. The celebration was called the Rights of Passage. It was the one time that the Drill Sergeants would actually show their friendship with the recruits. They take them to an area not far from camp, light a good-sized bonfire, and realize that they are ready for the next stage. That was when they finally realized what all of those late nights and long days of training were far. That was the point when the men were allowed to be called Soldiers.

The sun had gone down about an hour ago and I knew that they were all out doing the Night Infiltration Course. They had probably just finished reading the rules and had gotten it underway. I was sitting in my corner of the tent that Chester and I were sharing. I was perched on my bed scribbling on a sheet of paper. There wasn't much that I could do without the notes from the Drill Sergeants. I'd already marked up the recruit files as much as I could. I was just trying to busy myself until I wanted to go to bed. I sighed as I wrote another line, realizing that by this time tomorrow, the men back at Camp Lehigh would be deciding where to deploy Bucky.

The flap on the tent opened and I glanced up to see Chester. I had thought that he was going with them. "Not going on night training with the recruits?" I asked, looking back down to the paper.

"Hell no, I'm too old for that," he said. I gave a small smile, flicking my pen back and forth in my hands. Chester took a seat next to me on my cot and glanced at what I was writing. "What's that?" he asked.

I groaned under my breath. I should have known that he was going to ask me about what I was writing. It was the same thing that I always did when I had nothing better to do. That wasn't too often, but I had lots of these little lists. I kept them all together, tucked under my bed back at Camp Lehigh. It wasn't anything that anyone else needed to see. But, of course, if anyone was going to see it, it would have been Chester. He was still waiting for an answer to his question as I stared at the list.

Jefferson Lester  
James Mead  
Allan Ralston  
Markham Fenton  
Everett Devlin  
Joshua Leonard  
John White  
Henry Rice  
Edward McMillan  
Frank Wright  
Joseph Doyle  
Albert Len  
Paul Monroe  
Roy Young  
Charlie Warren  
Francis Allister  
Lee Herman  
William Stryker

"A list," I finally answered. The list wasn't complete. It was just the ones that I could think of at the moment.

Chester gave me a bored stare. "Is it really?" he asked sarcastically. I didn't bother saying anything else. It wasn't really a conversation that I wanted to get into. "A list of what?" Chester goaded.

"Names."

"Victoria," Chester snapped.

I pretended to glance over the list. "No, I don't see that name on there."

"Victoria. Who are the names on there?"

Might as well tell him. He's going to continue bothering you until you tell him anyways. So I took a deep breath and spoke. "It's a list of all of the people that I intend to kill before nature does," I said darkly.

If I had thought that Chester was going to try and talk me out of it, I was wrong. He was merely nodding at me. "I see. Would you like to tell me who they are?" he asked after a beat.

No. But I did anyways. Maybe it was because I'd never told anyone who these men were before. Or maybe it was because I finally wanted to tell someone the extent of everything that had happened to me. I wasn't really sure why I started talking, but once I did I found it nearly impossible to stop. I could see that Chester didn't really enjoy hearing me tell him what all of these men did to me, but he listened anyways. He listened for the near hour that I told him the stories and never once interrupted me.

I told him all about how Jefferson used to train me by torturing me, attempting to drown me and shooting me in the forehead or knee when I didn't work to his standard. I even mentioned the purple-skinned mutant that he had killed because I hadn't. I told him all about how James would attempt to distract me while I was flying only to watch me fall to the ground and shatter my bones. I told him about how Allan mostly used his words to hurt me, telling me how worthless and pathetic I was. I told him how Markham never really spoke to me, but he did enjoy using the nanite bombs to encourage me to work better. I told him how Everett would try and break my spine, forcing me to regrow it. I told him about them all, never leaving out the painful details.

The only ones that I didn't mention were William Stryker - who Chester already knew - and Joshua - who I wasn't really sure what to say about. "What about him?" Chester asked, pointing to Joshua's name.

I gave a small shrug. "He actually never really did anything to me. He would come in and teach me how to use my telepathy to the best of my ability. Every day we had this game. He'd pick one of the guards in the room and ask me to tell him about them. A right answer would earn me nothing. A nod, maybe. A wrong answer would earn me a bullet to the eye." I noticed the little twinge that Chester gave when I told him that. He never liked hearing about my years with Stryker.

"One day - the last full day that I spent there - he asked me to tell him about himself. He'd never done that before. So I did. I found out that he had a daughter and a grandson that he loved very much. It just - It made me so angry. How could a man that had a daughter watch a young girl - just like his daughter had once been - be treated the way that I was? He never did anything to me, but that made him no less guilty.

"So I told him that my promise to him was that I would crucify his daughter above his bed and bathe his house in her blood. I told him that I'd rip his grandson's intestines out and leave him to die on the ground. He would come back and see him and know that there was nothing that he could do for him. I told him that I would be there and he would not have my permission to die." My hands began buzzing with the excitement of the mere thought of killing him. I let the flames lick at my fingertips, simply to try and calm some of my frayed nerves. "Because I had to live in my own misery for so long. I wanted him just to feel a fraction of what I felt. I told him that I would do all of those things, and one of these days I intend to do just that.

"You see, you all think that I'm the exact same that you are. You think that I'm nothing to be feared. That I'm a person just like you are. Do you see these?" I asked, angrily ripping out the bag of pills in the front pocket of my pack. It wasn't Chester's fault, but I was furious. "They're pills that Howard gave me to keep me from ripping apart every single person here. They keep me in an almost sedated state. You might think that I'm just a normal woman with a few differences, but I'm not. I am not like you," I snarled.

The flames were floating off of my hands and I put them out, not wanting to light the tent on fire. "You know, people tell you all of the time what you are. It's in their nature. But it's up to you to show them what you really are. So you take a pill to calm you down. Lots of people do that. So you're a little different. Different is a good thing. But Victoria, you are not a monster," Chester said. I snorted. He had no idea. I was. "What you did all of those years, the things that you said; there was nothing that could be done. You did what you were taught to do. But that is not the woman that's sitting in front of me.

"The woman that's sitting in front of me wants to be the first woman to earn a degree in Genetics from Harvard. The woman in front of me has a good sense of humor, a strong moral compass, and a damn strong mind. You have done some bad things, but that doesn't make you a bad person. You're not an emotionless creature. The recruits love you. Peggy loves you. Howard loves you. Abraham loves you. Your boy loves you. And I want you to love him too," he said.

My head had been facing my lap, but it snapped up at his words. He had always hated Bucky, he'd never said anything otherwise. "I thought that you hated him," I muttered.

Chester gave a soft sigh and grabbed my hand. "I do. But you love him, and that's the only thing that matters. Victoria, you're my daughter." I smiled weakly at him. "So, from a loving father to his girl; tear up that list."

He was right. I should. I had a good life. I had a father, two best friends, a great job, a purpose in my life, and a man that meant the world to me. But some part of me couldn't destroy the list. It had always been my purpose to go on during those seven years. The knowledge that one day I would come back to kill them. But I knew what Chester meant, I had to give it up. I had a reason to give it up. Because I was working on moving on. Chester, Abraham, Peggy, Howard, Steve, and Bucky. They were worth it.

But some part of me hesitated. "I - I can't," I stammered.

"Will killing them make you feel better?" Chester asked.

Probably. "Maybe."

I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to convince me that it wasn't worth it. "Will it change what happened to you?" No. "I know that you hate them. You would have every right to end their lives," he said.

And suddenly the anger over everything that had happened to me returned full-force. "I intend to rip William Stryker's heart out," I snapped.

"A man like that doesn't have a heart," Chester told me. I rolled my eyes. One day, I would ensure to find out whether or not he really did. "But you're better than them. They'll be judged when their time comes. In the meantime, live the life that you were always meant to have," he told me.

I did not have a right to be a normal person. My parents had taught me that. "My birthright was to be a science experiment," I snarled.

Chester's eyes were pained. "Maybe. But times change. You're going to be the first woman to earn that Harvard degree. You're going to be the brightest mind of Stark Industries. And you're going to be a big reason that we win the war. You've got a lot of things going for you, kid," he told me, patting me on the back.

Smiling softly at him, I leaned in and gave Chester a hug. He wasn't much for physical affection, but from time to time he would actually give me a hug or something of the like. And those were the times that I needed it the most. "Thank you, old man." I held up the list and gently let the flames lick across the top. I dropped it to the ground and stamped it out, letting out a soft sigh. We sat in silence for a minute before I glanced up at him with a shy smile. "So you know about Bucky?" I asked.

He glanced over at me and rolled his eyes. "I'm old, I'm not blind," he told me. We both laughed as he moved over to his bed and I laid down in mine. "You love him?" Chester asked me.

The question caught me off guard. Did I love him? I wasn't sure. I didn't know what it was like to be in love. "I - I don't know. No?" I asked, more than said. Yes you do.

It seemed that Chester shared my sentiment. "Yes you do," he said.

"You're delirious," I snapped, flicking my hand and whipping out the light. Chester laughed as I shoved myself under the blankets and turned away from him. "Go to bed, old man."

"I'll see you in the morning, Victoria."

Despite the fact that I had snapped at him, insisting that I didn't love Bucky, I liked the thought that I might have been in love with him. It was a nice feeling. It was something that I had never thought that I would feel. As I faced the thin material of the tent, I saw the bonfire go up in the distance. They were still about a mile from camp and I smiled. They were celebrating the Rights of Passage. They must have all managed to finish the Night Infiltration Course. Bucky had finally become a real soldier.

The next morning I woke up and helped break the camp down. The men were helping and grabbing the tents from the Drill Sergeants and myself. I noticed that more than one of the recruits tried to help me pack my things. Bucky was one of them. I turned him down and gave him a gentle shove. He seemed happy. Once the camp was packed up I grabbed the papers from the Drill Sergeants that had been present last night and hopped into the truck, flipping through them. This was my last chance to give my suggestion on deployments.

It was around eight in the morning when the recruits began to repeat the process of the foot march that they had done on the first day. But this time we were heading back to Camp Lehigh. The march today was fifteen kilometers. Just over nine miles. They moved out a little farther before backtracking to the camp. We would get back around an hour before sundown. It was enough time to get them one last dinner as a recruit. After that, it would all be preparations for the graduation ceremony.

I spent most of the day going over the recruit files. I had saved Bucky's for last. As I thought, most of the recruits were being recommended for the front lines. We really didn't have that many recruits that weren't suited for it. Most were being deployed to France and Italy. I saw a few that were deployed to Russia and London. I followed up on their recommendations, only disagreeing with a few of the choices. I also ensured to read the detailed reports on the Night Infiltration Course.

Finally, I managed to find myself at Bucky's file. We were nearing the end of the foot march and I knew that I was getting close to the moment that I would have to choose where I wanted him to go. Immediately I knew that he should be on the front lines. His report for the Night Infiltration Course told me that much. He had a glowing report. It would have been wrong for me to put him anywhere else. I glanced through his other recommendation reports as well and sighed when I saw them. Everyone had recommended him for the front lines.

But it did seem that everyone was torn on where they wanted him to go. The choices were pretty scattered. There were so many places that a soldier on the front lines. Most of his suggestions were somewhere in Europe. Although there were a few that weren't. I saw France, Italy, Russia, Ireland, London, North Africa, and the United Kingdom. Many of those choices meant that there would be a good chance that he could end up somewhere in Germany. Troops were never deployed directly to Germany, it was too heavily dominated by Nazi forces. The troops were usually sent over on missions to Nazi bases from somewhere in Europe.

My hand flitted over the page over and over again, where I had the choice of somewhere to place him. I was thinking about it for well over twenty minutes. Chester was watching me but saying nothing. As we made another stop I glanced out of the truck. Bucky was on the ground giving orders to the others in his platoon. He was treating a man that was feigning an injury. He glanced up at me quickly and sent a playful wink. I sent him a small smile back, trying to ignore the jolt in my chest. My eyes darted back to the paper and I sighed.

My hand went back and forth over the page for at least another hour. Chester glanced over at me more than once. He seemed to want to tell me to get a move on and pick one, but he knew what Bucky meant to me. He wouldn't say anything. So I sat and read over the sheet until I'd had the entire thing memorized. Finally, with shaking hands, I chose England. I stared at the red mark that seemed to be accusing me. But of what? For making Bucky the soldier that he'd always wanted to be, or dooming him to a fate crueler than mine?


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Walking on clouds was an expression that I'd heard a few times before. I'd never known that I would really feel it one day. But here I was, on the second to last day of training, feeling like I was walking on clouds. Finally, there was nothing left to do. We were arranging the finishing touches of the graduation ceremony tomorrow, but there wasn't much left to do. And today was family day. That meant that most people were expected to be socializing. No formal work.

That wasn't really the case for me. As per usual, there was always something to be done. For myself, it was with Operation Rebirth. I'd decided earlier on that I would leave Bucky to spend most of the day with his family. As much as I wanted to spend the day with him, this day was about what he wanted, not what I wanted. So I would be spending the day tucked away with Howard and Peggy. Perhaps Abraham too if we could convince him to come out of his office and work with us for a while. He tended to like working in silence and away from everyone else. But maybe we could talk him into sitting, even if it was just for a little while.

Currently I was still in the bedroom that Peggy and I shared. We were laughing as the two of us tossed things to each other. We had become close enough that we shared things. Most of the time we actually forgot whose things were whose and we ended up using each other's stuff. I watched as Peggy finished curling the last section of my hair. She had been begging for me to let her do it for weeks. Today I'd finally allowed her to. She pushed it over one shoulder and pinned back my long bangs.

The two of us were smiling at each other in the mirror. Normally in the mornings we could hear the recruits yelling back and forth and the Drill Sergeants barking orders. This morning it was all laughter and crying. From happiness though. We could hear the recruits reuniting with their loved ones. After two and a half months they were ready to see their families. Some part of me wondered how Bucky felt. His parents were gone but he did have his siblings. But he had never been overly close to them. If Steve wasn't working, he probably would have been here. He was the closest thing to family that Bucky really had. But what about me?

Was there a chance that I was the family that he really wanted around? He seemed closer to me than he was to his siblings. And we shared a much different bond together than he did with Steve. It didn't matter. Even though we weren't going to be together on family day, we would be together on his graduation tomorrow. I would be up on the stage while Chester called his name. He would finally be given his ranking and orders. Something that diminished the joy that was building in my chest.

Peggy and I had since moved away from the vanity in the corner of the bathroom. She was putting the finishing touches on her outfit - since she was always dressed to perfection - and so was I. As usual, she looked better. She smiled at me and walked over, fixing the little mistakes that were on my outfit. She wanted to present me nicely in front of Bucky today. She had me in a white silk blouse (one of hers), a red knee-length skirt (also hers), and a pair of black Mary-Jane's. The shoes were the only thing that were mine.

Buckling the belt on the shoes tightly, I stood from the chair and headed towards the door. "Smile, Vicky!" I heard Peggy chirp from across the room. I glanced over at her to see that she was holding a camera that was identical to the one that Bucky had taken my picture with.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Making memories. You refuse to take pictures but I know that this is a day that you'll want to remember," she said as she walked up to me. I rolled my eyes at her. I hated pictures. "So come here!"

If I had really wanted to I could have either ordered her to put the camera away or I could have ripped it from her hands. But I knew that she meant well. So I sighed and nodded at her. She wrapped an arm around my waist and I wrapped mine around hers. We kept close to each other as Peggy brought the camera up in front of us. She seemed to know that she had the right angle when she broke into a smile, myself following. The flash was bright and for a moment we were both blinded. But as our vision came back we broke the embrace and Peggy placed the camera back on her side table.

Grinning at the girl, I turned back to her before leaving. "What are you going to do today?" I asked.

"I'll be in the labs today. As it's just a recruit day with their families, I have no reason to be out and about. I assume that you'll be out with Private Barnes's family?" she asked me.

I nodded at her. I had some explaining to do to the Barnes children. "I invited them, so I should probably go tell them how they ended up here," I said.

She laughed and waved me off. "Have fun."

I turned to leave once more before whirling back around towards her. "Mind if I hang around with you for the rest of the day?" I asked.

Her brows rose as she glanced up from the vanity. She had turned to doing her own makeup since I had told her a strict no when she'd asked to do mine. "You're not staying with him all day?" she asked me.

I shook my head at her. "Not all day. I'm going to go say hello and whatnot, but its family day. Bucky doesn't have his parents anymore but he does have his siblings. They don't see each other much so I want to give them time together," I told her.

"That's sweet of you," Peggy said, giving me a small smile.

"I'll be with him all day tomorrow anyways." I turned towards the door and grabbed the handle, yanking it open. I could hear some celebrations out in the hallway. "I'll see you later, Pegs." Before I could leave the room I glanced back at her. "Lunch today?" I asked.

She called back, "I'll be in your office waiting!"

A small smile fell over my face as I walked out of the room and let the door click shut softly behind me. On my way through the halls I said hello to a few of the recruits and their families. I could tell that they were all excited to be giving their families a tour. Some of them were also showing off the skills that they had learned. They would be spending the day doing that. It was to show that they really had made some progress over the last two and a half months. I was more than happy to see that many of the recruits had their girls with them.

Near the stage for the graduation ceremony tomorrow I spotted Bucky and his siblings. They were all laughing and embracing each other. Bucky looked shocked but thrilled to see them. Jessica was standing there with her stomach slightly swollen. She looked to be about four or five months pregnant. It was nice to see that she was having her first child. It was late for a woman. She was twenty-six. Her husband was standing with her, shaking hands with Bucky. Rebecca was laughing, twisting nervously at the ring on her finger. Justin was laughing loudly with his arm around Bucky. He was only nineteen.

The family embraced each other for a minute before taking a step back. "I don't get it, I'm thrilled that you're all here but I didn't invite you," Bucky said softly, so not to offend them.

They all looked confused. "The letters were signed by you," Rebecca said.

Deciding that I should explain, I hesitantly took a step forward. "Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation," I said softly. Their heads turned back to me and for a moment there was confusion, but after a moment, the recognition dawned. Bucky was staring at me with a smile, looking me over. I blushed and looked back towards the family that looked like they had seen a ghost. "Today is family day and I knew that Bucky hadn't invited anyone yet. I didn't want him to be alone today. It's good to see you all again."

No one was able to speak for a long while. Finally, someone did. "Victoria... Victoria, is that you?" Jessica asked.

"It is."

Jessica's face broke into a smile as she hobbled towards me. "Oh my! Look at you, you're gorgeous! Come here!" she cried. She always had been the friendliest with me, outside of Bucky. She embraced me tightly for a few moments before releasing me and holding me by the arms, looking me over. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I work here. I train the recruits for half of my time and I spend the other half of my time in the labs. We're working on a project. I'd tell you all about it, but then I'd have to kill you," I said with a smile. They all broke into happy laughter. If only you knew that I was telling the truth. My hands began to buzz and I pushed it back. I would need another one of Howard's pills soon. "And, honestly, it probably sounds a little boring right now."

Actually it was quite fascinating, but that was just because I liked the science behind it. "How did you get here?" Jessica asked.

I knew what she was talking about. She wanted to know where I had gone. But I was trying to avoid that. "Honestly, Colonel Phillips - my adoptive father - got me the job." Eyebrows rose but no one questioned it. "No one in the Army wants to hire a woman. But he managed. If this project that we're working on goes well I'll be accepting a degree in Genetics from Harvard."

"You always were the smartest person we'd ever met," Rebecca said, moving forward to give me a hug.

Once she had let go of me, Jessica came forward, this time dragging her husband with her. "This is my husband, Jacob," she said. I moved to shake his hand. He looked a little surprised that I had even bothered. Most women just smiled when they met other women's spouses.

"Nice to meet you. And congratulations to you both," I said to the couple. Jessica always had liked kids. It was nice that she would get her own. "Actually, congratulations to you too, Rebecca."

She had gotten engaged recently. She had always wanted to be married. I just hoped that her fiance came back from the war. "Just Becca, Victoria, you know that," she said.

I smiled at her, but it didn't last long. A moment later Justin had come up to me and grabbed me in a tight hug. "Hey, pretty girl, where have you been for all of these years?" he asked.

A lump formed in my throat. I had been hoping so desperately to get away without having to give the lame excuse as to where I had been. "It's a long story, actually. And really, I'm not the person that you're here to see. Take today and talk to each other. Catch up. That's what I wrote the letters for," I said, moving to back away.

"Thank you for doing this, Victoria," Jessica told me.

"You're welcome. You should be very proud of your brother, he's done so well out here," I said, giving Bucky a proud grin.

"We are," Justin said.

The siblings shared a grin and I took a step back, knowing that it was time for me to take my leave. "I'll leave you all be. See you at the graduation ceremony tomorrow, Bucky," I told him.

Every part of me wanted to give him a kiss but I knew that this was the wrong time. We had kept it a secret for so long. We couldn't screw up right now. So I settled for a longing gaze with him. "Thank you for doing this, Vika. You have no idea what it means to me," he said, wrapping an arm around Jessica and Rebecca.

Once more I gave him a small smile. "Trust me, I do. Go be with them. We'll talk tomorrow," I told him.

He nodded at me and the small group watched as I turned back to leave. Very briefly I heard Bucky's thoughts and I couldn't help the red tinge that flooded my face. He certainly wasn't thinking anything that any man should be thinking about a woman he was not married to. Of course, it didn't help that I was thinking something very similar. So I shook my head, forcing the thoughts out, and headed towards the labs.

I walked into the office and spotted that Howard and Peggy were already there. As expected, Abraham was nowhere to be found. It turned out that he had been on the lookout for someone to be a potential candidate for Operation Rebirth. So the three of us sat and ate lunch together. We went back and forth between laughing and working for the day, but we all knew that there was far more laughter than actual work being done. Perhaps it was the knowledge that even though the war was still going on - and that's what we were all doing here in the first place - there was still some room for fun.

Bucky's P.O.V.

He could barely remember the last time that he had really spent the day with his siblings like this. He had left home at eighteen. Rebecca and Jessica had already been gone. Justin had gone to live with their Aunt and Uncle until he had graduated high school. He hadn't really seen them all at once in seven years. He hadn't seen any of his siblings in three years. So he spent the day catching up with each other. But he also made sure to show them around and telling them all about training. It was almost like they'd never left each other's company. He assumed that it was the point of siblings. He could be away from them for extended periods of time, but it didn't matter.

It wasn't just his siblings learning about what he had been up to. He had also learned what had been going on in their lives. Jessica had gone to college after high school to be a teacher. She was now teaching third grade. She always had enjoyed working with young children. However, she was taking some time off to prepare for the baby and motherhood. Their child would be born in about five months. Her husband was currently working as an accountant at a small law firm.

He was proud of his oldest sibling. They'd never been extraordinarily close, but that was the way that it was. Brothers and sisters weren't close. They were too different from each other. But he did love them. Rebecca was currently waiting for her fiancé to come back from the war-front. He'd been deployed for about seven months already. He could tell that she was already worried for her fiancé and now she was worried for her brother too. He almost felt bad for doing this to her. But at least she had something to keep herself occupied. She worked full-time as a nurse at her local hospital.

She always had liked treating her stuffed animals for fake injuries when she was a child. He couldn't be surprised. His only brother was currently a factory worker. He worked not far from the factory that Bucky was trying to get Steve to work at. Justin was weighing back and forth with the curiosity on whether or not he should enlist. Bucky knew that his brother could manage. So he had been spending much of their time together telling him about training and all that it takes to be an Army Soldier.

The sun had set about an hour ago and the family members were getting ready to leave. That included Bucky's siblings. He had been thrilled to see them but he was almost ready for them to leave. It was a little overwhelming. And, honestly, he wanted to be with her. He walked them over towards the fences near the entrance of Camp Lehigh. Most of the family members were leaving, telling their Soldiers that they would be back in the morning. Bucky's siblings would not be there tomorrow, but it was okay. She would be.

They stood outside of Jessica's car - she would be taking the others home - as they said their goodbyes. "So, how long has that thing with Victoria been going on?" Jessica asked Bucky.

His jaw dropped. Were they really that obvious? "What?" Bucky asked stupidly.

"Don't be thick," Rebecca snapped.

It clearly wasn't just the girls that thought that something was going on. Justin came forward and wrapped an arm over Bucky's shoulder, grinning up at his big brother. "Come on, man, she's a bird. She always has been." Yes she is. "And everyone always knew that you had a crush on her," Justin continued.

Bucky sighed. They were right. He'd had a crush on her since the moment that he saw her. She'd always been special to him. It had just taken far too long for them to realize it. "No point in trying to convince you that nothing is going on?" Bucky asked his brother and sisters.

Jacob stood back, smiling at the remaining members of the Barnes family. "None," Jessica, Rebecca, and Justin all said together.

Bucky smiled at them and laughed. "About a month." Rebecca and Jessica were smiling widely. "She was gone for so long, without a word." There were pained looks. Victoria's absence had been painful for everyone. She had been a part of the family and they had all thought that she was dead when she vanished without a word. "And then I got here and she was right there. The Sergeant of my unit, if you could believe it. And we just... we clicked. We always have."

They all nodded at him. Jessica, always the mother since their own had passed on, took a step forward. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Take it, Bucky. It's nice. People don't get enough of that these days."

"When do you deploy?" Justin asked.

"Day after tomorrow."

Bucky wasn't sure where he was going or who he would be with, but they deployed first thing after graduation. They had all already been informed to say their goodbyes today or tomorrow. They didn't have much time left. "Tell her that you love her before you go," Rebecca said.

Bucky's jaw dropped. "I -"

He didn't get very far. "We're your siblings, Bucky," Jessica interrupted. "We know you better than you might think. You've loved her since the day that you laid eyes on her. So tell her. Before you leave," she added as a last minute thought.

They were right. Just in case something happened, he would tell her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if she never knew what she really meant to him. "Get outta here, it's a long drive back," he said.

They all laughed. Jessica was the first to come forward and give him a hug. "Bye, Bucky, be safe out there," she said.

"Write to us when you get the chance. Let us know what's going on. We'll be here when you get back," Rebecca added.

"Stay strong out there, bud," Justin said. He gave Jacob a firm handshake.

Bucky stood as they all got into the car and gave them a wave. "Bye, guys," he called.

The car was thrown into gear by Jacob and Bucky stood and waved to them until they had gone over the hill. Once they had, he turned and headed back to the barracks. Saying goodbye to them had been hard. They loved him. He loved them. But he knew that it wasn't anything compared to how hard it would be to say goodbye to Steve and Vika in two days. But he still had a few things to look forward to. Like the fact that in twelve hours he would finally be graduated. He'd have his orders, his rank, and his girl.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The sun had long since set but I couldn't say that I had managed to get much done. I'd spent most of my day with Howard and Peggy. It wasn't often that the three of us got to spend the day together without having something to do. In all honesty, we probably should have been doing work. But with the happy atmosphere of the camp, it was hard to try and be professional. So even though we had sat together with our work out in front of us, we'd gotten almost nothing done.

But that was almost. We had managed to get a few things done after work. Mostly because Abraham had asked us to come and help him out with a few things. Today we had tested the Vita-Ray Chamber again. We would start with only one soldier to ensure that the process worked. Once we could work out the bugs in the operation we would use it again. The chamber still worked, but we had a feeling that it would eventually have to be replaced. There were already char marks on the inside of the chamber.

We weren't ready to put humans or animals into the chamber yet, but we had moved on to animal testing. We'd been doing it for the past two weeks, but we'd finally managed to get somewhere. We had used the serum - injection - on a small rat. It had actually worked. Our group had laughed and nearly cried. It was a major step in the right direction. The metabolism in the rat increased and after doing a few tests on the rat we saw that it was faster and smarter than it once had been. The rat was being monitored closely for side effects. So far there were none.

But that was the most work that we'd actually managed to do. After that success, Abraham had told everyone to take the day to themselves. He knew that everyone that wasn't strictly one of the workers for the Strategic Science Reserve was busy taking care of the graduation ceremony. So we'd all gone - Howard headed into the city to prepare for his demonstration tomorrow - and Peggy and I had taken care of the set-up for the graduation and learning the program. Unfortunately I was doing the speech. I had Chester to thank for that.

Of course I couldn't really complain. I wouldn't even have the job if it weren't for him. So Peggy snoozed as I tried to figure out what I wanted to say tomorrow. She had gone to bed nearly an hour ago. I couldn't sleep. After we'd gone to dinner - after the success of the rat test - we had come back to the room. We'd spent hours together laughing and gossiping. I'd told her all about Bucky's siblings and the way that they had all been when we were kids. Peggy had seemed happy to hear about my childhood.

But eventually it had gotten late and Peggy had fallen asleep, leaving me to my thoughts. Not exactly somewhere that I wanted to be. So I sighed and laid down on the pillows. I was trying to think about something irrelevant or even about Operation Rebirth. But I couldn't. I kept coming back to the graduation. In some ways I was excited but in other ways I was petrified. I would lose my ability to protect Bucky. He would be out there on his own. I just had to trust that I had trained him properly. As I laid down in bed and closed my eyes, I drifted off into a fitful sleep, dreaming of standing with Steve at Bucky's funeral.

The next morning I woke at the insistence of Peggy that we were running late. Springing from the bed - knowing that both Chester and Bucky would kill me if I were late to the graduation - I began to quickly get ready. I wore a white long-sleeved shirt that flowed slightly with a blue blazer over the top of it. A pair of beige dress pants went underneath and I slid my black Mary-Jane's onto my feet, praying that I wouldn't fall today. Thankfully the curls that Peggy placed in my hair were still there as I pinned it over one shoulder and dragged her out of the room while she was still tightening the strap of her left shoe.

She hopped in place as she walked before straightening up and grasping my hand tightly. "It's going to be alright," Peggy muttered to me, running her fingers through the tangles in her hair.

"I know. Sometimes it didn't feel like we'd ever get to this day," I mumbled.

Peggy smiled. "But we're here."

The two of us walked into the yard where I saw that the ceremony was already set. There were rows upon rows of bleachers for all of the family and friends to be sitting in. It looked like everyone was already seated. The men were currently nowhere to be found. They would walk in before the National Anthem. Chester was standing with the other higher-ups on the stage. The microphone was in the center of the stage and I gulped, knowing that I would have to be the first person to speak into it.

The bell began to toll that it was nine in the morning. Time for the beginning of the ceremony. "Looks like they're almost done and ready for the ceremony. Shall we?" Peggy asked me.

"We shall."

The two of us walked up the aisle together, heading towards the stage. Peggy leaned over to me when we were halfway up the aisle, keeping her voice low. "Where's Howard?" she asked.

"He's in the city getting ready for the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition. He's the main event this year," I whispered back.

We stood at the stage a moment later and climbed together. Peggy took her spot next to Chester. They would be the first two that the new Soldiers would salute. Some of the other Drill Sergeants, two other Sergeants, and a General were standing up on the stage as well. General Holst was the man that would be handing out the orders. I could see the diplomas and orders in his hands, leaning them on the podium. A lump formed in my throat as I walked over to the microphone. One of those had Bucky's name on them.

A call from the back of the auditorium sounded and I watched as the recruits began to file in. They all looked extremely proud. Nervous, but proud. They stood to the side of the auditorium and I glanced over to look at them, very briefly taking in their stances. There wasn't a thing wrong with them. If anyone had had any doubts about them being ready to be deployed, they would be eating their words right about now. They looked every bit the part of an Army Soldier.

The recruits didn't dare look away from the American Flag as I spoke. "Please rise for the National Anthem," I said.

My voice echoed across the field as men and women stood. Some children in the audience were pulled up by their mothers. As the Anthem began to play, I glanced at them, trying to picture myself like that. But I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't imagine being like that. A wife and a mother. Having a child to play with and entertain every day and a husband to take care of. No matter how appealing that life might ever be - it was not very appealing right now - I would never have it.

Hand placed over my heart and a content smile on my face, I looked back towards the flag, gently singing the words to the Anthem. For a brief second I broke eye contact with the flag - knowing that no one was watching me - and glanced over at the recruits. Bucky was standing in the middle of the pack with perfect posture and his hand over his heart. He was looking directly at the flag, completely oblivious to the fact that I was watching him, and softly miming the words. His pride was dripping off of him in waves.

The Anthem finally ended and the audience took their seats. I waited a moment before speaking. "Thank you," I said, waiting for the crowd to go absolutely silent. "Here we are. It's been a long time coming. For all of us. Those of who have been here, watching the recruits go through each phase of their training. Watching them grow into the soldiers that we know they can be. It's been a long time coming for all of you, the loved ones that sit here, waiting for them to graduate and for this day to come.

"But it hasn't been longer for anyone other than the men standing right there," I said, motioning to the men. "The Army's newest Soldiers. We are proud of each and every one of you. You've proven to us that you have what it takes to be an Army Soldier. There's more to being a Soldier than just being able to fire a gun or learn to fight. It's about camaraderie. Learning to live with and for your other men. You have all managed to show us that you are the prime examples of what a United States citizen is. You should all be very proud. I know that I am.

"Much of these ten weeks is about learning the United States Army Soldier's Creed and the Army Values that the Soldiers will fit into their everyday lives once deployed. You had all damn well better know them." There was scattered laughter around the audience. Most of the Soldiers laughed. "Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. These principles define who Soldiers are and who they aspire to become, as individuals and as part of a team. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch you all learn what these Army Values mean and how they have affected you in this new stage of your lives.

"Remember them when you're deployed. Remember them in times of weakness and strength. My father always says the same thing to all of the new recruits," I said, giving Chester a pointed smile. "I've always felt that it's a good thing to say to them. Something of an encouragement. But I think that it's a good chance to say it now too. General Patton has said, 'Wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men.' We are going to win this war, because we have the best men. Our goal is to create the best army in history. You will all be a part of that Army. And, in the wise words of my father, they will personally escort Adolph Hitler through the gates of hell."

There was more scattered laughter from the crowd. But this time it was a little louder. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. War is like learning how to walk. You simply put one foot in front of the other until one day you look down to find yourself running. Make us proud out there. Win the war. Come back home," I said. Bucky that means you. My comment earned a loud round of applause from everyone. "Now, for the moment that we've all been waiting for. Colonel Phillips, if you will," I said.

Taking my place near the edge of the stage, I watched in silence as the new companies and battalions were called. I greeted each of the new Soldiers and gave them my well-wishes. I knew that I would be waiting a while for Bucky's name to be called. Chester had been kind enough to tell me that he was assigned to the 107th. I saluted a man that had not been in my division and saw Peggy do the same. She gave me an encouraging smile when I turned to her briefly.

Ten minutes after my speech, I heard the call that nearly made my heart stop. "To the 107th..." Chester said, trailing off as he searched for the names.

Taking in a deep breath, I steeled myself up on the stage. Two unfamiliar names were called first. They would be heading to the exact same place Bucky would be. I saluted them and gave them a quick once-over. These two men were good and strong. They were large and appeared to be in their prime physical state. It made me sick to my stomach, and also very glad that I hadn't eaten anything today. I knew that these men would all be placed on the front lines.

Finally his name was called. "James Buchanan Barnes. Sergeant."

I glanced over towards the other staircase - one of the only times that I had dared look away from the men that came to stand in front of me. He grabbed his orders, giving a salute to each man that he passed, Peggy too. I noticed Chester give him a little glare. He eventually came to stand in front of me. He was in a light beige suit. His uniform. It was perfectly tailored to him. His hat was tight on his head and tilted ever so slightly off to the side. His jacket was buttoned up with the brown belt cinching it. A deep green button-down shirt with a beige tie was underneath. His pants hung on his frame and his black dress shoes just barely poked out.

He looked quite the handsome devil. He saluted the General Holst handed Bucky his orders - the pair saluting each other - before he moved on to me. We both gave each other a formal salute. "Congratulations James," I said.

It was protocol to call the new Soldiers by their names, not rank. Bucky laughed and twisted his orders nervously. "Sergeant. Look at that. I'm on the same level as you now," he teased.

My grin twisted slightly. "Don't get too big of a head."

"I've got you to keep me grounded."

He leaned into me and my heart skipped a beat as he pressed a small kiss to the corner of my mouth, holding a hand right above my waist. He was smart not to make a big deal about it. We could both still get in trouble for acting out while in uniform. There was a loud round of applause from the audience, mostly from the other recruits. They had been right all along. There was something here. I could see Chester gritting his teeth in the background. Peggy was one of the loudest cheers. Bucky gently let his arm drop from my waist and I saluted him once more as he moved off of the stage, allowing the ceremony to continue.

Knowing that my stance had slipped slightly, I tried to push myself back into proper position. But I couldn't help my shaking knees. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Bucky shooting me smiles from time to time. I tried to ignore the pointed looks from everyone else that had been in my unit as they walked across the stage. The entire ceremony ran about another fifteen minutes with nothing else exciting happening. Merely polite applause and bright smiles.

Finally the last man was given his orders. The Soldiers stood together as one of the Drill Sergeants made their way in front of them. "Salute! About face!" he cried.

The men turned towards the flag and I stepped in front of the microphone again. "Please rise for the National Anthem once more," I called.

The National Anthem began to play again as the audience rose to their feet. It went by quickly before everyone stood and left the arena. I noticed the Soldiers give each other a warm goodbye before moving to find their loved ones. I walked over to Chester first - ignoring his pointed glare - and told him that I would be back to camp soon. He already knew my plans. Although he did tell me to keep Bucky's 'crumb pickers' off of me. I smiled and moved over to Peggy. We embraced each other and I told her that I would be back soon enough. She told me to enjoy myself, tell Bucky a goodbye from her, and tell Howard hello when I went up on stage with him later.

She also told me to give Bucky the best goodbye I could think of, but I didn't stick around to hear her suggestions. She laughed me off as I walked over to Bucky. He was standing and waiting for me, arms crossed behind his back. He had a bright smile on his face as he watched me walk and I blushed. If only he knew that I can hear his thoughts. He wouldn't even be able to look at me.

Of course, I was thinking something very similar to what he was. I pushed down the urge to drag him behind a bush and have my way. I definitely need another one of those pills soon. "Soldier," I greeted, walking up to him.

Bucky laughed and closed the distance between us. "Come here," he told me. I laughed as his arms wrapped around my waist and he lifted me up slightly, pressing a sweet kiss against my lips. We broke far sooner than I would have liked at the sound of the other Soldiers howling in the background at us.

"We knew it!" Jeremy said, wrapping an arm around Bucky. He laughed as his friends grabbed onto him.

"Sorry about your bet, boys," I said.

Their faces went from their deep tans - after so much time spent in the sun - to stark white. They clearly hadn't thought that I knew about it. "You knew about that?" Collin asked me.

I nodded at them. "Of course I did. I know about everything that goes around out here," I said. They all laughed and I moved forward to say goodbye, giving them all hugs. Once I had said my goodbyes I took a step back towards Bucky. "Good luck out there gentlemen. Make me proud," I said. They all hooted back at me and headed towards their loved ones. Once they were gone I glanced back at Bucky. "Shall we move along?" I asked him.

He nodded at me. "Absolutely. Come on," he told me, dragging me along.

We walked out towards the parking lot weaving back and forth between the other families that were taking their men with them for one last night before having to say goodbye in the morning. Bucky had an arm around my hip as we walked into the main parking area. There were about twenty cars lined up. Bucky moved us in front of one of the ones in the middle. It was an Oldsmobile Series 60 that looked to be in good shape. It was in a pretty dark blue and I smiled. I didn't even know that he had a car.

"You have a car?" I asked.

He shook his head at me. "Rented from the Army. It goes back in the morning. It's just enough to get us back and forth for the day," he said. I nodded at him and allowed him to open my door. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, hopping into the driver's side.

I nodded at him. "Yeah. Let's go," I said, sinking back into the seat. It wasn't one of Howard's luxury cars but I much preferred this. Bucky pushed the keys into the ignition but just before he could drive off, I placed my hand over his. "Hang on. Have you looked at the orders yet?" I asked slowly.

I hadn't seen him looking at them. Bucky's face fell slightly as he shook his head. "I was gonna look at them later," he muttered.

My heart skipped a beat as I shook my head at him. "Look at them now. Please," I begged.

He stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright." He grabbed the letter out of his jacket and slid his thumb underneath. His eyes scanned over the paper once or twice before he folded it back up. I couldn't read his face, whether or not he was concerned. I forced myself not to read his mind. "Shipping out to England at six in the morning tomorrow," he finally said.

They sent him exactly where I recommended. If something happened to him... It was on me. "Okay," I said, unable to say anything else.

We set off down the road and sat in silence for a while. As we turned onto the main road, Bucky seemed to find his voice again. "Is that where you recommended me?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, not finding a point in lying.

Bucky nodded at me and placed his hand over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. I wanted to squeeze his hand back but I wasn't quite sure that I trusted myself not to break it. "It's okay, Vika, it's okay," he muttered.

He would be fine. I trained him. He'd be fine. "I know. Bucky, you had better be safe out there. Because if you do die out there, I'm going to bring you back and kill you myself," I said. He laughed but I was completely serious. If he died, I'd shock his heart and bring him back just to kill him myself. "Do you think Steve will be happy to see me?" I asked suddenly.

Bucky's head spot over to me and he nodded. "I hope he's gone to the bathroom recently," he joked. The two of us both laughed. "He's gonna be thrilled to see you, Vika. Maybe not as happy as I was, but still happy," he added.

"Do you know where he'll be?" I asked.

I wasn't sure if we were going back to their apartment to grab him or if we were meeting in the middle somewhere. "Probably at the movies. I wrote him a letter and he said that he'd be somewhere around the city center. You know how he likes to go see the little movies that they play from time to time," he said.

"Not really," I muttered.

And it was the complete truth. I didn't know what Bucky or Steve really liked anymore. It had been so long since I'd seen them just enjoying themselves. When we had been at Camp Lehigh, Bucky hadn't told me what he really liked to do outside of training. When we were kids he liked to play football and baseball. He'd try and teach Steve all of the moves that he knew. He'd teach me too and I'd pretend to be a weak thrower. Steve would play puzzles with me sometimes and the three of us would destroy the kitchen when we attempted to make something.

I knew them as kids. Not as adults. Shaking off the depressed thoughts, I glanced over at Bucky. "Hey, promise me something?" He hummed at me. "Don't go out there and find some new English girl to dance with."

He gave me a quick glance and smiled. "Never. You're the only one that I'll ever want," he said. I smiled at him and grabbed his hand, letting it linger on my knees as I pulled them up to my chest and leaned back.

The two of us chatted back and forth happily as we drove into the city. Bucky told me all sorts of things as we drove. He told me about his time in high school and that he had graduated with honors. He had said that he knew somewhere out there I would have been proud of him so he'd focused on school and managed to get good grades. He'd wanted to go into the Army immediately after school but he had stayed to protect Steve for a while longer. He also told me about family day yesterday and what they had done.

He had made it very obvious that he was thrilled that I had invited his family. I knew that he wasn't close to them, but I wanted to give them a chance to see each other. A few hours passed before we pulled into the City Center and parked. Bucky and I climbed out of the car and headed towards the movie theater. It had gotten bigger since I'd been here. Of course, I'd only been twice before. Steve, Bucky, and I had gone to see both King Kong and Frankenstein here.

We walked into the lobby to check for Steve but he was nowhere to be found. I'd even managed to distract the ticket master long enough for Bucky to slip inside the theater to check for him. Bucky had gone through all of the seats before coming back out and telling me that Steve was nowhere to be found. We'd checked through the parking lot - empty - the front of the theater - empty - and the shopping plaza - empty - before stopping. He was nowhere to be found.

We were about to head to their apartment to see if Steve was there when I saw it. We were passing the back alleyway on the way back to the car when I spotted a fight going on. I could see past the larger man but I could tell that it was a fight. And the poor thing that was standing near the trash cans was losing the fight. I grabbed onto Bucky's arm to stop him.

There was no way that either one of us would let this happen. "Hey, what's going on over there?" I asked Bucky.

He glanced over and I heard the sigh escape his throat. "Not again," he groaned.

That was when I realized that Bucky knew the boy that was being beaten to a pulp. And that was when I realized that I knew him too. He barely looked different. "Is that Steve?" I asked.

"Stay here," Bucky warned me.

Even though I could have ended the fight immediately, I decided to patronize Bucky and stand back. He wanted to be the brave man and I'd let him. After all, he was the man. I supposed that he was supposed to protect me. And it might make my reappearance for Steve a little less shocking if he saw Bucky first. Steve had clearly just been hit as he laid on the ground. The bully was standing back, watching my smaller friend. Steve pushed himself back to his feet, his hands up in front of his face. He was staggering around, probably seeing stars.

The bully very clearly couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?" he asked.

"I can do this all day," Steve said, barely able to breath.

Despite the situation I smiled at him. Same old Steve. Although I really didn't want to see him get hit again. He reared back his fist to punch the bully but the larger man was expecting it. He caught Steve's fist with his forearm and used his free right hand to deck Steve across the face. Steve fell backwards and knocked into the trash cans hard. The bully went to advance on Steve once more.

But before he could, Bucky stepped in. He grabbed the bully by the arm and shoved him backwards. "Hey, pick on someone your own size," he growled. The bully attempted to hit Bucky, who dodged out of the way and punched the bully in the face. He stumbled backwards and I watched as Bucky raised his leg and literally kicked him in the ass. The bully stumbled back towards me.

He spotted me quickly and straightened up. "Coming to your boyfriends rescue?" he asked me.

He was breathing heavily as he took a few steps towards me. In the background I could see both Steve and Bucky stiffen. Bucky made to walk over to us and so did Steve - who hadn't realized who I was yet. I smirked. He'd have been dead thirty seconds ago if I really wanted it. I stared at him for a moment looking for weaknesses. Past injury to right arm. Fractured ulna. Approximately ten years old. Regrown improperly; mal-union. Two centimeter difference. Weak. Susceptible to new breaks. The bully reached out and grabbed for my arm. Before he could touch me I wrapped my arm around his old break and wrenched it behind his back, feeling the bones stretch.

He was trying desperately not to scream. "Lay a hand on me and I'll rip yours off. Find something better to do," I snarled. Giving his arm a rough squeeze, the bone snapped and I shoved him backwards.

With wide eyes - and stumbling movements - he ran away from me, cradling his arm gently. "Freak!" he snapped back at me.

At least I'm not the one with the broken arm. I scoffed and brushed myself off. "Yeah, like that's the worst thing that anyone's called me," I said to myself before turning to face the boys. Bucky was grinning at me and Steve's jaw was hanging limply. "Still getting in fights that you can't win, I see," I told him softly, wearing a small smirk.

I had been terrified to see Bucky because of my feelings for him. My heart soared when I saw Steve. Here we were, all three of us back together after so long. "Victoria. Vic?" Steve breathed out.

He probably couldn't believe that I was really here. "Last time I checked," I joked.

His face turned upwards as he smiled at me. "Vic!" he called out.

Bucky stood back and watched with a smile as Steve ran up to me. He grabbed me in a tight hug and I smiled, wrapping my arms around him. I wanted to tighten them but I was afraid of hurting him. I could feel every bone in him. He was so small and frail. It almost made me nervous. We stood together for a few moments before he backed away from me. He brushed a few stray hairs off of my face and smiled down at me. Down? He was taller than me now. Just by half of an inch, but still. It made me laugh. I was always taller than him. I could see the tears in his eyes as he grabbed my hand, looking me over.

Unlike Bucky, Steve had barely changed. His blue eyes were still glittering with a hidden smile and he was still a scrawny little thing. "My God. You're here. You're really here," he whispered.

"You're taller than me now," I said, unsure of what else to say.

He grinned at me and nodded. "Still not smarter I'd be willing to bet," he joked.

"You'd win that bet," I quipped back. We both smiled at each other.

Finally the question that I'd been waiting for came. "What happened? Where have you been?" Bile rose in my throat. I wasn't ready to tell them. Not yet. Not when this was supposed to be a happy day. "And how did you two find each other again?" he asked, motioning between myself and Bucky.

"It's - It's not really important where I went," I stuttered. I could tell that even Bucky had been hoping that I would answer the question. One day I would. But not today. "Just know that I went because I didn't really have a choice. I would have told you both where I went, but I couldn't. I've regretted leaving every day since. Just so you know. When Bucky said that you'd be here I knew that I had to come. I've missed you. The two of us have so much to catch up on," I said, running my hand over his arm.

Steve looked a little thrown. "Just the two of us?" he asked.

His head was turned towards Bucky. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. My adoptive father is Colonel Chester Phillips. He's in the Army. He placed me as a Sergeant in the Army with him last training season. It just so happens that Bucky was in my unit. We've been getting to know each other again for the last two and a half months," I said.

Steve smiled at me. "Wow. So you work for the Army now?" he asked. I nodded at him. "Doing what?"

My eyebrows rose. No one ever asked what I did. Usually there was only one of two choices. I either worked as a nurse or I worked in the offices. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I can't imagine that you're a nurse and something tells me that you wouldn't dare be caught doing something like paperwork as a clerical worker," he told me.

A grin passed over my face. He knew me well. "See?" Bucky asked, throwing an arm over my shoulder and Steve's bringing us into him. "It's almost like eight years never passed," he said.

Shoving him off of me gently, I turned back towards Steve. "You're right. I work with the recruits. I train them and oversee a science division on the Army training grounds. The Strategic Science Reserve. That's the subdivision that I work for. If the project that we're working on goes well I'll be receiving an honorary degree in Genetics from Harvard. And today I'll be announcing my new position as Corporate Operations Officer at Stark Industries," I said.

Now that I said it all out loud I realized that I sounded extremely busy and impressive. "That's all incredible," Steve said. I smiled at him and nodded. "Have you learned to cook yet?" he asked seriously.

My face fell as we all stood in silence for a moment. Eventually the three of us broke into a loud bought of laughter. I walked towards Steve and wrapped him in a hug. "Of course not," I said.

The three of us chuckled for a moment before sobering. "How did you meet Howard Stark?" Steve asked me.

Bucky rolled his eyes and I grinned. "He works with us at Camp Lehigh. We got to know each other and he decided that he wanted another worker there with him. So he offered me the position. Once our project is done, I'll be joining his team," I said.

"Sounds like everything that you ever wanted is working out."

"In their own ways," I said, giving Bucky a sad stare for a moment. Steve caught the passing moment but said nothing. I was grateful for it. "I just wish that I would have never left you boys. You always were my family," I said softly.

Steve moved forward and grabbed my hand, placing me in between himself and Bucky. "Always are, Vic. We're always gonna be here for you. And when you're ready to talk and tell us about whatever happened to you all of those years ago, we'll be here to listen," he told me.

My eyes watered for a moment and I pushed it back. This was a happy moment. "I've sworn to you both that I will tell you the truth about what happened. And I will. But not today. This is a happy occasion. We're here to celebrate Bucky's Army graduation," I said, giving him a gentle shove, trying to boost my spirits. "So that's enough about me. We've got forever to talk about me and catch up. What about you?" I asked, trying to turn the conversation. "What were you doing out here with him?"

Steve ran a hand through his blonde hair. "He was talking during an advertisement about the troops and joining the military. He kept telling everyone to get on with it and play the cartoon. It's disrespectful," he told us.

Moving forward, I brushed back Steve's hair and checked him for the quickly forming bruise on his cheek. I sighed at him. "You're too nice for your own good," I said.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched," Bucky told him.

"I had him on the ropes," Steve argued.

I smiled at him and wiped off some dirt from his chin. "We could see that by the way that you were making friends with that trash can," I teased. Steve shoved me as I glanced down at his pocket. He had a packet that looked very similar to an Army application hanging out. "And what's this?" I asked. He was trying to tuck the piece of paper back into his pocket.

Smacking his hand away I grabbed it and wrenched it away from him, stepping back two paces out of his reach. "Haven't slowed down at all," Steve panted as he gave up trying to get the paper back.

"Never," I grinned at him before handing the paper over to Bucky. "Here."

He opened it and the first thing that I saw was the red 4F. He sighed as he read it over. "How many times is this?" How many times had he done this? "Oh, you're from Paramus now. You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment form," Bucky told Steve as seriously as I'd ever heard him. "Seriously, Jersey?" he asked, his tone getting a little lighter.

Steve merely stared at Bucky. He seemed to finally be really seeing what he was wearing. "You get your orders?" he asked Bucky.

A lump formed in my throat as Bucky nodded proudly. "Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping out for England first thing tomorrow. That's why Vika is here. We're celebrating together," he said.

Steve and I exchanged a sad stare. "I should be going," he said.

No way. Bucky smiled before wrapping an arm around his shoulder and dragging him along. He motioned for me to follow them and I picked up my pace a little. "Come on, man. My last night. Gotta get you cleaned off," Bucky said.

"Why, where we going?" Steve asked as Bucky took Steve's enlistment form and tossed it to the ground.

Bucky smiled off in the distance. "The future," he said. He handed Steve the newspaper that was advertising the fair. Steve read over the paper blindly following Bucky and I towards the area.

"Also you get to see me speak with Howard Stark for the first time," I said once he had finished reading.

Steve glanced up at me and smiled. "You'll do great."

"I'm going to vomit all over the audience. I'm not exactly fond of giving speeches," I said weakly.

There would be so many people there. And they were all going to want to see Howard. No one had signed up to see me speaking. Maybe I'd make the speech fast. "You gave speeches in front of the recruits every day," Bucky told me.

Glancing over at him, I gave a smile. "That's different. I could beat you guys up if you irritated me," I teased.

He laughed and so did Steve, coming to stand at my side. "Same old Vic," he said. I smiled and tucked my hands into my pocket. "I really should be going out there. Come on, Bucky. You're deploying. Even Vic is working with the Army on something. So why not me?" he asked.

My eyes narrowed at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

He knew almost immediately that he had screwed up. He blushed and shook his head at me. "Nothing. Sorry," he said before looking back at Bucky. "But I should be out there. You know that I could help," he said.

Before Bucky could say anything, I spoke. "I love you to death, Steve, but you'd be flattened out there. We say this because we love you. There are people that aren't cut out to be out there. You've got the soul of a soldier," I said, pressing my hand over his heart. There wasn't the slightest bit of muscle there. "Use it back here. Show everyone that there's a reason to be cheering back home. Help keep spirits high. Things get a little dark back home sometimes," I said, meaning all civilian areas.

It looked like Steve appreciated my comment but I could tell that he still wanted to be out there. "I could be making a real difference out there," Steve said softly.

"You will,' I insisted. And I genuinely meant it. "One way or another, you will. I believe that. If a little girl can get out there and make a different, so can a little pain in the ass shrimp like you," I said, giving him a nudge in the ribs.

Steve laughed at me, rubbing his ribs in pain. Oops. "You must've been a good motivational speaker back at Camp Lehigh," he said once he had recovered.

Bucky stepped in to my defense. "Oh she was," he said, poking at me. I rolled my eyes at him. "Come on, man. I don't see what the problem is. You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there's three and a half million women here," Bucky told Steve as we headed towards the entrance of the fair.

"Yeah, I'd settle for just one," Steve said, glancing down at the ground as we descended the small staircase.

Suddenly a thought popped into my head. Payback for all of the times that Peggy had embarrassed me. "How do you like Brits?" I asked Steve, whose head shot up towards me.

"What?" Steve and Bucky both asked me at the same time.

I waved them off with a smile. "Nothing. Never mind," I said.

Steve looked back towards the ground but Bucky moved over to me with a little glare. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it," he said. I gave him a wicked grin, shaking my head. He'd be gone, I could do whatever I wanted with him away. He looked back over at Steve. "And about the girls, good thing I took care of that," he said.

Raising my brow, I realized that he was waving at someone. A brunette girl that was standing under an archway perked up and stood on her toes, waving back at him. "Hey, Bucky!" she chirped playfully.

And she wasn't alone. She was with a blonde girl. "Who are they?" I asked Bucky, glaring at him.

"The brunette is Connie. The blonde is Bonnie. I knew that Steve would be here so I called her. We worked in the same factory for a while. She worked in records and I was on the line. Got Connie on the phone asking if she would come out on a double-date for Steve. She wouldn't come without her friend so I told her to bring her friend too. Two of them to pick from," he said stupidly.

I rolled my eyes at him. Why was it that boys were so clueless? Steve looked terrified at the sight of the two girls. "You do realize that she's only here because she likes you," I told Bucky.

His head shot over to me and he shook his head. "No she's not."

"Yes she is."

A flash of color flooded his face for a moment before fading out. He coughed awkwardly and threw an arm over my shoulder. Steve was trailing behind us. We had agreed that I would tell him about us after Bucky left. Just so we didn't make tonight feel awkward. "Doesn't matter. There's only one girl here I have eyes for," Bucky told me.

"Charmer," I dryly commented. I grabbed his chin playfully and squeezed his face. He laughed at me as the two of us slowed down to stand next to Steve. He was staring at the ground with his hands tucked deeply into his pockets. This time it was me that threw my arms over his shoulder. He glanced up at me. "Buck up, buddy. I bet she has a great personality," I laughed.

The two of us laughed, leaning into each other. "I've missed you so much," he told me before releasing me. He glanced back over at Bucky. "What'd you tell them about me?" he asked accusingly.

"Only the good stuff," Bucky said. Steve brushed his hair out of his face and straightened up. I snorted at him, earning myself an elbow in the ribs from Bucky. We walked up to the girls and I looked them over. "Connie and Bonnie, this is Steve and Victoria," Bucky introduced.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," the blonde, Connie, said. She shook my hand and Steve's albeit hesitantly.

"How are you?" Bonnie offered.

Steve and Bucky kept the introductions moving as I gave the girls a once-over. Not that I really meant to. It was just in my nature. I observed everything and everyone. And perhaps I didn't like that the two of them were very obviously hoping to get Bucky away from me. Connie's hair was perfectly curled and settled just below her shoulders. She had her bangs pulled back with a pink pin. She was wearing a quarter-sleeved white vest with pink flowers going up and down the sides. She had on a pink knee-length dress underneath that was pulled into place by a pink belt. A pink flowered bracelet and pink purse finished off her disgustingly bright ensemble.

She was about Steve's height but she seemed to think that she fitted better with Bucky. I laughed at her and glanced over at her friend. She was just a touch taller than her friend. But thankfully she was wearing a lot less pink. Her blonde hair was also curled perfectly and brushed back but it hung at her chest. She was wearing a red dress with little flowers all over them that went down to her knees. There were tiny flowing sleeves on it and I noticed that she was deliberately trying to pull the neckline down a little every time that Bucky looked at her. She had a pink jacket hung over her arm.

It was easy to tell that my eyes, appearance, and general attitude put them off. They stayed far away from me, only speaking to me when prompted by Bucky. They were speaking a little bit with Steve but for the most part they were trying to speak with Bucky. So I sighed and fell back with Steve, dragging him up to walk with us. I didn't want him to feel left out. After all, they were supposed to be his dates. We were heading towards the convention hall and I finally allowed myself to look around.

I'd never been to something like this before so it was interesting getting to see it for the first time. I could tell that Bucky and Steve were both enamored. Connie and Bonnie kept trying to draw attention to themselves. There was a large crowd and it got a little hard to walk. There was a large steel globe behind us that was coated in gold paint. Fireworks were exploding around us and I smiled. Some were actually the color of my eyes. A hanging train from the tracks above us was running back and forth, carrying more people wanting to come to the fair. As we walked into the hall I glanced up and saw that there were spotlights shining everywhere.

Inside the hall was a little different but no less crowded. There were cases all over the room that were displaying all of the new technology that was being developed. We were walking past Dr. Phineas Horton's Synthetic Man and I glanced up. My eyes narrowed and I shook my head. It wouldn't work. Not without something that was able to reverse the atoms of the human body. A suit wouldn't be enough to start stretching someone out like a piece of taffy. I said nothing though. Steve bought a bag of popcorn and I munched on it with him as we continued to walk through all of the exhibits, nothing particularly impressing me.

None of it would work. As we pressed through the crowd in the hall Bucky fell back to stand next to me. He leaned into me so that he didn't need to shout. "Just think, next year you might have a hand in designing some of this stuff," he said.

"You better be there to cheer me on," I said, jamming my finger into his chest.

He grinned at me. "Wouldn't miss it," he said.

And I knew that he was telling me the truth. An automated male voice over the speaker system called out the repeating greeting. "Welcome to the Modern Marvels Pavilion and the world of tomorrow. A greater world. A better world," it said.

Applause began all around us and I glanced up to see what was happening. The crowd was rushing towards the far corner of the hall. I realized that it was Howard's exhibit getting ready to start. The audience was excited to see him. "Oh my god. It's starting," Connie said, dragging all of us off with him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark," a woman called over the microphone.

My heart skipped a beat. He told me that it was starting at eight! I glanced down at my watch and realized that it was eight-oh-two. Why is my time management so bad? "Oh, damn it, I'm supposed to be up there!" I cried.

"You his new fling?" Connie asked me dryly.

The image of myself snapping her neck flashed through my mind and I choked it back. I was not going to do something like that. No matter how much I wanted to. "Actually, I'm his Corporate Operations Officer. He hired me to work as a geneticist for Stark Industries. My boyfriend isn't up on that stage right now," I snarled. I noticed Bucky's eyes twinkling. "If you'll excuse me."

I was pushing my way through the crowd but before I could, Steve grabbed my arm. "Boyfriend?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes and shoved through the throng of people. "You always did have good time management skills," he called out to me.

"Shut up. Excuse me, move please!" I hollered.

"Knock 'em dead!" Bucky shouted.

As I shoved my way through the crowd I watched Howard begin his presentation. The flying car was up on the stage and I rolled my eyes. It was going to collapse. But whatever he wanted, I supposed. There were five scantily-clad girls up on the stage. They were in black Mary-Jane's with fishnet stockings. Their shorts were about halfway down their thighs - also black. They had black and white striped vests on with black jackets over the top. A stupid black top hat with a red rose pinned on topped off their outfits.

The girls all gradually leaned over and motioned towards Howard, who was running out onto the stage. He'd clearly dressed up his best for tonight. He was wearing a tailored black suit with a white shirt on underneath. He, too, had the red rose pinned onto his jacket. And he also had a top hat on. The brunette girl on the far end of the group broke her stance and walked over to meet Howard in the middle of the stage. He handed her the black top hat before kissing her on the mouth. A sickened feeling sunk in my stomach at the wonder of how many times he'd kissed someone before me. Good thing I'm not a germaphobe. She handed him the microphone before walking off, smirking the whole way.

I did it first. Howard wiped off her kiss and I rolled my eyes at him as I made it to the edge of the stage. Howard motioned for the guard to let me up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, before we get started, I'd like to introduce a friend of mine. This is Sergeant Victoria Phillips. She's currently a geneticist for the Army. Time management is not one of the many skills she possess," he joked.

The audience gave chipper laughs as I walked into the middle of the stage. Many people seemed shocked to see me. I could hear their thoughts. They all thought that I was his new girlfriend. Although they used much cruder terms. I blushed when I could hear both Steve and Bucky cheering loudly for me. I grinned at them before smiling a very fake smile at Howard. He was extremely amused to see me up here, trying to impress a crowd.

Keeping my jaw clamped, I spoke through my teeth to him. "If you kiss me I'll break your jaw," I said as he gave me a peck on the cheek.

Howard mimed my actions. "You mean kiss you again."

"Shut up."

Finally we broke apart and faced the crowd. I gave a small wave. "One day very soon she'll be the Corporate Operations Officer for Stark Industries. She might just be a little bit brighter than me. Just a little bit," he insisted. I smiled at him as scattered laughter was shared by the crowd. "Victoria, would you like to say a few words?" he offered.

He held out the microphone to me and I nodded, moving forward. "Sure. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. And not to worry Howard, it'd be hard to live up to you," I said. There was some more laughter from the crowd. "I'm so grateful for this opportunity. All of my life I've wanted to do something to make a difference in the world. And this is our chance. With Howard, myself, and all of the rest of the wonderful men and women and Stark Industries, I know that we'll be able to change the tide of the war. And if we can't do that, we'll take opportunities like this to make lives just a little bit brighter. Now, I'm not an official member of the Stark team, but I look forward to the day that I am."

Howard walked back over to me but didn't take the microphone yet. "And that day will be soon. Thank you, Victoria. You're a part of the family now," he told me.

I smiled, knowing that his words meant so much more than what everyone else thought. "Thank you. I've taken up enough of your time. Show us what Stark Industries can do," I said, stepping back.

Howard took the microphone and I walked over to the control panel. "Ladies and Gentlemen." I spotted Steve trying to give Bonnie some popcorn, a gesture that she ignored. I grit my teeth at her. "What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground, at all? Yes." The girls came back to take the tires away from the car. "Thanks, Mandy. With Stark's Gravitic reversion technology. You'll be able to do just that," Howard said.

He turned a button to the side and threw the lever. The car immediately started hovering and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. The gravity reversal panels were already overheating. Even from here I could hear Bucky. "Holy cow," he muttered.

Howard proudly stepped back and motioned to the car. The audience applauded and I watched as a circuit shorted and the car sputtered, dropping with a loud crash to the ground, sparks and smoke flying everywhere. Taking the opportunity to make the accident a joke, I grabbed the microphone from Howard. "It'll actually work once I'm a part of the team," I said.

This time there was a loud bought of laughter as Howard took the microphone back. "Well I did say a few years, didn't I?" Howard chuckled. I glanced out at the crowd to see Steve walking off to the recruitment center. I sighed and motioned to Howard that I needed to leave. "Thank you for introducing yourself, Victoria," Howard said, understanding me perfectly.

"Thank you, Howard. Enjoy the show everyone!" I called out before heading off of the stage.

I was able to make my way back to Bucky quickly as Howard continued the show. Bucky wrapped me in a tight hug. I could tell that Connie and Bonnie wanted to set me on fire. If only you knew that I could do just that. "You did great up there. And you looked as gorgeous as ever," Bucky told me, pressing his thumb under my chin.

I rolled my eyes and yanked away from him. "Shut up," I snapped playfully.

"I'm serious," Bucky told me before glancing back to speak to Steve, who he didn't know had walked off. "Hey, Steve. What do you say we treat these girls..." he trailed off when he saw that he wasn't there.

"He saw the Army recruitment center back there. He walked off during the presentation," I said.

Bucky sighed and nodded at me. "Let's go get him." We walked over towards the recruitment center, leaving Connie and Bonnie over by two pillars so that we could grab Steve. He was staring at a poster of a faceless Soldier. Bucky shoved Steve on the shoulder. He turned back and stared blankly at us. "Come on, Soldier," he teased.

We were inside of the recruitment center and I glared as everyone gave me dirty looks. "Sorry about that, Vic. I heard you. You sounded great up there. Stark Industries won't ever have someone better working there," he told me.

"Thanks."

"Come on, kinda missing the point of a double date. We're taking the girls dancing," Bucky said.

Steve began to walk away from the poster. His hands were still stuffed inside of his pockets. I could tell that he was heartbroken to have to see everyone else enlisting and be unable to do it himself. "You go ahead, I'll catch up with you," Steve said.

Bucky sighed and glanced over at Steve. I stood back at a slight distance, allowing the boys to fight it out among themselves. "You really gonna do this again?" Bucky asked.

"Well it's a fair, I'm going to try my luck."

"As who, Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you or worse they'll actually take you."

My heart gave a painful twist. He had no idea that it was exactly how I felt about him going off into the war. "Look I know you don't think I can do this," Steve told Bucky, who cut him off.

"This isn't a back alley, Steve, its war," he snapped.

The two went back and forth barking at each other. "I know it's a war."

"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs."

"What am I going to do, collect scrap in my little red wagon?"

"Yes, why not?"

"I'm not going to sit in a factory, Bucky. Bucky," Steve said, cutting off whatever argument that Bucky had come up with now, "come on, there are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

The war was never about the individual Soldiers. But they were always the ones that ended up sent home in droves of caskets. I cringed as Bucky stood over Steve, probably trying to intimidate him out of wanting to go. "Right. 'Cause you got nothing to prove," Bucky told him.

That was when I'd had enough of listening to the two of them argue. I stepped forward and shoved them both apart. They each stumbled, looking slightly thrown by my sudden intervention. "Knock it off! Both of you. This is your last night together for a while. Do you really want to spend it fighting or do you want to go dancing?" I asked them, trying to diffuse the situation.

We all stood in silence and watched each other for a little while. "Hey Barnes," Connie called out, breaking the tense silence. "Are we going dancing?" she asked.

Bucky turned back to them and threw his arms out to the side with a big smile. "Yes we are," he chirped. He turned back to Steve with a sad stare as he began to back away. I didn't move yet. I found myself rooted to my spot at Steve's side. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back," Bucky warned Steve.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," Steve said.

I smiled at the two of them. They could fight like cats and dogs and still love each other only a second afterwards. Bucky shook his head and smirked, walking back up to Steve. "You're a punk," he said.

"Jerk," Steve quipped, wrapping Bucky in a quick but loving embrace. "Careful. Don't win the war 'til I get there," Steve said as Bucky backed off a little bit again. Bucky gave him a very improper salute that I glared at him for. Brothers as always. Steve turned to me a moment later. "Are you coming back to the apartment afterwards?" he asked.

Awkwardly I shuffled around. In all honesty I hadn't really thought that far. I was actually probably going to go on a walk all night long. I wouldn't be able to sleep. But I didn't think that would be the best thing for me to. "I was going to just go back to the base and come back in the morning," I lied.

Bucky moved forward and shook his head at me. "That's ridiculous. It's an hour drive both ways. You shouldn't have to do something like that. Just stay at our place. We don't have a spare room but you can take mine. I'll sleep on the couch," he offered.

It wasn't at all proper for me to do something like that, but if they were offering I would take it. Plus, it wouldn't just be Bucky and I. Steve would be there too. "You're sure?" I asked Bucky. He nodded at me. I glanced over at Steve to make sure that he was okay with it too. "Both of you?" I asked him.

He nodded at me. "Of course," he told me.

"Not a problem. It makes more sense that way," Bucky added.

Steve grinned at me and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "It'll be like old times," Steve told me. I laughed softly and nodded. It would be like old times. Something that I never thought that I would get again.

"Okay," I smiled at the two of them. I walked towards Bucky before stopping and turning back towards Steve. I had been hoping that he would still come with us. I would look like a little bit less of a fool if he were there with me. "Still not gonna come dancing?" I asked him.

Steve shook his head. "I'll meet you guys back home," he told us.

Bucky nodded at him. "Alright," he said. Over Steve's shoulder - who was walking away from us - I spotted Abraham watching us. My eyebrows rose as I glanced at the older scientist, wondering what in the world he was doing here. "Come on girls, playing our song," Bucky said, walking back towards Connie and Bonnie. He stopped when he realized that I wasn't following him. "Vika?" he asked.

Glancing back towards Abraham, I saw that he was giving me a pointed look. I knew when he wanted to speak to me. "You go ahead, alright? I'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes," I told him.

"You know, the point of a date is actually being here," Bucky teased me.

Smiling at him, I gave him a gentle shove. "I know, I know. I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright?" I offered him.

He nodded at me and tucked my hair back behind my ear. "Save you a dance," he told me. I smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His hand tightened on my back for a moment before releasing me. I could hear him speak as he ran to catch up with the girls. "She's gonna catch up with us in a few minutes," Bucky said.

I rolled my eyes. I doubt that they care what happens to me. I walked up to Abraham adopting my professional attitude. "Dr. Erskine. What are you doing out here?" I asked him.

He didn't seem slightly interested in being a professional. He was grinning brightly. "Victoria! Come, I've found our Soldier," he said.

My eyebrow rose. "You have?" I asked.

He nodded at me and walked me off into one of the hallways. "He's already prepared. I've yet to speak with him. Come, we'll talk to him together," he told me.

I glanced back at where I had left Bucky but he was already gone. "I need to be -"

Abraham spoke over me. "I won't have you more than twenty minutes," he told me.

A small blush fell over my face as I shook my head. Part of me wanted to walk away but I walked with him anyways. We walked through the halls together - both of us earning some strange looks - before stopping in front of one of the inspection rooms. We walked in - Abraham holding the curtain for me. I saw that a Soldier was standing in the room and I glanced over to see a smaller man placing his shoes on his feet. I gave a small start when I realized that it was Steve. Abraham cleared the Soldier from the room with a small 'Thank you.' Steve looked as startled to see me as I was to see him. The curtain closed behind us.

"Vic?" Steve asked curiously.

Abraham wanted to use Steve. No way in hell. Not when I had promised him that I would keep Steve out of trouble. "No," I said.

Both Steve and Abraham looked surprised. "No?" they asked me.

"Absolutely not."

Abraham sighed and switched over to German. Neither one of us wanted Steve to know what we were talking about until we had made a decision. "Why not?" he asked.

"Because he'll die," I answered simply. Steve looked shocked to see that I knew how to speak German. "I just promised his best friend that I wouldn't let anything happen to him. This probably falls under the category of anything," I howled at him.

If he went in here there was a damn good chance that he would die. And Bucky would never forgive me. I would never forgive myself if something happened to him that I could have stopped. Abraham sighed and walked towards me, taking his glasses off momentarily. "This is what he wants, no?" he asked me.

"Of course it is!" I snapped. "And that's why we can't let him."

Abraham moved towards me and I desperately avoided looking at Steve's confused face. "I will ensure that it is safe. Together, we will make sure that no harm will come to your friend," he told me. I still wasn't convinced and Abraham knew that. "Did we deny you of your right to come work for us and show how a woman can be better than a man?"

"He could die," I argued weakly.

Abraham knew that I was running out of arguments for why Steve shouldn't be considered for Operation Rebirth. "We will ensure that he won't. You know what it's like to be told you can't do something because of the way that you look. Because of who you are. Is it fair to do the same to him?" he asked me.

Damn it. "No."

"So?" Abraham asked.

I took in a deep breath and glanced at him. I had conditions if Steve was going to go and try. "Swear to me that we won't undergo Operation Rebirth until we're absolutely positive that whoever is in that chamber, even if it isn't him, will come out of there unharmed," I growled at Abraham.

"Of course."

Giving one last deep sigh, I glanced up at the ceiling at let out a long breath. I closed my eyes, praying that Bucky would never find out about this. "Forgive me, Bucky," I muttered.

"I have your approval?"

I rolled my eyes at my friend. "Even if I didn't give it to you, I somehow figure that the two of you will manage to get him into the Vita-Ray Chamber anyways." He grinned at me, letting me know that I was right. "You're right, I can't deny him something. We might be different, but we're fighting for the same thing. A chance to be looked at as something more than we are right now." I took in a deep breath and spit out my answer before I could change my mind. "Do it."

"He will make you proud. And there's still a chance that it might not be him. After all, he still needs to be chosen, correct?" Abraham offered.

"I suppose."

Steve seemed to have finally managed to remember how to speak. He had been looking very concerned during Abraham and my conversation. "Vic?" he asked awkwardly.

"Don't talk," I ordered.

He nodded at me as Abraham grabbed Steve's file as began looking through it. I had a feeling that he had read it already. "So. You want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis," he said in his thick accent.

Abraham closed the file and looked at Steve. "Excuse me," Steve said, looking shocked.

I rolled my eyes at him. Idiot. That was not the right thing to say. Abraham didn't seem surprised. "Doctor Abraham Erskine. You know your friend." Steve stood and shook Abraham's hand, looking a little more reassured after I nodded at him. "We represent Strategic Scientific Research," he said.

"Steve Rogers. You know him?" Steve asked me, glancing away from Abraham. I nodded at him. Abraham walked over to the small chest and placed down Steve's file, still opened. "Where are you from?" Steve asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I had been a little surprised when I'd heard Abraham's German accent the first time that I had heard him too. "Queens. Seventy-Third Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany," he answered. Abraham knew that Steve was surprised at his origin. "This troubles you?" he asked.

"No," Steve said immediately.

"Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Hmm? Is it, New Haven? Or, Paramus?" Abraham asked. I could see the little bit of color in Steve's face drain. "Five exams in five different -"

Steve cut him off. "It might not be the right file," he offered.

Abraham shook his head at Steve. "It's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries." Steve nodded awkwardly at Abraham, clearly not understanding where this was going. "But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?" he asked.

Steve was silent for a few moments. "Is this a test?" he finally asked.

"Yes," Abraham answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Steve stared in silence for a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke and his answer made me smile. "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from," he said.

Abraham and I exchanged a bright smile. I didn't want Steve in that Vita-Ray Chamber, but I knew that he would be the perfect man for the job. "Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy," Abraham said. I smiled at the pair. "Huh? I can offer you a chance." Abraham turned and walked out of the room, pushing the curtain off to the side. I followed him quickly, Steve jumping out and walking with us. "Only a chance."

"I'll take it," Steve said without hesitation as we stood at the front desk.

Abraham nodded at Steve as he opened the file and began fiddling with it. "Good. So where is the little guy from? Actually," he said.

Steve gave a bashful smile. "Brooklyn."

Abraham stamped the file and glanced up at Steve. "Congratulations. Soldier," he said. He handed Steve the closed file and walked off. I saw that he was waiting for me at the edge of the building. Steve opened the file and I heard his gasp of disbelief. A sick feeling sunk in my stomach when I saw the black 1A stamped across the bottom of the file.

Steve looked up at me with wide eyes. I glared at him. "You mention absolutely none of this to Bucky, you hear me? As far as he's concerned, you went back to the apartment and you're going to work in the factory. Understood?" I growled.

Steve knew that I was not kidding. "Understood," he gulped.

I adopted a reasonably friendly smile. "Then I'll see you soon," I told him before strutting off.

Abraham fell into step with me as we left the recruitment center. The dancing hall wasn't far from here. It was just two blocks over and the fair covered the entire area. "He'll be fine," Abraham reassured me.

"If he dies, I'm coming after you," I told Abraham seriously.

"He may not be chosen."

I let out a little scoff and rolled my eyes. "Just look at him," I growled. As much as I hated to think about it I knew that Steve would be the man that ended up in the chamber. "I'll see you at Camp Lehigh in a few days," I greeted, heading off.

As I walked over to the dancing hall I sighed. There went my promise to Bucky that I would keep Steve out of trouble. I just had to pray that nothing would happen to him. Hopefully the serum either wouldn't work and he would be fine, or it would work and I would have time to figure out how to explain to Bucky what had happened with Steve. Maybe I could tell him that we'd taken him to the gym a lot. One way or another, I'd manage. Bucky would be a war hero and Steve would get to make a difference in the world.

And as for me... I wasn't sure. Something would happen for me one day, I was sure of that. But as for now, my life was dependent on the two boys. Steve's attempt in the Vita-Ray Chamber and Bucky's deployment to the war front. One day I would manage to find something to do for myself. But that day wasn't today.

My feet led me blindly over to the dancing hall and I smiled. Fireworks were exploding overhead and the dancing couples were spinning around on the wooden floor. None of them were moves that I knew. A jazz band in the corner was roaring loudly. Almost immediately I spotted Connie and Bonnie - who were standing together and giggling - but Bucky was nowhere in sight. I walked up to the two girls, neither of whom looked thrilled to see me.

"Where's Bucky?" I asked them.

Connie turned over to me. "He's getting the three of us drinks," she said. I didn't miss the way that she said the three of us. Of course she meant herself, Bonnie, and Bucky. "Where's Steve?" she asked after a beat. I was mildly surprised that she'd bothered asking.

"He headed home."

The three of us stood in a tense silence for a few moments before Connie spoke up again. "How exactly did you meet Howard Stark?" she asked with a haughty snarl.

My eyes narrowed at me and I felt my nails dig into my palms, breaking the skin that sealed itself together again immediately. When I let go of my palms I saw that Chronicle was staining the tips of my nails. "We're working on a project together for the Army," I answered simply.

"What is it?" Connie asked me.

"Classified, actually," I said.

Bucky's laugh filled the air and I turned back to see him. He had two glasses of champagne and a glass of gin for himself. "She hasn't even told me what it is," he said, slinging an arm over my shoulder. I wanted to burn him for even knowing these two but I restrained myself. "Sorry. I didn't know that you'd be back already. I'll go get you a drink too," he told me.

"Thank you," I bit out.

We waited until Bucky had gone out of earshot before Connie spoke again. "Why would he want to hire you though?" she asked me.

Once more I rolled my eyes. If only I was born a man. "Because I happen to be very good at what I do. I'm a geneticist and I specialize in human mutation," I told her.

Their eyes went wide. I assumed that they had no idea what I meant. "Who taught you?" Bonnie asked me.

My eyebrows rose at her. Did someone have to teach me? "No one. I'm self-taught. I've just always been good at everything. Math, science; I'm good at everything like that," I told them.

They both scoffed at me. "Are you a good cook?" Connie asked.

"No."

"Can you sew?" Bonnie asked.

"No."

"Have you ever taken care of kids or a boyfriend?" Connie stepped in again.

"No."

They didn't look the least bit impressed with my answers. I wondered if they would be impressed if I showed them what I could really do. "So you aren't really good with anything that actually matters?" My jaws ground together as sparks flew off of my fingertips and an animalistic growl escaped my throat. "As sweet as it is that you're good at those types of things, they aren't things that women can do. You sound like you actually want to be out on the battlefield. It's for men," Connie said.

My eyes narrowed at her and for a moment I debated flashing them their true color. "And its small-minded thinking like that that would have kept us in the Stone Age. Time passes and we have to progress. The day will come that women are Soldiers. Mark my words," I told them.

"Those will be sad days," Bonnie quipped.

I took a step towards the two girls and watched as they both stumbled back. I could smell the adrenaline norepinephrine releasing. Their flight responses were working and their muscles were tensing, ready to run. They were scared of me. "Why? Because we'll actually be equal?" I snarled at them.

"Because we'll be savages!" Connie howled at me. Savage. If only you knew. "Women don't fight. It isn't in us. We're meant to stay at home and take care of our families," she added.

I grinned at her. "The world will always need women like you. The ones that stay at home and take care of the house. But the world will also need people like me. That aren't afraid to get out there and do what needs to be done," I told her.

"Bucky doesn't want something like that. He's just like every other guy," Connie said.

My eyebrows rose at her. He was nothing like every other guy. And that was why he meant so much to me. "You know nothing about him if that's what you think," I told her.

They were both standing with their arms crossed over their chests. "He wants the kind of girl that's going to be at home waiting for him with a hot meal and their kids on her arms. Not some girl that thinks that rolling around in the mud is pretending to be one of the boys," Connie snapped at me.

"Really?" I asked, smiling. "Then why is he here with me?"

That seemed to be the last straw with the two of them. They both scoffed loudly and whipped around on their heels, slamming down their drinks and storming off. As they walked off I could hear their curses. The two of them were complaining about me all the way out of the hall and I knew that they would still be complaining about me when they got back home. Not even a minute after they were out of sight, Bucky walked up behind me with a drink in his hand. Bourbon. I smiled at him. He knew me so well.

"Here you are," he said, handing me the drink. "Where are they going?" he asked, spotting Connie and Bonnie hailing a cab.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. "Not a clue."

"Really? Because they seemed perfectly content until you came back. What did you say to them?" he asked me. He didn't seem bothered that they had left. More amused than anything else.

"I don't remember," I lied.

"Sure. Wanna dance?" Bucky offered.

I shook my head at him, placing our drinks down on a table. I wasn't really sure that I wanted one right about now. "Why don't we head back? Steve is there and waiting. You two should be together on your last night home. For a while at least," I said softly.

The tune changed from the upbeat jazz to a slow ballad. Look for the Silver Lining. It was the first song that I had ever heard. Bucky had shown it to me not long after we'd met and he'd had me dance with him. To this day, it was the only time that I had ever danced. I smiled at the song, knowing that Bucky had requested it. He was standing towards me with his hand held out to me.

"One dance," he asked softly.

Smiling at him, I nodded, stepping forward and into him. The dance was informal - which was good considering I still couldn't dance. I clasped my right hand in his left and let one hand rest on his chest, unable to reach his shoulder. His spare hand laid gently at my waist. Couples were spinning slowly around us as I leaned my head on Bucky's shoulder. He had me tucked gently into him. Halfway through the dance he leaned down and pressed a small kiss against my forehead.

My heart was fluttering gently in my chest. "You had better come back, you hear me?" I said softly.

"Yes ma'am."

We swayed towards the edge of the dance floor. Finally I worked up the courage to ask him the question that I'd been meaning to all night. "Do you know how long you'll be deployed?" I asked him softly.

Bucky shook his head at me. "It doesn't say." Of course not. Most men would die beforehand anyways. They needed a certain amount of points too before they could come home. And most men would be staying out there until the end of the war. "It doesn't matter though. I'll be back before you know it. You're gonna wait for me, right?" he teased.

"Who else would put up with my crap?"

"No one sane," he quipped back.

The two of us laughed, falling back into the rhythm of the dance. Bucky swayed us back and forth, definitely leading the dance. I made sure to tease him that this was the only time that he would ever lead when it came to the two of us. He agreed with me. We stood together for a few minutes more before the song ended. Bucky pressed a kiss against my lips and I smiled into it. The dimmed lights came back up and we bowed sweetly to each other before leaving hand-in-hand towards the car.

We walked back through the fair and past the theater before getting to the car. Bucky opened the door for me and I climbed in, tucking my legs underneath myself and leaning against the window. We headed back to Bucky and Steve's apartment, laughing at each other the whole time. Bucky told me that I had completely outshone Howard. He told me that I might have been a little biased. We chatted happily the entire time, trying to ignore the impending departure in the morning.

As we headed into the building I smiled. It looked very much like the older apartment building that we all used to live in. It was a little taller and looked a little nicer. Bucky walked us up to the second floor and we headed towards the door in the back of the building. He unlocked the door and I felt a pang of guilt as I walked in. It had been a damn long time since I had last been in Steve or Bucky's home. Steve walked out of the kitchen with a sandwich in hand. He looked a little surprised to see us back so early.

I glanced up at the pictures and smiled. In the very corner of the room was a picture of the three of us as kids, laughing and playing on a swing set. "Back already?" Steve asked. We both nodded. "You two have fun dancing?"

"We only got through one dance," Bucky said.

"How?"

Bucky sent me a playful glare. "Ask friendly over there," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him and gave Steve a gentle shove when he laughed at me. "I really didn't say anything to either of them." Neither boy seemed to believe me. "Can one of you show me to the bathroom? I'm going to get washed up," I said.

Bucky pointed back through a hallway set in between the kitchen and living room. "Third door back on the left. You can use anything that you need. You can use my robe too, if you want," he said. I smiled and nodded at them, flipping on the light in the hallway and heading into the small bathroom.

Bucky's P.O.V.

Vika hadn't been gone for fifteen seconds when Steve spoke up. "She's beautiful," he said softly, knowing that Victoria had astoundingly good hearing. Bucky smiled at Steve. He knew that it was like something a brother would say about his sister after not seeing her for a long time. It was how he felt seeing Jessica and Rebecca yesterday.

"Yeah. She is," Bucky said softly, staring after her.

"Is she doing alright?" Steve asked.

Bucky doubted that there was ever a time in her life when she wasn't alright. She was the one person that he knew that could have managed herself even if the Earth was on fire. "She's alright. I know that she's worried about me. Honestly, I'm more worried about her. She doesn't think before she acts. Sometimes I think that she forgets that she's not indestructible," he sighed.

He loved her, but he knew that she didn't think things through. She was reckless. It was an attribute that she shared with Steve. "She loves you. She always has. Just make sure that you write her," Steve said. He nodded. He ensured to write her as much as he could. "She's no fool. She's not going to hurt herself. I'll keep an eye out for her," he said.

"And who's going to keep an eye on you?" Bucky asked.

Steve smiled and walked into the kitchen, grabbing three beers. He wasn't sure what Victoria thought about beer, but they didn't have any wine. "The two of you, it's nice," he finally said.

Bucky's head snapped over at Steve. "What?" he asked dumbly.

Steve smiled at his best friend. He was no fool. He could see it the moment that they had looked at each other in the alleyway after saving him. They were together. "Come on, Bucky. I don't have the best vision but I'm not blind." Bucky grinned. "The way that you look at her. The way that she looks at you. The two of you are together, aren't you?" he asked.

Bucky stood in silence for a moment, opening the bottle in his hand and taking a long sip before nodding. "It happened when we were at training together. We met up again and it was like no time had even passed. And one day... it just happened. And it felt right. Still feels right. Almost makes me wish that I wasn't leaving," he sighed.

"You'll be back. And I'll take care of her in the meantime," Steve reassured Bucky.

The two of them stood against the car in the kitchen for a moment before Bucky laughed. "She'd kill us if she knew that we were talking about taking care of her," he said. They both laughed at that one. Because it was completely true. She was always so determined that she could manage everything on her own. "I damn well better come back," Bucky said.

Steve knew exactly why he wanted Bucky to come back. That was his brother. And he knew that Bucky didn't want to die. But he also knew that there was something more than that. "Why's that?" he asked.

Bucky grinned at Steve. "Because I'm gonna marry her," he said.

And for the first time in years, he felt like he might really have a chance. Steve smiled at him. He always knew that one day he would be at their wedding. "Good to see that your aspiration still hasn't faded. The two of you belong together, Bucky. Whenever you're ready to ask her, she's gonna say yes," he said.

"I hope so," Bucky muttered. He wasn't sure how she felt about settling down, but he hoped that if it were with him, she'd at least give it a chance. "Now come here and help me. I have a plan."

Victoria's P.O.V.

Wringing out my hair that I had washed in the sink - Peggy had put far too much product in it for my liking - I walked into the living room. My hands were tucked in the pockets of Bucky's fluffy bathrobe. It was way more comfortable than my military uniform. Turning the corner my jaw dropped and I laughed loudly. On the floor there was food and candy everywhere. A few bottles of beer were set up on the counter too. I grabbed one and took my seat next to the boys that were already in their pajamas. The coffee table had been pushed out of the way and in its place was now a few board games.

"What is this?" I asked, fighting back laughter.

Bucky stood and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him towards the floor. I laughed and collapsed onto my knees. "You were gone for so long that you missed out on a lot of fun nights. Plus it's my last night. Thought I'd spend it the same way that I spent some of my best," Bucky said.

"Come on!" Steve said, dragging me over towards the board games. "Time for something that we can actually beat you at."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right," I snorted.

We played one of my personal favorites first. It had been a long time since I had played it, but it turned out that I hadn't forgotten it. It was called Hex and it was a strategy game. It was played on a hexagonal grid, ours was eleven inches by eleven inches. It was played by alternating placing markers or stones on unoccupied spaces in an attempt to link the opposite sides of the board in an unbroken chain. It was only meant for two players so we had to take turns. I beat both Bucky and Steve, and Steve beat Bucky when they played. They wouldn't let me play anymore when I'd managed to win playing just myself against the two of them as a team.

After that we'd moved onto another strategy game. Chess. Definitely not my favorite game but I was still good at it. Stryker had forced me to play against him after not eating or drinking for days. Especially after they'd spent the day injuring me. I almost always won. We played against each other and a few times I let the boys win. They seemed to know that my heart wasn't really into the game so they'd decided to move on with another game.

Finally - after losing to a few other strategy games - the boys wanted to play something that they didn't think would take strategy. And they were right. We played Monopoly, and we spent most of the night playing. They didn't think that strategy did come into play in trying to buy the right properties. I also knew the physics to spin the dice exactly where I wanted it to go. I wasn't even playing to win fairly. I was enjoying the looks on their faces when they kept having to take loans from the banker - myself - because I kept bankrupting them.

It was after one in the morning when we finally finished the game. I'd won. We were now up on the couch after finishing off the last few beers and talking with each other. The drinks had probably gone to Steve's head a while ago. He had passed out in the middle of a sentence. Bucky and I had both laughed for a long time over that. He was now laying pressed up against me, his head on my waist. I was laying against Bucky, pressed into his side, my head on his chest.

Our hands were twined with each other. He was poking at my nails and I was running my free hand against his pants. I could feel him shivering underneath me and I smirked at his thoughts. "I can't even remember the last time that I had this much fun," I whispered.

We didn't want to speak too loudly. The moment was perfect and if we spoke too loudly, it felt like we might shatter it. "You know that you've missed all of this," Bucky teased.

"Believe it or not, I have."

Bucky glanced over at Steve and gave him a gentle nudge. He might as well have been dead. He didn't move a muscle. Bucky and I both chuckled. "I guess we aren't actually going to sleep in the rooms," he said.

"I don't want to wake him up," I said softly, tucking myself into Bucky's robe. "Plus I've got a good enough pillow right here," I teased, settling into Bucky's chest.

He grinned at me and leaned onto the edge of the couch. He had one arm laid over my arm and the other wrapped around my waist. "What are you going to do without me?" Bucky teased.

Worry. "Actually manage to get my work done."

Bucky glanced down at me and laughed, turning the lights off. There was one still on in the kitchen but neither one of us wanted to move. "You're going to miss me," Bucky said.

"I'm going to throw a party," I teased. We both laughed softly at each other. "You should get to sleep. You've got an early day tomorrow," I whispered, almost wishing that I hadn't said anything.

Bucky nodded, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I'll wake you up when it's time to leave. Goodnight Vika," he said softly.

I leaned backwards, grabbing his head and pulling him into a gentle kiss. Far sooner than I would have liked, I let go of him, smiling at the kiss he pressed into my hair. "Goodnight Bucky."

Even as I laid there, my head gently resting against his chest, I wished that we could have remained in that moment from earlier tonight. Standing together, spinning in the middle of the dance floor, wrapped in each other. Without a damn care in the world. It was the moment that I would have to hang onto in the coming months. Because no matter what happened tonight, that was the way that I wanted to remember Bucky and I. Happy and healthy. Hopefully the way that we would always be.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The room was full of advanced experiments. Everywhere sat new experiments. Things that the rest of the world was years behind in. It took me a moment, but I knew where I was. A Hydra facility. How did I get here? Men and workers were walking back and forth, none of them paying a bit of attention to me. A dream... It's a dream. But it didn't change the fact that this place was very real. I walked through the halls and into a large room that had a window that opened to snowy mountains. Two men stood inside of the room. There was a small man that was just a few inches taller than me, and a taller, stern-looking man.

My jaw tightened when I realized who he was. Johann Schmidt. The Red Skull... He didn't look at all like I was expecting. He was wearing a tight-fitting, dark suit that was made up of a type of leather. The red Hydra emblem was blazing on the side of his arm. This was the man that was responsible for so many deaths. This was the man that was half of the reason that I was about to watch Bucky leave. But there was nothing that I could do. I couldn't hurt him. I could only watch. He brushed back his black hair as he walked around a strange gun.

It was emitting some type of low-level Gamma radiation. But I couldn't think for the life of me what it was. It wasn't of Earth... That was my only explanation. "The experiment. Is it ready?" Schmidt asked the small man.

"Not yet, sir." Swiss heritage. High-pitched voice. Scientist that specializes in weapons systems and occult sciences.

Of all people, I was the one person that would understand that science and magic were so often the same thing. But that wasn't where Schmidt drew the line. He didn't seem to understand that we lived in the real world. There were some cases in which magic really was just science that was too complicated for the human mind to comprehend. But he was the type of man that took science to the next level. He believed in things that were straight out of the legends.

Schmidt glared at the small man. "We need it to be ready. We need to draw her in," Schmidt demanded.

Her? Who was she? "How?" the small man asked.

"Find her weakness," Schmidt ordered.

They wanted a woman. But why did they want this woman? And what had she done to appear on their radar? "Does she have one?" the small man asked. She was strong. They feared her.

Schmidt turned a small smile on the man as he walked over to a closed briefcase. "Everyone has a weakness, Dr. Zola." Dr. Zola. Nazi scientist. He'd been working for Hydra for the last ten years or so. "Perhaps hers is not physical. Perhaps it is mental."

"Mental, sir?" Dr. Zola asked.

"Her family, they're all dead, correct?" Schmidt asked Zola.

A sudden knot formed in my stomach. A woman with a dead family that people feared... That sounded familiar. "As far as record goes. But it also states that she died in the house fire," Dr. Zola said.

Me. They really were talking about me. What were they talking about me for? How did they even know who I was? "Of course it does!" Schmidt shouted, startling all of the men in the room. "They couldn't just let a little girl run away. Especially not one like her. Find who she fights for. Bring her here," he ordered, his voice softening slightly.

"You think that she fights for someone?" Dr. Zola asked, looking nervous.

"She is a mutant, but a woman above all." So they knew about mutants. We weren't as big of a secret as I thought that we were. "Someone cares very much for her. Find the one who loves her and do anything it takes to bring her to me. We have things to discuss," he said.

Dr. Zola nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir." He turned to leave the room, the other men turning to leave with him. Schmidt stood over a large map of the world, looking back and forth over it.

"Where are you, Miss Davies? Where is the great Savage hiding?" he asked himself. He even knew what Logan had called me... He glanced straight up at me and our eyes locked.

"Vika. Vika."

Before I got the chance to kill Schmidt, I was shaken awake. Panicking, I jumped upright and nearly collided heads with Bucky. He was giving me a very concerned stare. Steve was curled up on the other end of the couch, still fast asleep. It was just after five in the morning. I was breathing heavily, trying to slow down my heart rate. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Heart rate at eighty-seven beats... Heart rate at sixty-three beats. Better... Bucky was still staring at me.

Taking a few deep breaths, I brushed my hair back over my shoulders. "You alright?" he asked me softly.

Shaking him off slightly, I nodded. "Bad dream. I'm fine," I said.

Bucky nodded at me sadly. He looked heartbroken for me. But he still gave me his hand and helped pull me off of the couch. "Come on. It's time to go," he said.

My heart nearly stopped. For just the briefest of moments, I'd almost forgotten that he was leaving. But he was. And I'd be damned if Schmidt thought that he would ever lay a hand on Bucky. "Oh. Okay. Give me a minute to get changed," I told him softly.

"No problem. I'm gonna write Steve a note," he whispered to me, walking over to the kitchen. I nodded at him. Before I could walk down the hall, Bucky spoke to me once more. "Are you coming back here or are you going straight back to Camp Lehigh?"

I couldn't tell him that I had to come back to take Steve with me to Camp Lehigh, so I made up a little excuse. "I'm gonna come back here and make sure that he's okay before I head back to Camp Lehigh. Can you mention to him in the note to wait for me?" I asked.

"Sure."

"I'll be right back."

Heading straight back into the bathroom, I closed the door behind me and locked it. Blushing softly, I slipped out of Bucky's robe that I'd borrowed. I wasn't sure whether not he'd known that I wasn't wearing anything underneath but he was no fool. He probably knew. I had left all of my clothes in the bathroom overnight and I began to change back into them. I did my hair after washing off a comb - I couldn't tell which of theirs it was - and washed it off once more before placing it back. I decided to leave my hair down and flowing over my shoulder. If I cried I would be able to hide behind it.

As I straightened out my clothes I thought back to my dream. It had been so real. Maybe it was real. I couldn't tell. It bothered me that I didn't know. A sharp shiver shot down my spine. I was not clueless. I knew who it was that had been in my dream. The Red Skull. And if it was real, somehow the Red Skull knew about me, and wanted to speak to me. Why was I dreaming about him? What connection did I have to him? Nothing. There was no connection that the two of us had, outside of Abraham Erskine. But he had known Abraham before Abraham had known me. Maybe Schmidt knew about mutants, but why me in particular?

It wasn't that we were both mutants. I was a mutant, he was enhanced. His powers had been given to him through the serum. It was the same thing that would happen to Steve if he went through the serum. He, too, would be enhanced. It still didn't make sense to me. It wasn't just that he knew who I was, Schmidt seemed to know me personally. It had almost seemed like he had tapped into my dreams. He seemed to know that Bucky meant the world to me. It only made me even more nervous for Bucky - who would be so close to Schmidt. Maybe this was all a dream. That's what I wanted to think. After all, there was really no reason for him to know who I was, or care.

But I didn't want to think about Schmidt or the Red Skull or anything like that today. It was my last day with Bucky for a while, so I went to thinking about him. Over the past few days I had been trying to convince myself that he would be fine. And he would be fine. I'd kill him myself if something went wrong and he was hurt out there. Bile rose in my stomach as I hung up Bucky's robe and checked myself over one more time. Perhaps I thought that if I stayed here long enough, Bucky would miss his train. But that would be worse for him than leaving. So, taking a deep breath, I nodded to myself and left the bathroom.

Walking out into the kitchen, I smiled at Bucky. He looked handsome back in his uniform. Steve was still fast asleep on the couch, snoring softly. "Are you ready?" Bucky asked me quietly, leading me over to the door.

Grabbing his hand, I walked with him slowly from the kitchen. He had two bags in hand. It was barely anything. "I think the better question is are you ready?" I asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said.

It didn't sound confident, but I appreciated the honesty. "You left him the note?" I asked.

"Yeah. He'll be waiting here for you to get back," Bucky told me.

I nodded and waited quietly as we left the apartment and Bucky locked the door behind us. I took his light backpack and walked down to the borrowed car with him. I had offered to take the luggage, too, but Bucky was still a man. No matter how tough I was, and it was far tougher than him, he wouldn't let me do anything that was the 'man's job.' I almost snorted at the thought that I would have made a much better man. Quickly making our way out to the car, we tossed his bags in the back and climbed back into the car. Bucky immediately sped off down the road and I sighed. We weren't that far away from the train station.

More than anything, I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. I didn't know what to say without letting the tears - which I was trying so hard to keep in - fall. "Do you want to talk about your dream?" Bucky finally asked me.

"Not particularly. I don't really remember much from it," I lied.

The last thing that I needed to do was worry him about my mental state. He had enough to be worried about. We were silent for a while before Bucky spoke again. "You know you're gonna get so many letters from me that you'll get sick of me before I even get back," he said with a small smile.

I shook my head at him. I could get ten letters a day and never be sick of getting them. "I don't think that's the case. You can write to me every day, Bucky. I want to know what's going on with you. I want to hear about what's happening on the war front. I want to know that you're okay," I said seriously.

"I'm always going to be okay, Vika."

"What if you aren't?" I asked before I could stop myself.

A strange look fell over his face. "Vi -" Bucky started before I cut him off.

"Humor me," I snapped. What would even happen if he wasn't okay? I couldn't picture a life that didn't have Bucky in it. "You aren't indestructible. What happens if you're out there and something happens to you? Millions have died already. Millions more will die before it ends."

I knew that everything that I was saying was dark and upsetting, but I couldn't stop myself. It was the harsh reality of this world. It was the harsh reality of where he was going. "Stop," Bucky said forcefully, the most that I'd ever heard him towards me. "Don't do that to yourself. Until you hear otherwise, you wait for me to come home, you hear me?"

Smiling softly, I gave his arm a little nudge. "You don't get to order me around."

Bucky smiled back at me and nodded. We were both Sergeants, but he was no fool. He knew that I was the type of person that would never take orders from him. He was smart enough to know to never give them to me. "I know. You're the boss. You always were and you always will be," he said.

"You got that right."

The two of us relaxed back into the seats as the car rambled down the road. "You asked me to humor you about what if something happens to me," Bucky said, pulling me to look back at him. A painful knot formed in my stomach. "You can mourn me. But you move on. Stay with Steve and make sure that he's alright. Take care of each other. He's like your brother and he thinks of you as his sister. I want you to go and find someone to love and make a life with them."

There was only one person that I ever wanted to try and make a life with. And he was sitting right next to me. There would never be anyone else. "That won't happen," I muttered under my breath.

He still heard me. "Why's that?"

"You know damn well why that is," I snapped.

Bucky let out a little breath and I immediately knew that I shouldn't have jumped down his throat for wanting me to be happy. "I want you to find someone to love, Vika. It's the one thing that you've always deserved," he said carefully.

"You," I whispered, laying my hand on his thigh. I knew that it wasn't the most appropriate thing in the world, but I didn't care. Bucky laid one hand on top of mine, running his fingers over my knuckles. "You are the one thing that I deserved. And I have you. I won't lose you."

Bucky kept his voice just as quiet as mine was. "You won't have to. I'm right here, Vika. I always will be right here. I'm not that easy to get rid of," he told me. Despite myself, I laughed.

The hair on the back of my neck rose as he continued to stroke my knuckles. "You always did want this. To go out there and fight for your country. You always wanted to be something more than a factory worker or a businessman. This is what you always wanted. As much as I don't like it, I'm proud of you," I said honestly.

It didn't matter what he did, I would always be proud of him. "Thank you, Vika. I like to think that Mom and Dad would have been proud of me too," he said quietly.

My head jumped up to meet his eyes. They were sad. He really hadn't said much about his parents to me. I had assumed that maybe he'd gotten over their deaths, but the truth was that he just hadn't really accepted it. He'd never been that close to his family - Steve and I were always his family - but I knew that he loved them. And to lose his mother and father not long after I'd left... I supposed that I'd never really taken into account that losing all three of us in a close period of time might have hurt.

"They are," I told him. And that was the truth. I knew that they would have been proud.

Bucky let out a deep breath as the wave of sadness rolled off of him. It was easy to feel it. "Yeah, this was something that I always wanted. But there was always one thing that I wanted more than anything else," he said.

"What's that?"

His head turned over to me for the briefest of moments and I almost blushed. "You. I wanted you to completely open up to me. Since the day that I met you I just wanted to know everything about you. You always were the most mysterious person that I knew," he said.

Coughing awkwardly, I nodded. "Part of my charm, I suppose," I teased.

Bucky smiled at me. "You are very charming." I rolled my eyes, I was about as charming as a cactus. "But I'm serious," he said, letting the grin fade from his voice.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to say the one thing that scared me the most. "I'll tell you what. You come back home to me and I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you about my childhood, I'll tell you how I showed up in your apartment that night, I'll tell you where I went for all of those years, and I'll tell you why I don't trust myself around anyone." Bucky's head snapped over to me and I barked at him to watch the road. "Incentive for you to come back," I added softly.

"Yes. That's a good incentive," Bucky whispered, making me giggle softly. We sat in silence for a few seconds. "I only want you to tell me if you're ready," he added.

Was I ready to tell him? Yes. I needed to tell him. Someone deserved to know the truth, and if I was going to tell someone everything, I wanted it to be him. "I am ready. I'd tell you now but trust me when I say that we don't have time and I need you focused out there," I said.

Bucky nodded at me. He didn't need to know me that well to know that for me to tell the entire truth - something that I'd hid from everyone for all of my life - was a big deal. "You ever told anyone the whole story?" he asked me softly.

"No."

"Not even Colonel Phillips?"

He knew some of the most important parts but I really hadn't gone into detail with him. I'd never really told him about my family, although he did know a lot about Stryker's lab. "Not even him," I said.

"Stark?"

He was the only person that had managed to put together who I was without any assistance from myself. He probably knew the most out of anyone. "He knows a lot, but even he doesn't know everything," I said.

Like Chester, he didn't know much about my early childhood. "Agent Carter?" Bucky asked.

She knew a little bit about everything, but I tried not to go into detail with her about the harshness of my life. She was no softie, but she didn't need to know the horrible circumstances that I'd gone through. "I've spared her more of the gruesome details."

"Gruesome?" Bucky asked.

Smiling at him, I nodded. As long as everything went according to plan, he would know everything. Just like he had always deserved to know. "Come back and I'll tell you all about them," I promised.

"Not even Steve?"

Right in front of me was the opportunity to make a joke, and I took it. Things were too serious right now. "He's as clueless as you are," I told him with a bright smile.

Bucky laughed and gave me an affronted look. "Hey, I resent that. I like to think that he's a little more clueless than I am," he said.

In the end both Bucky and Steve were clueless. But I wouldn't want them any other way. "Doesn't matter. You're both clueless considering that every time one of you had a terrible idea in school I'd somehow manage to get dragged into it! I can't even count the detentions that the two of you got me," I told him with a small laugh.

Bucky smiled at me. "Tell you what, when I come back, I'll make it up to you," he promised.

"How are you going to do that?" I asked.

The grin that he gave me told me everything. And it didn't help that the carnal part of me came to the surface, begging to slam on the brakes and pull Bucky into the trees. "I'll leave that to your imagination," he said lowly.

Act like a proper girl. "That's so inappropriate!" I cried out, still unable to keep from laughing.

Bucky gave me a sly grin. "You were the one that thought about it," he said with a small shrug. He was right about that. I'd never actually read his mind and he never told me that that was what he was planning on. But you would like that. "And when were you ever appropriate?" Bucky asked, distracting me from my thoughts. I was extremely grateful in that moment.

I've never been appropriate. We both laughed as Bucky pulled into the parking lot for the station. "We're here," I said softly. Bucky parked the car in a space not far from the entrance. We hopped out of the car, grabbed the bags, and walked into the crowded station. Bucky and I dropped his bags at the baggage claim and moved into the throng of people. "Which train is yours?" I asked as I looked around the platform.

He wasn't holding a ticket, I assumed that it was in his bag. "Platform One, I think. They said that it was the first train that you see when you enter," he told me.

We were standing close to Platform One. "Okay." I grabbed his hand and we walked over together, standing next to one of the doors to the black steam-engine. "I guess this is it," I muttered awkwardly.

The intercom that went through the station squeaked loudly. "Boarding call for the six o'clock connecting train to England. The train will depart in five minutes' time," a man behind the speaker called.

It wasn't just me, everyone in the station tensed. Most of the women burst into tears as the men tried to console them. I didn't cry. But I did give Bucky a good once-over. I wanted to remember every part of him. Bucky grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. His hands were tighter around me than they normally were. And when he finally pulled back, he didn't release me.

He teasingly flicked the bottom of my chin to get me to look up to him. "Come on. Smile. We're having a good time. I want to see you smile until I can't anymore," he said.

Smiling at him, I nudged his chest and pulled back his shirt, glancing underneath on his tiptoes. He was watching me with a little laugh, surprised at my actions. He was wearing a shirt underneath his uniform so I couldn't see the muscles of his stomach - I wasn't really sure if I wanted to see them or not. You do. But that wasn't what I was looking for. I spotted the golden locket and grinned. He did have it. I grabbed the chain and pulled it free of the shirt, Bucky smiling down at me.

I didn't open it but I did glare at him, letting him know that he had to show me. "Actually, that reminds me. You still haven't shown me the pictures. If you have them, you'll get to see me smiling whenever you want," I teased.

Bucky nodded at me. "That's true, but I can't do this," he said.

I raised a brow as he leaned down to me and pressed a small kiss against my lips. For once, I wasn't nervous about doing it in front of so many people. Everyone else was doing it, too. His hands were on my waist and on the back of my neck, keeping me pressed against him. I tried not to hear his thoughts, but they were so loud. Tell her... Come on, you idiot. Tell her! I managed not to hear what he wanted to tell me. I smiled into the kiss, trying to repress a sigh when he finally let me back away.

Grinning at him, I grabbed onto the chain and gave it a gentle yank. "Don't you try and distract me. I want to see the pictures. Come on, cough them up. Show me the pictures," I ordered softly.

"You wanna see 'em now? Don't wanna wait until I'm back?" Bucky asked me.

What if you don't come back? But I wouldn't dare tell him that. Not right before he was about to deploy. "When have you ever known me to be patient enough to wait?" I teased.

He grinned at me but said nothing else. Holding the locket out to me, he clicked the lock and handed it over to me once it had opened. I glanced over both of the pictures with a smile. On the left side of the locket was the first picture that he'd taken of me. My legs were pulled up onto the log that I was sitting on, and the recruit files were in my arms. The light from the fire was gently illuminating my face. My yellow eyes were gently glowing in the picture. But the pictures were black-and-white. On my right side I was smiling into the camera. I could see the ghost of a laugh on my face. I looked so happy.

All because he was there. "Reminds me of what I have to come back to," Bucky said softly.

And suddenly it felt like we were the only people that were on the platform. I was still looking down at the locket with misty eyes. "Beautiful," I muttered under my breath.

"Yes. You are," Bucky said softly.

My gaze turned up to him and I smiled softly. And suddenly the sweet bubble that we had formed around ourselves came crashing down. The train that would take Bucky to his fate blew loudly, startling many of the people on the platform. Myself and Bucky included. Tears rose to my eyes and I blinked them back. I hadn't cried in a long time. Today was not the first time that I wanted to cry after so many years of managing not to. Because he would be fine. He would come back to me. He had to...

Keeping my voice low, I threw my head towards the train doors. "I think they're calling for you. You should go before you're late. Won't look good if you're late on your first day," I teased gently.

Bucky nodded at me but remained rooted to his place. I smiled at him, knowing that I might have to give him a gentle shove towards the train, as much as I didn't want to. "Vika. There's something I need to tell you before I leave," Bucky said.

"Okay." My voice was wavering weakly.

Bucky grabbed my hands and held them against his chest. I could feel his heart beating quickly. Whatever he was going to say, he was nervous to say. "For the longest time I thought that I wasn't ever gonna see you again, and then when I did I realized what I knew about you all of this time. Vika, there's a reason that I want to come back. Way beyond the fact that I don't want to die." He was not going to die. "I love you, Victoria Phillips. I always have and I always will."

A large lump formed in my throat. In reality I knew that he was going to say that. I'd known pretty much since the beginning that those were his feelings for me. We hadn't been together for that long, but we'd known each other for years. We had a lot of history together. And I knew that he'd loved me since the beginning. The feelings had always been reciprocated. In some way or another I'd always loved him too. He'd been my best friend first, my protector afterwards, and now... Now he was something different.

Before I could repeat the words back to him, a wave of sadness washed over me. It broke my heart that was about to leave and that he'd said it right before he was going to leave. Was this going to be the only time that I'd hear him say it? It wouldn't be. It couldn't be. It wasn't just that. It was the fact that no one had ever told me that before. No one that meant anything close to the person that was standing in front of me. Steve had, his parents had, Bucky's parents had, Howard had, Peggy had, Chester had... The list didn't end there. But they were friends. No one had ever said something like that to me that meant it the way that he did. I opened my mouth to force out the words, but before I could, my parents' words came back to me.

I'd been hiding in the hallway that led to my room. My prison chamber, more appropriately. Mom and Dad were standing in the hallway, shouting back and forth about me. I'd asked to go to school. Mom had immediately said no, Dad thought that it might be a good idea to get me out of the house for a while. I could hear them arguing that it might look like they'd come to care for me - maybe even love - if they sent me to a real school. Dad had argued that it might not be the worst thing in the world that I imagined that they might care.

But it was Mom's words that were a harsh slap to the face. "No one can ever love a creature like that," she hissed at Dad.

My legs quavered slightly. Did they really think that no one would ever love me? Did they really mean that they didn't love me? I wanted to think about the wedding that I'd always wanted. A dress that everyone would admire. A groom that loved me more than life itself. My friends would have been there. Mom would have come wedding dress shopping with me. She would tell me that I looked even more beautiful than she did on her wedding day. Dad would walk me down the aisle and cry as he handed me over to the only man that would ever mean anything more to me than he did. But that would never happen. Not for me.

"She's still a young woman. Perhaps a man will come to love her one day," Dad argued.

A slight balloon of happiness formed in my chest. Maybe Dad and I could go off. He thought that someone would love me. "It would be a lie! What kind of man could love something like that? Do you love it?" Mom asked him.

They treated me the same that they treated their experiments. "No," Dad muttered.

And that was the worst part. My legs caved and I stumbled backwards. They were my parents. They were supposed to love me. Maybe they were just angry... Parents fought sometimes, and sometimes they took it out on their kids. "Exactly! If its own father couldn't love it, how could anyone else?" Mom asked.

Not wanting to hear any more of the conversation, I hardened myself, pretended that I'd never heard the conversation, and turned to head back to my room.I could pretend that I'd never heard any of the conversation. They clearly hadn't meant for me to hear it. So I would pretend that I didn't. It meant nothing to me. But their words would always ring true in my head. They were right. No one would ever come to love me. But I didn't need love. It wasn't necessary to survive. So I picked up my books, began to memorize them word-for-word, and found myself determined that if no one would love me, that was fine. The only thing that mattered was that I was perfect. For myself.

The memory was jarring. It almost felt unreal. But I knew that it was. No one would ever love me. I'd been raised that way. Stryker had told me that enough times. But here I was. Somehow, someone, had fallen in love with me. The one thing that I'd been told could never happen to me. It wasn't even from someone who knew what I was... And that was the most painful part. He loved a lie. How could he ever love me if he knew what I really was? My parents hadn't. Could he?

I didn't have time to think this through. Bucky was staring at me and I knew that I had to say something. "Oh," I said dumbly. Not that, you twit. "I - I - I mean... Bucky..." I trailed off, unsure where I wanted to go with this.

Bucky laughed awkwardly and briefly took his hat from his head. His hair was combed back immaculately and I immediately felt horrible. How could I have left him there with no response? He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up, but still smiled. He's too good for you. "Well that wasn't really the answer that I was hoping for," he teased.

Even after all of that, he still didn't yell at me or make me feel bad. "No, no, I just..." I trailed off. Bucky's smile had faded as he waited for to explain myself. "I never thought that I'd ever hear that. From anyone."

He looked pained at my admission. Bucky moved forward confidently. It amazed me how everything that he did exuded confidence. "You listen to me." He placed a hand underneath my chin and lifted my head up so that we could stare at each other. "You will hear that from me every day for the rest of our lives. I'll tell you that I love you until I can't speak anymore. Because I do. Vika, I love you. So much. More than I ever thought was possible. You mean the world to me. I'm sorry that it took me so long to say it," he said.

And I knew that he wasn't lying. I couldn't control the tears that rose to my eyes, as much as I tried to. I wanted to say it back to him, but I needed something first. "Promise me something," I begged.

"Anything."

I grabbed onto the lapels of his military jacket, messing it up slightly - however messed up uniforms were given some tolerances today considering the emotional goodbyes most men would be going through - and pulled him into me. Our bodies were pressed together. "Come back to me," I whispered to him, the weakest that I'd heard my voice in a long time.

I hated it. I hated how weak he made me. But if there was ever one person that I had to be weak for, it would always be him. "Always. No matter how long it takes, Vika, I'll always come back to you," Bucky promised.

Taking a few deep breaths, I spit out the words that meant the most in the world to me. "I love you too." And I meant every word. Until the day that the Earth ceased to exist - the day that I would finally die - I would mean it.

Bucky wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. For how easily I could rip him in half, tear out his heart, or break every bone in his body, I'd never felt as tiny as I did right now. And I almost liked it. Because for just a brief moment, I felt like every other woman on this platform. No different. As we stood together, I found myself listening to his heart hammering in his chest. I never wanted to leave him, because, right now, I knew that he was alive. I had proof.

Finally, far too soon, we pulled away from each other. I took a step back and jammed my pointer finger into his sternum. "You come back me, you hear me?" I ordered him, my voice breaking.

"Yes ma'am."

The tears that were forming cupped over my lower eyelid. I was unable to stop the first tear from falling as it splashed over my lashes. He was faster than I gave him credit for. Still holding me close, Bucky wiped away the tear, keeping his thumb gently on my cheek. His thumb traced its way down my cheek and gently ran over my lips, barely parting them. I could see it in his eyes. They were misty. As much as this goodbye hurt me, it hurt him just as much.

Another tear fell before I was able to stop myself. He brushed away that tear, too. "Don't cry, alright? I'll be back. I promise," he told me.

"You break that promise, I'll break your nose," I said softly.

Bucky laughed in the way that only he could. Other men would have cringed or told me that it wasn't funny. But because it was Bucky, and he knew that I meant it, he laughed. "I know. Before I go, I made this for you," he said.

Letting his arms drop from around me, I stepped back and watched him dig through his pockets. "You made something?" I asked him.

For his many talents, Bucky was not an artist. He seemed to know that, too, as he gave me a bashful smile. "I'm not much of an artist, but most of my money went to Steve to help him pay the bills when I came out here. So I really didn't have any money to get you anything," he said.

"I don't need anything, Bucky."

It was the truth. I didn't need anything. I didn't want anything. The only thing that I wanted was him to come back home. "I know. But I wanted you to have something," he told me.

He took a moment longer to dig through his pocket and I smiled, waiting for him. Finally he pulled it out. Like he'd said, he was no artist. It wasn't overly pretty, but I automatically loved it. And I knew where it was from. Bucky had given it to me on my twelfth birthday. A bully at the middle school that I'd gone to had broken it when they'd shoved me to the ground near an alley. I'd picked up the pieces and given them back to Bucky, crying. Somehow he'd figured out who the boy was that had hit me and gone after him. He'd beaten the boy within an inch of his life and had gotten a week-long suspension for it.

It was one of the few times that he didn't get in trouble for getting into a fight. His parents had taken us all out for dinner and had told him that it was good of him to protect me, but next time, to do it away from an audience. I knew that I'd given him the pieces back, but I'd never thought that he'd done anything with them. I'd lost the string. I thought that he'd just thrown it away. But here they were, all of the little silver and yellow beads twirled together. The yellow beads were the same color as my eyes. It was one of the reason that I'd always loved it. He must have gotten a piece of twine to hold the bracelet together.

"I love it," I told him happily. It must have cost barely fifty cents, but it didn't matter. It was mine and it had come from him. "Put it on, yeah?" I asked.

He nodded at me and tied the bracelet around my wrist. As he let my hand go, his fingertips very briefly traveled down my wrist, tickling it slightly. "Back where it belongs," Bucky finally said.

"You held onto it for all of these years?"

"Of course. It was yours."

I smiled at him and shook my head. "Actually it was yours. You bought it," I said.

He shook his head at me. "Everything that's mine is yours. Always was, always will be," he said so softly that I almost didn't hear him. He grabbed the hand with his bracelet, and placed it directly over his heart. I could feel it beating steadily under my hand. His heart rate had slowed down. It was almost like a solemn march.

"Final boarding call for the six o'clock connecting train to England," the man called over the intercom.

Instantly his heart rate sped up. "Go. Don't you embarrass me by being late," I teased, gently pushing Bucky away from me. The longer that he stood here, the more that I would want to keep him here. He grinned at me and gave me a messy salute before turning to leave. He didn't make it very far. "Bucky, wait!" I called. He turned back to me and I ran after him, jumping into his outstretched arms. He caught me tightly around my waist and lifted me up slightly. He was quivering a little bit. "Be careful out there," I whispered.

We weren't the only ones like this on the platform. Everywhere else, women were crying and holding onto their men as long as they possibly could. The train would probably be late, but the conductor would not push. Not today. Not for this... Bucky pulled my head up to meet his and I gave him a long kiss. Our mouths tangled together in a sloppy kiss, mostly driven out of grief and desire. Desire to be with each other one more time, just in case. It felt like hours had passed when he finally let me go. I placed another soft kiss on hips lips before gently pushing him into the train. He walked into a cabin and hung out of the window, towering over me.

He leaned down slightly so that I could grab his hand. "Take care of yourself, Vika. Take care of Steve. And neither one of you do anything stupid while I'm gone," he told me.

"How can we? You're taking all of the stupid with you," I said, repeating the words that Steve had told him last night.

He grinned wickedly at me. The train whistle blew loudly and I jumped. Bucky placed a kiss gently on the back of my hand as the wheels began to turn. "Gotta go save the world," he called.

"Save yourself first."

Bucky nodded at me as another man took a seat in his cabin, respectfully looking away from us. "I'll write when I get settled," he told me.

He had damn well better. I nodded and stepped back as the train began to move, cringing as our final link to each other was broken, my hand falling from his. I wanted to walk with the train, but the platform was too crowded. So I wrapped my arms around myself and waved him off. Like most of the other men, he was still hanging out of the train windows. He gave me a sweet wink as the train picked up speed.

"I'll see you soon! I love you!" Bucky called to me.

He was so far away that I was sure that a normal woman wouldn't be able to hear him. But I could. I knew that he wouldn't be able to hear me if I called back to him, but his eyesight was good. I was sure that he would be able to read my lips. "I love you too," I said softly.

That was it. The train continued to pick up speed and I kept my gaze on Bucky until I no longer could. I let my hand fall back down to my side and I let out a shaky breath. Goodbye. Tears were still building in my eyes and I blinked them away. I couldn't cry. There was no good that tears would do. They wouldn't bring him back and they wouldn't save him. So I steeled myself, attempted to push Bucky from my mind, and turned my sights towards Operation Rebirth. He would be back soon enough. In the meantime, I had a job to do. And I had to leave here. I couldn't stand the crying women that surrounded me, praying for men that might as well already be dead.

Do not think that. As fate would have it, I didn't get to push Bucky from my thoughts for long. When I turned away to head back into the parking lot, I ran straight into an older woman. She was about forty and had a kind smile. "He's a nice looking man," she told me.

"Oh. Pardon me," I said to her, knowing that I nearly bowled her over in my haste to leave the station. "Yes. I suppose he is," I said awkwardly.

"It's nice to see young couples like yourself together. I hope he comes back to you," she told me.

I gave her a polite incline of the head. "Thank you ma'am." Remembering my manners, I asked her, "Is your husband deploying?"

Her answer made me wish that I hadn't asked her. "No. My husband deployed a few years ago. He died during an air raid." I was very glad that I hadn't eaten anything. It would have gone onto the floor. "I just come here to see the men off. Offer the women here my well-wishes. Let them know that the first few weeks are the worst," she continued.

Swallowing my scathing remark that the only thing that she'd done was ruin the slight hope that I'd had that Bucky would be fine, I gave her a gentle smile. "My deepest condolences for your husband."

The woman didn't seem to realize that anything she'd done was unnerving. "Thank you, dear. Don't worry, he'll come back to you," she said.

And all of the cruel remarks that I had prepared died on my tongue. Instead, I realized that she was trying to help, and I gave her a weak smile. "Thank you. Have a nice day," I told her, moving off.

"You as well."

Turning from the woman, I headed back to the parking lot. She didn't mean anything malicious by telling me about her husband. I knew that. I knew that the woman meant well by telling me the story that she had, but it didn't work. I now felt sick to my stomach. He'd died during a routine air raid. They happened all of the time. Particularly over in England. If her husband had died during an air raid, what would happen to Bucky? He was going to the front lines, one of the most dangerous places that he could be at. And I'd had a hand in sending him there.

But I couldn't think of that. It was going to drive me insane. I would be able to attempt to read his mind, but in a way that made it even worse. To know that if I tried to search for him and I couldn't find him... I wouldn't be able to handle that. It was too much. So I would wait for his letters, I would act like a normal woman. I would manage myself without an issue. As much as it hurt to know that Bucky was gone for now, I knew that he would come back. He always kept his promises to me. He'd never broken one. And this would not be the first. If he broke any promise to me... I begged that this wouldn't be it.

Trying to push off the thoughts that something was going to happen to him, I thought about something else that I didn't really want to think about. So I went to the next thing. Johann Schmidt. The Red Skull. What could he possibly want with me? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. He was known for his cruelty and strange experiments. I supposed that it could be that exact reason that he wanted me. I was probably the very definition of strange. But it didn't just end with him knowing that I was a mutant. He seemed to really know me. So it left a few questions. How did he know who I was? How did he even know what the mutants were? It wasn't like we went out into the public eye and talked about ourselves. We had to stay hidden. We'd done so well. Of course, Stryker had known. So why not Schmidt?

After thinking about Schmidt for a few minutes, I realized that I didn't want to think about him either. Everything that I was able to think about was something that I didn't want to think about. It wasn't helping that I was still hurting over the fact that I'd just gotten Bucky back into my life three months ago. It felt like such a short period of time. It was. But we'd gone back to normal - and even more - in that short time. And how he was gone from my life again. But it wasn't for good. He was going to come back to me, just like I'd come back to him. He promised.

In the end, the only good thing that I could really think of was that Steve was back in my life, too. Just like with Bucky, the moment that we'd met again after all of these years had seemed like nothing had changed. Expect, instead of drinking soda together last night, we'd been drinking beer. Some part of me wanted him to be okay with the super-soldier serum. He was such a good man. He deserved to be a Soldier, the one that everyone would look up to. This would be good for him if he was chosen. But there were also drawbacks. If he was chosen and went into the chamber, there was a chance that he might not survive.

It wasn't that far of a drive back to Bucky and Steve's apartment, but I had taken my time. Partially because I wanted to be left in peace and quiet for a little while, and partially because I wanted to be able to think about Bucky as long as possible. I didn't want the guilt of moving on from him so quickly. But finally there was nothing more that I could do. I drove up to the driveway of Steve and Bucky's apartment and parked the car. I hadn't brought anything with me, so I pulled myself out of the car and simply walked inside. Maybe I should have knocked, but it was a force of habit. I'd never knocked to come into their homes or their rooms.

Steve was already awake and walking back and forth through the living room, packing up his things. I gave him a weak smile as I closed the door behind me. "You okay?" Steve asked, pausing his packing.

"He's on the train. He'll be in England by tonight. He said that he'd write when he gets settled," I told Steve.

For the many things that Steve was never very good with, there were some things that he was very good with. And he was always good with knowing when I wasn't okay. He walked over to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. I pressed my forehead into his shoulder. It wasn't nearly as crushing or heart-breaking as the one that I'd just shared with Bucky, but it was just as good. They meant so much to me, the both of them. Not the same... But just as intensely as I loved Bucky, I loved Steve. We stood together for a few minutes before Steve finally released me.

He gave me a long look. "I know that he's okay. I asked if you were okay," he told me.

There were few times that he was forceful, but when it came to Bucky or my well-being, he was. "I'm fine, Steve. He hasn't even been gone for thirty minutes and I already miss him. I think I'll miss him until he comes back. I'll be paranoid over whether or not he's okay. But I can't do anything about that. So I'm going to keep busy with other things," I told him.

"Me?" he asked.

A smile fell over my face as I nodded. "You."

I appreciated that he was trying to keep my mind off of Bucky. I needed things to keep me busy, and Operation Rebirth was just the thing. "What exactly is it that we're doing?" Steve asked me.

"Come on. I'll tell you on the way there. Get your things. If everything goes right, you won't be back here for a while," I said.

That seemed to be enough to get him to move. He started packing up his things once more, and this time I helped him. While we moved we talked about all sorts of things. He told me about his graduation, how he'd lost his parents, a few girls that he'd been out with, and the last few times that he tried to enlist. We woke up his neighbors laughing about all of the places that he'd been beaten up and how many times that Bucky had managed to save him. It took us nearly thirty minutes to get all of his things together, and I waited as he changed into his uniform.

We needed to get moving as soon as possible. Camp Lehigh was almost an hour's drive and I didn't want to make him late on the first day. Once I'd closed his bag, I turned back to him. "You ready to go?" I asked.

He was fixing a few pieces of his uniform. "Ready," Steve called back to me.

He walked back over to me and I smiled brightly. He was wearing the same thing that Bucky had been when I'd first seen him at Camp Lehigh. It was almost funny that Steve was following in his footsteps. "You look the part," I told him.

"Good," he said nervously. I walked over to him and straightened out his tie, smiling when he gave me a bashful grin. "I guess I'm just afraid that they're going to tell me no the second that I get there."

"Would it make me a bad person if I said that I hope that they say no?" I asked him.

Steve turned to me and laughed. "No. It would make you a good friend." He clearly knew that I was still upset. "Hey, come here."

Even though I was normally as strong as could be, this was a rare moment where I allowed myself to be weak. Maybe it was because it was Steve. I'd always wanted to be so strong for Bucky - who was always strong. But Steve, he'd always been willing to show us his weaknesses. Maybe that was the reason that I didn't feel so weird being weak around him. It was almost nice to have someone that I was able to show just a hint of humanity around. Not the perfect specimen that I'd always told myself that I needed to be.

It was a big relief when Steve's actions cut off my thoughts. He grabbed me once more and pulled me into another tight hug. It still felt strange to know that he was taller than me now. He used to always be so short. But if he went into the Vita-Ray Chamber, he'd be much taller. And stronger. That would be odd to get over. And hard to explain to Bucky. I leaned into Steve's shoulder with a small sigh, wrapping my arms around his small waist. I knew that he was as worried for Bucky as I was. For this one moment, I wasn't concerned. Because I was right in between the two boys that meant the most in the world to me.

It was a long time before he finally let me go. I pushed him back gently and handed him my bag, motioning to the door. "Come on. We should head out to Camp Lehigh," I called back to him.

The two of us made our way into the driveway and tossed his bag into the back seat. Once it was secure, Steve hopped into the passenger seat and I jumped into the driver's seat, revving the engine and beginning the trip back to Camp Lehigh. We listened to the radio and reminisced on old times for a little while, laughing and enjoying the fact that we were back together after so long. I could tell that the entire time, Steve was trying to see if I was okay. But I was. And I would continue to be fine until something happened that would make me otherwise.

I was humming along to a song that Peggy had taught me when Steve spoke once more, forcing me to turn off the radio. "Can you tell me anything about training?" he asked me.

Grimacing slightly, I shook my head. As much as I wanted to see Steve succeed, I wasn't allowed to show favoritism. The same way that I'd had to act with Bucky. "Not really. But I can be honest with you, if you'd like that?" I offered.

"Of course."

Taking a deep breath, I searched for the best explanation of the recruitment phase of Operation Rebirth that I could possibly find. "You're being placed in a shortened version of basic training for consideration on the government-funded project, Operation Rebirth. To put it simply, we're making the world's first super-soldier," I explained.

Steve stared at the road for a long while as he contemplated my words. Finally he managed to gather his thoughts. "Have you seen me lately, Vic?" Steve asked.

Even though he was completely serious, I laughed. "Stop," I said, whacking him gently on the arm. "Abraham wouldn't have brought you for consideration unless he thought that you were capable." I knew what Abraham was thinking. Steve was the perfect choice, mentally. And I still had my theory that the serum would have a more dramatic effect on someone smaller, less physically able. "One of you will be chosen. The others will be sent through basic training and deployed," I told him.

Steve mulled over my words for a while. "So I'll still be eligible even if I'm not picked?" he asked.

And here we go... I would have to tell him the truth. This was his one shot to get to do something good with his life, at least having to do something in the Army. I really wanted it to work out for him. "I have to be honest, Steve, if you're not picked you'll be sent back home and discharged from the Army," I admitted.

"I'm going to be sent back," Steve said, already defeated.

Shaking my head at him, I grabbed his hand tightly as I drove through the winding roads. "Now that's not true," I told him.

I honestly believed that. He was my number one candidate - as much as I didn't want him to go into the chamber - and he was clearly Abraham's, too. "It is, Vic. If I'm gonna be compared to all of the other men out there, there's no way that I'll be picked," Steve said.

"It's not, now be quiet," I snapped at him. Any response that Steve might have had to my instance that he wouldn't be chosen died on his lips. "Listen to me. We've been looking at potential candidates for a few weeks now. There are about ten men that are in the running. Abraham Erskine is the leader of the project. You are the only person that he's picked himself," I said truthfully.

Steve looked absolutely shocked by this new revelation. "I am?" he asked me.

Giving him a small smile, I nodded. I had a feeling that whoever Abraham wanted would be going into that chamber. No matter what anyone else said. After all, he was the mind behind it. "You are. He meant what he said. There are so many big men fighting the war, maybe what we need is a little guy. There will be others that will help decide who goes into the chamber - myself included - but Abraham is the reason that we're even ready for this. It'll be you. I have faith," I told him.

Steve smiled at me gratefully, starting a sneezing fit. I sighed and rolled up the windows. His allergies had always been bad. "Thanks, Vic." I knew that he meant both for the window and for my comment that I had faith in him. "What's gonna happen to make me - whoever - the soldier?" he asked after a few seconds.

He already was starting to have faith that it would be him. It was nice to see. "A lot of science that I don't have the time or energy to explain," I said. I could tell that Steve didn't mind that I was leaving out the science. "Overall, you'll be stronger, faster, and smarter. Every bit the perfect soldier. You've got the attitude for it, we just need to give you skills."

"Attitude?" he asked.

"Yeah," I told him with a small smile. "I've never met a better person than you." And it was the truth. As much as I loved Bucky, there would never be someone with a better heart than Steve. "You've got all of the right ideals, this country, it needs someone like you."

As always, he wouldn't be the center of attention for long. "Needs someone like you, too," he told me.

Hopefully that was the truth. But that was a long ways off. Maybe Steve and Bucky would be watching from the next life when people finally realized that I was useful, not a monster. "Maybe one day they'll realize that," I teased.

We both laughed as we roared down the road. We were slowly getting closer to Camp Lehigh and I was excited to see how Steve enjoyed being there. "I really am happy to see you again, Vic," Steve said, looking over at me. I smiled at the road. "It's been so long. But you came back and it felt like nothing's changed. You're still the same."

"I suppose that I am," I said softly. So much had changed about me, but in the end, I was the same old Victoria. "But, I don't know, on one hand it feels like everything is so different. Look at you!" I cried out, motioning over to him. "You're in the running to become the world's first super-soldier."

I almost wanted him to be chosen just so I could see what he would look like. "I think you'll still manage to beat me up," Steve joked.

"Damn straight," I said proudly.

Again, we lapsed into a comfortable silence. It was one of the ways that we were. We could sit in silence for hours and be perfectly content. "How did Bucky seem when you left him this morning?" Steve asked me.

I knew that partly he was asking for my own sake, to see if I was really not as steady as I let on. But on the other hand, I was sure that he actually wanted to know how Bucky was. After all, they were brothers. "He seemed okay. Ready to go. I think that he's thinking that the sooner he leaves, the sooner he'll be back," I said.

"He will be back," Steve said. I knew that he was trying to convince both of us.

"I know," I told him. I had to tell someone the entire truth about me. I wanted someone to know. If someone was going to know, I wanted it to be him. "He said that he'd write the minute that he got settled. I told him that I'd keep you updated on everything that I could."

"Did he tell you? Before he left?" Steve asked me after a few beats.

My head snapped over to him. I knew what he meant. He was asking me whether or not Bucky had told me that he loved me. I narrowed my eyes at Steve. And they say that girls are the gossipers... "That he loved me?" I asked for clarification. Steve nodded at me. "Yeah. He did."

"Please tell me that you said it back."

Laughing loudly, I shoved Steve gently. He knocked himself over to the side and I took a moment to steady the car back on the road. "Of course I did." A small smile fell over Steve's face. "I do love him. I think I always have. But I also told him that he damn well better come back, or I'll kill him myself."

We both laughed at that. Of course, it wasn't a joke. If he died out there I'd find his body, shock his heart to bring him back to life, and kill him myself. "He'll come back. He's got unfinished business," Steve told me.

Forcing myself not to read his mind to see what he meant, I turned over towards Steve. He was giving me a bright smile. Something that told me that I was very clearly being left out of something. "What?" I asked dumbly.

Steve smiled at me once more. "You'll see," he said simply.

Knowing that he wasn't going to change his mind about telling me what he meant, I decided to change directions. "Well, since mine is gone for now, we'll simply have to work on your love life," I teased.

"At an Army base?" Steve asked me.

"Yep!"

"That can't be good."

Since I had no one to keep me out of trouble at Camp Lehigh - and to pay Peggy back for all of the times that she'd mortified me about Bucky - I was going to get her with Steve. "Of course it's not. Come on, Steve, we're like brother and sister. You know that I'm going to find you someone to be with." He smiled at me. I knew that he was lonely. He was the kind of guy that would make a wonderful husband and father. I knew that he wanted that. "And, of course, I'll have to like her," I teased.

Good for him that I already had a girl in mind, and I was quite fond of her already. "Wouldn't dream of being with someone that you or Bucky didn't approve of," Steve told me.

We both laughed as we chatted back and forth for the rest of the ride. He was no fool, he knew that I had someone in mind for him. He kept trying to get me to admit it to him but I was keeping my mouth shut. I did promise that the woman that I had in mind was not like Connie or Bonnie - something that had made the both of us laugh. I knew that he hadn't been fond of either of them and I knew that Steve and Bucky had both thought that it was funny that my charming personality had driven them off.

It really was good that I'd managed to walk into Bucky's apartment all of those years ago. They were the only two people in the world that thought that it was funny that I had always been like this. They always thought that it was funny that I was not the woman that wanted a family and a house, to take care of the kids, to never get a job. No, I was the woman that wanted to make a difference in the world, I was the woman that could care less about a family or hosting nice dinner parties. I didn't own a single nice thing, I didn't know how to cook, and I was about as friendly as Chester on a bad day.

But somehow they had both decided that I was the girl that they wanted to keep in their lives. Bucky and Steve had both had other women and other people in their lives before. They'd had more friends, but most of them had fallen out of touch with after high school. Bucky had dated a few other girls, but they'd all come and gone fast enough. But I was the one that had always stayed. Even after everything that had happened between the three of us, they had always wanted me in their lives. It made a small smile fall over my face as we drove up the road to Camp Lehigh. I watched Steve's face with a smile as we unpacked his bags and walked him up to the front gate.

Motioning him over to the S.S.R. check-in desk, I handed Steve back his bags and took a step back. I didn't want to already be looking like I was favoring someone. "Check in, alright? I gotta go see a few people and let them know that I'm back. I'll see you tomorrow morning for training. Try not to get into any fights in the meantime," I teased.

He smiled at me and walked up to the desk, dropping his bags at his side. "I've got you to save me if I do," Steve called back to me. I smiled as I walked away. He had saved me all of those years ago, I would always be there to save him.

All around me, people were going back and forth, tripping over each other and trying to find where they were supposed to check in. As it was almost three months ago, most of the recruits stopped to give me a long look. I rolled my eyes at the thoughts that were directed towards me. Although there were a few that stopped me to ask for directions - all of which I happily gave. I tried to ignore the fact that they were only speaking to me because they wanted a chance with me. I searched all over the place for Chester or Peggy, but they were nowhere to be found. I assumed that they were busy getting ready for fall-in tomorrow.

Finally a familiar face crossed my path. Howard was walking straight towards me, giving me a bright smile. We met in the middle of the path that we were walking on, giving each other a brief smile. "There you are, pretty lady," Howard greeted.

"Sorry for leaving without notice yesterday. I had things to take care of," I told him.

Howard nodded at me, walking with me towards the recruitment tents. "I know, Victoria. You had to say goodbye," I nodded solemnly. He was being relatively polite, but I knew Howard, it wouldn't last for long. "I noticed that you didn't come back to camp last night. Did you have a better goodbye than he was hoping for?" he teased.

There it is... "Shut up!" I barked, accidentally drawing some attention from the recruits that sent us strange looks. Howard was grinning at me, probably glad that he had bothered me. "No. Steve and Bucky live together. We stayed in their living room and spent the night like we used to when we were kids." Howard nodded. "I took him to the train station this morning and just got back to camp with Steve a few minutes ago," I said, motioning back to the recruitment desk where he was standing.

Howard's eyes scanned over the recruits for a moment before he spotted the man that I was looking at. His eyebrows immediately knitted together. "Scrawny guy over there?" he finally asked me.

Sending a little shock towards his ass - making him howl in pain and glare at me - he immediately stepped back when he saw the sparks that still lingered on the edge of my fingers. Steve was my best friend, I would always protect him. I knew that Howard hadn't meant it to be offensive, he'd merely been surprised. He stepped off when he realized just how protective I was of Steve.

"Watch your mouth," I hissed.

Howard cleared his throat and brushed back his hair, straightening himself out. Even though he'd just bothered me, we were friends. He wrapped my arm over his as we walked through the camp. "He's a part of Operation Rebirth?" he asked lowly.

We didn't need anyone knowing what we were talking about. "He's a candidate," I explained.

"How?" Howard immediately asked. Upon my glare, he paled and held up his free hand to me. "No offense to your friend but he doesn't exactly look like super-soldier material."

Letting out a deep sigh, I nodded. He didn't look like a Soldier right now, but with the serum, he would. "I know. But it's like Abraham said. We have so many big men fighting the war. Maybe we need a little guy." Howard smiled and nodded. "He's got the best heart that you'll ever see in someone."

"Well we need that." We walked over towards the recruitment tent that Chester would be in, but before we could make it that far, Howard stopped me. He wore an extremely devilish smile. "He single?" he asked me.

"You interested?" I teased. I knew that he was thinking the same thing that I was. Peggy.

Howard rubbed his hands together and nodded playfully at me. "Definitely. Scrawny. Pale. Sickly. Just my type." We both laughed loudly, drawing more attention from the recruits. I rolled my eyes. We would be back to the rumors that something was going on between Howard and I in no time. "Agent Carter; she's still single, isn't she?" Howard asked once we'd settled down.

I hummed and nodded happily. "Oh good. Just what I was thinking. You two were so terrible with Bucky and I when he was here. Time to repay the favor." Howard knew that I would do something like this. Now I just needed to find a girl for him. He was not going to be a single womanizer forever. "I've got your help, huh?" I asked.

"It would be my genuine pleasure," Howard said with a bright smile.

It was one that I returned. "Good," I told him with a bright smile. We headed back over to the tent, but I stopped Howard before we got too close. "You gonna be here this week?"

Howard shook his head at me and I sighed. I had been hoping that he would be around. "No, I'll be in town. We're moving the Vita-Ray Chamber over there to set it up and get ready for the experiment next week." I nodded at him. "Can you come by at the end of next week? After they decide who's going to be our first subject," he added.

"Sure. Why?" I asked curiously.

"I'll miss you," he told me.

Laughing softly, I gave him a gentle shove and nodded. I'd probably need a little distraction as the reality of Bucky being gone sunk in. "I'll be there. I'm going to go let Chester and Peggy know that I'm back. I'll see you next week. Good luck on the final fine-tuning for the chamber," I told him, waving him off.

He nodded back at me before heading off. I would miss him being around, but I'd manage. We both had jobs to do, and Howard's was ensuring that the Vita-Ray Chamber would be ready in two weeks. It would be a little awkward if we had the Soldier but no way to put him through the process. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the tents to search for Chester. An older man, Holden, told me that he was by the offices and I groaned. Of course he was.

Thanking Holden for telling me where he was, I turned back and headed the other way. I gave Howard another wave as he got into one of his many cars, and I headed back through camp. Once more I passed through the recruits that were all waiting around, waiting for their directions on where to go and what to do. I walked back through the S.S.R. tent and smiled at Steve. He was speaking to a few of the Drill Sergeants that looked shocked to see someone like him. I almost felt terrible for him. No one would take him seriously until he went through the serum. Maybe not even then.

I walked past their tent and towards the offices that were set up near the front of camp. Just as Holden had promised, Chester was sitting and reading the recruit files. "Hey, old man," I greeted.

Chester waved off the other men that were standing around him and they all left. We were left with it just the two of us as I took the files and began to flip through them myself. "Where'd you get off to last night?" he asked, by way of greeting.

"Relax," I told him, knowing what he meant even though I didn't read his mind. I walked over and hopped up onto his desk that he attempted to shoo me away from. I merely ignored him. "Steve and Bucky live together. They offered to let me stay there last night so that I didn't have to drive back and forth. I fell asleep on the couch. Nothing happened," I said honestly.

He did not seem to believe me. "That so?" Chester asked me.

Glaring at him, I nodded. "I am many things, old man, a liar is not one of them," I snarled.

He nodded at me and took a seat in his large chair. He was one of the few people that would never be afraid of me. Chester flipped through his papers for a while before saying, "I still don't like him."

"I know," I said, a small smile falling over my face.

He would never like Bucky. But that was just because he didn't like the fact that he held the power to hurt me. The only person that did... Chester was glancing off into the distance. He glanced down at the files for a moment before glancing back up. "That scrawny kid over there," he said, pointing over to Steve. "That's Steven Rogers?"

"Yeah. That's him."

"Erskine wants him?"

"He does."

Chester stared at him for a moment and I looked up with him. Steve had been handed a bundle of sheets and things that he would need, almost immediately dropping them. I cringed as I watched the other recruits laugh and Steve panic, trying to gather all of his things back in his arms. Bad timing, Steve.

Shaking his head at Steve, he looked back over to the file. "No," he told me.

Taking his pen and placing it at the edge of the paper, probably to write a nasty note about Steve, I brought forward a gust of wind and pushed his hand away from the paper. He glared at me for interrupting his work. "He'll do well," I argued.

Chester through his arm back to where Steve was trying to gather his papers that had all flown everywhere. "He'll break like a twig," Chester snapped at me.

Hoping that Chester wouldn't notice, I held the breeze steady, allowing Steve to gather his papers, before letting the gentle breeze return. "The whole point of the super-soldier serum is to ensure that he doesn't break like a twig. He'll be fine. He's Abraham's favorite, and mine, too. You're only one voice," I told Chester.

We were silent for a long while, myself taking notes and Chester watching me. I knew that he wanted to ask me how I was, so I turned to him and sighed, letting him know that he might as well ask. "How are you doing?" he said.

"I'm fine, I wish everyone would stop asking," I snapped.

To my surprise, Chester gave me a very sad stare and grabbed my hand. "We're concerned," he told me.

"Don't be," I told him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. He smiled at me and gave me a small hug, one of the few times that he had really shown me open affection. "I'll manage. He's fine, he'll be back home in a few months. In the meantime, I've got things to keep me busy." He nodded at me as I hopped off of the desk. "I'm gonna go see Peggy. I'll see you tomorrow. Where is she?"

Chester glanced up and motioned back to the barracks. "Your room, I think."

"Thanks! See you tomorrow," I called out.

He waved me off and went back to his work. As I walked out of the tent I motioned for the other men to walk back in. They knew that they were allowed now that I was gone. They went back in and immediately went back to work. I walked back through the halls and yawned, heading straight back to the dorms. I was exhausted. My previous night hadn't been good for sleep, and I'd been awake for weeks beforehand, paranoid over what would happen to Bucky. I headed through the halls, saying hello to a few of the women that lived in the same barracks, and walked into my room.

Nothing had moved. "Peggy!" I called into the bathroom. The door was closed. "You in here?"

"Vic! I'm in the bathroom, give me a moment," Peggy called back. The bathroom door unlocked and I watched as Peggy walked out, smiling at me. "Welcome back, love."

She moved over to me and we wrapped each other in a tight hug. We stood together for a moment before releasing each other. Peggy grabbed my hand and walked me over to her bed. We took a seat on the edge of the bed and settled into our spots. "Good to be back," I told her with a small smile, laying one of her pillows over my lap.

Peggy leaned back and laid a quilt that her grandmother had made her over the two of us. "Where were you last night? Saying goodbye to Barnes?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Why did everyone think that something like that had happened? "You and Howard are far too alike. No!" I barked at her, whacking her over the head with a pillow. She laughed loudly. "We went back to his apartment afterwards. He lives with our friend Steve. The three of us grew up together. We just spent the night like we did all of those years ago and fell asleep on the couch," I told her.

She was smiling at me with a bright grin. I knew that she liked hearing me talk about my life as a normal person. She wanted me to be happy just like everyone else. "That sounds nice," she said.

"It was."

We were silent for a few moments until Peggy spoke once more. I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing what she was going to say well before she actually said it. "So -"

"If you ask me how I'm doing, I'm going to kill you," I spoke over her.

Peggy held up her hands in defeat and sighed at me. "Okay, okay. I just want to make sure that you know that he's going to come back to you," she told me softly.

"I know that he is. He promised."

Peggy laid a hand on my knee and I scooted into her, laying back on the bed together. For a moment I wondered if this was the way that it would have been like if I'd been normal. If I'd grown up with a sister. "He will. I imagine that after just getting you back, he has no intention to let you go again," she told me with a smile.

We stayed silent for a while as Peggy began to braid pieces of my hair. I allowed her to, knowing that she was waiting to grow out her hair so that she could do it herself. "How were things around here yesterday?" I asked her.

"Wonderfully boring once all of the Soldiers shipped out." I grinned at her. We'd been so busy over the past few weeks that I imagined that a lazy day was probably nice. "Did you see that tiny recruit out there?" she asked after a beat.

It was not hard to tell that she was talking about Steve. I leaned up slightly and glanced over at my shelf. "Have you ever looked at that picture?" I asked her, knowing that she had, pointing at the picture of Steve, Bucky, and I at Coney Island when we were kids.

She followed my finger and stared at the picture for a long while before the recognition finally clicked in her mind. She gave me a bashful smile and I rolled my eyes. "That's... Steven, right?" she asked.

I was mildly impressed that she remembered his name. "Steve. Yeah."

Peggy stared at the picture for a long while before turning back to me curiously. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she wanted to ask me. "I thought that you said that he had ailments that would never allow him to be accepted into the Army?" she asked.

"Exactly," I said with a small smile.

For a while it seemed that she had absolutely no clue what I was talking about. She stared at me for a long time. But finally the realization seeped into her eyes and I nearly laughed. "Oh... Oh my..." she said dumbly. "He's in the running for Operation Rebirth?"

"Yes, he is. And he's Abraham's favorite right now," I told her.

Peggy still didn't seem convinced. I sighed, it was going to be hard to get everyone to get behind Steve for being the world's first super-soldier. "Will it even work on him?" she finally asked me.

"I think that it'll work better on him."

"I do hope that you're right."

We sat in silence for a while longer and I allowed her to do my in some fancy twist. It was nothing that I would have ever been able to do. Once she'd pinned it together, I shot upright, startling her slightly. "Oh! And in the meantime, I found someone for you," I told her.

Peggy groaned. "Not a recruit?" she asked.

Grinning at her, I shrugged. "Sort of. But better than a recruit. I saw him again yesterday," I informed her.

I was more than a little curious to see if she would catch on to what I meant. "You weren't even gone for a day. How did this possibly happen?" Peggy asked me. I grinned at her brightly, trying to goad her into realizing what I was talking about. She glared at me for a moment before it began to fade. "Oh... You mean Steve."

Sighing at her, I went to argue my case about what a good person Steve really was. Any girl would be lucky to have him. "Don't let the facade trick you. Steve is a wonderful guy," I told her.

"I'm not that shallow!" Peggy cried, clearly affronted that I'd assumed that she didn't want to be with him just because of the way that he looked. I blushed and nodded at her. "I don't care what he looks like. Even so, if he goes through that procedure, he'll come out stronger. As for now, he's adorable, Vic. He really is." I grinned at her. He was. "But I don't even know him."

"Exactly," I chirped brightly. "You're going to get to know him."

She groaned at me as I stood and changed, putting on my normal training clothes. "Why is this happening?" Peggy asked me as she handed me the things that I needed.

"Payback for everything about Bucky," I barked at her.

"But you liked him!" she argued.

She might not know it yet, but I did, she was going to end up liking Steve. I would make it my goal while Bucky was deployed. "And you're going to like Steve, I promise," I told her. She rolled her eyes at me as I gathered my boots, pulling them back onto my feet. "In the meantime, come on. I'm starving," I told her, yanking her along with me.

Peggy laughed and walked with me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder. "I can't believe that I missed you, even for a moment," she told me. Of course, we both knew that it was only a joke.

For both of us, we'd always gotten along with the boys better than we'd gotten along with the girls. That was why it was so nice for us to be around each other. For once, we weren't the odd people out. We didn't like cooking, or cleaning, or the thought that we were less than the men. We deemed each other equal, and when a man disputed that, we worked together to show them their rightful place.

Together we headed into the dining hall to get an early dinner. We laughed loudly the entire time, getting to know some of the recruits. Each time that one of them would leave I would tell Peggy what they'd really been thinking. It was a fun game for us. I really did enjoy myself, knowing that as hard as it was for Bucky to be gone, this was at least a chance for me to get closer to Peggy. I'd never really had a good friend like her before, not a woman, at least, so it was nice for the two of us to be together.

Once we had finished with our dinner we went back to the barracks. It was nice for once to just be girls. We laughed about everything that I could possibly think of. Mostly the recruits that thought that they were so tough. That was always amusing. For most of the night we simply sat together and enjoyed ourselves. More than once we had one of our neighbors yelling at us to be quiet. It didn't matter. It was one of the few times that I didn't want to get up and tear apart the camp. I merely wanted to lay in bed and enjoy being a girl with my best friend. At the end of the night, far later than we should have gone to bed, I laid down and curled up with Snowball.

Unfortunately, when the morning came, it felt like I'd barely been asleep for ten minutes. I groaned and flipped out of the bed, ducking into a roll and springing back up in front of my dresser. Peggy was watching me with wide eyes and I gave her a little wink, grabbing my clothes. She laughed at me and snorted, grabbing her own clothes. We needed to get ready to train the recruits. It was different this time. We were looking for someone to take the mantle as the first person to go through Operation Rebirth.

Peggy was dressed very much appropriately for a military professional. Particularly a woman. She was wearing a form-fitting green suit. Her skirt fit her perfectly and fell appropriately at her knees. The jacket was perfectly fitted with a white collared-shirt underneath. Her hair was perfectly curled, too, even with a few pins holding it back. She stared at my outfit and snorted. I was wearing a blue-knit shirt that had sleeves a quarter of the way from the bottom of my arms. On my legs were a pair of white pants that flowed slightly. My black military boots were underneath it, scuffed from running around. My hair was pulled into a very messy bun.

All in all, I looked nowhere near as put together as she did. I was in the bathroom, trying to fix myself and look a little more presentable. It was not working. "Victoria! Come on!" Peggy shouted at me.

I walked out into the main room and groaned. "Can't we just not and say we did?" I asked her.

Peggy smiled at me and shook her head. "That would be nice. Now, move it," she ordered.

We both walked over together, groaning as we walked out of the hallway and out to the line of men for Operation Rebirth. They were separated slightly from the rest of the camp due to the classified nature of the recruitment process. I smiled at Peggy as we looked them over. Steve was standing in the middle of the men, completely dwarfed by the others. There were eight men in consideration for Operation Rebirth and I nearly laughed. They all looked like normal recruits, save Steve. That was exactly why I liked him. We walked up together and I stood next to Abraham, who was here to watch the recruits.

"Shall we?" Peggy asked.

The men were looking over the three of us. I noticed that their eyes lingered on Peggy and myself far longer than average. As usual, their thoughts were not appropriate. "Do we have to?" I groaned to her.

Both Abraham and Peggy laughed at my reluctance. "Unfortunately. Arm wrestle for who has to speak to them?" she teasingly offered.

Snorting at her, I shook my head. That would be an absolutely terrible idea. "I'd win, and I'd break your arm in the process. Since I like you, we'll just go ahead and say that you have to speak," I told her.

"Damn mutant," Peggy said, low enough that no one else would have heard. I nudged her roughly forward and she sent me a playful glare. The recruits were all chatting back and forth. "Recruits, attention!" The moment that Peggy spoke, the men jumped to attention. A man behind us was carrying the files. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division. This is Sergeant Phillips, she also supervises operations for this division and heads the genetics division," she introduced me.

I gave the men a polite nod. To my pleasure, I noticed Steve was looking at her with a small smile. "What's with the accent, Queen Victoria? Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army," a stupid-looking man in the middle on the lineup called to Peggy.

There was scattered laughter as Peggy halted in front of him. "Every time," I heard her thoughts call out to me.

"Go get 'em girl," I thought back to her.

"What's your name, soldier?" Peggy asked.

"Gilmore Hodge, your majesty."

"Step forward, Hodge," Peggy ordered. He gave his friends a little smile before walking forward towards her. As they spoke, files were handed out to the other men. "Put your right foot forward."

Hodge leaned into her slightly and I felt the sparks fly on my fingertips. "We gonna wrestle? 'Cause I gotta a few moves I know you'll like," he told her. He gave her a quick move and that was it. She reared back and punched him directly in the face, causing him to fall backwards into the dirt. I snorted loudly and spotted Steve grinning.

"Agent Carter," Chester called.

Peggy turned back and saluted him. "Colonel Phillips."

As he walked up, he glanced over at me and I scoffed. I wasn't saluting him. He didn't seem to mind. His attention was quickly drawn back to Hodge. "I can see that you are breaking in the candidates, that's good. Get your ass up out of that dirt, and stand up in that lineup at attention until somebody comes and tells you what to do," Chester ordered.

Hodge was quick to get on his feet and hold his head high. Blood was already beginning to drip from his nose. "Yes, Sir."

Chester sighed as he walked up and down the line. "General Patton has said, 'Wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men.' We are going to win this war, because..." his voice trailed off when he spotted Steve, "...we have the best men. And because they're gonna get better. Much, better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an allied effort. Made up with the best minds of the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, we will chose that man. He'll be the first of a new breed of super soldiers. And they, will personally escort Adolph Hitler through the gates of hell. Victoria," Chester called me forward.

I gave the men another nod as I walked forward and down the line. "As Agent Carter said, I'm Sergeant Phillips. Today you'll be with me in the labs. We'll be doing some blood work and basic examinations. We need to know everything about your physicality before considering you to participate in Operation Rebirth. Next week we'll begin sending you out onto the field for training," I said.

Even though I was on the other end of the lineup, I heard Hodge loud and clear. "I could show her all of my physicality," he whispered to his friend.

Not bothering to turn back to Hodge, I called out. "Speak a little louder Hodges, I don't think the whole class could hear you," I said.

His face paled when he realized that I'd heard him. "Do it," Chester's thoughts called out.

"Do you have something to say to me?" I asked, coming to stand in front of Hodge.

He looked back and forth down the line, but no one made his eye contact. They were the smart ones. Hodge scoffed at me and nodded. "Yeah, actually, I do. No wonder the Army is still the weakest link of the military when we got ladies like you training us. No offense, you're pretty birds, but how much can you really teach us?" he asked me.

There's always one. "Step forward. I'll show you," I told him, motioning him back further away from the line than Peggy had.

"I'll be ready for the hit this time," Hodge said.

It was a good thing that I wasn't thinking about punching him. I had a much more effective plan. Peggy's demonstration had been to startle the recruits, this was going to ensure that they didn't act out of line. I reared back to pretend to throw a punch, and as expected, Hodge went to grab my arm. Before I would have hit his arm, I dropped down to the ground and swept out his legs from underneath him. He hit the ground and groaned in surprise. But I was not done.

Leaving my hands on either side of his right arm, I went into a front flip over his body, tightened my hands around his arm as I came upright, and wrenched him upwards with me. He staggered backwards away from me, clearly unnerved by the sudden movement. I allowed him a moment to throw a blind hit at me - that I easily ducked away from - before raising my leg and kicking him in the chest. It was nowhere near as hard as I could have. He was thrown back and hit the ground again, this time completely knocking the wind from him. I knew that he was seeing stars. In the background I could see Steve - and the other recruits - smiling.

"Off of your ass this instant, recruit," I ordered.

It left no room for argument. I'd break his arm if he disagreed. "Yes, ma'am," Hodge muttered, awkwardly coming to a stand, swaying back and forth dizzily.

"As you can see, Agent Carter and my daughter are what you'll be hoping to live up to while you're here," Chester called out.

"Line up for the labs. You'll be called in when I need you," I barked at the recruits.

They needed no more incentive to leave the area. In a sudden panic, all of the recruits went flying from the area and towards the lab. Abraham laughed at me before heading off towards his office. Peggy and Chester both walked up to me before I went to work. "Did you break his ribs?" Peggy asked me. It sounded like she'd wanted me to.

I did, too. But I hadn't figured that Chester would have liked me injuring one of the candidates too much. "I thought about it," I told her honestly.

"Well done," Chester told me.

"Thank you."

"Don't see why we need a super-soldier when we've got you," Peggy said.

Chester and I both laughed at that. "See? That's what I've been saying this entire time," I teased. Once more, everyone laughed. I took in a deep breath and waved them off. I had things to do in the meantime. "Alright, gotta get this done, I'll see you tonight," I called back to Peggy.

It took me most of the afternoon to do all of the blood work. Steve was the last person into the labs. I had ensured to plan it that way so at least I could have someone to amuse me before the day was over. Considering Steve was going to be so busy with training and Howard was no longer around camp, things were much more boring. Peggy was usually at work and Chester was way too busy. It made me miss the days when Bucky was around and I could find ways to sneak off with him.

While I worked in the labs I did get the chance to speak with a few of the recruits. Some of them weren't half-bad. I didn't bother to learn their names. Chances were that they would be gone in no time, normal recruits once more. There was a man with glasses that wasn't too bad. Other than that, I wasn't a fan. Steve finally walked into the lab and I smiled at him. He looked exhausted. I knew that the endless paperwork was no fun. I waved him over to the table and motioned him to hop up onto it. He automatically rolled up his left sleeve to let me get to work.

I was preparing the syringe when Steve spoke to me. "Where did you learn to do that?" he asked.

I knew that he was asking me where I'd learn to do what I'd done to Hodge earlier. Grinning at him, I shook my head. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you," I teased. He laughed too. "There's all sorts of things that you don't know about me, my friend."

A lump formed in my throat that I swallowed. Maybe when I told Bucky I'd tell Steve too. Didn't they both deserve to know? Thankfully Steve's voice called me from my thoughts. "I don't doubt that. It was impressive. Hodge deserved it," he told me.

He had deserved so much more than that. "I know. I thought about breaking his ribs, but I didn't think that Chester would be too fond of me doing that," I said.

"I would have cheered you on."

Smiling at him, I nodded. "I know." Cleaning the area around Steve's arm, I gently pushed the syringe into his arm and began to draw the blood. He cringed and I immediately felt terrible. "Sorry, but we have to do this."

"No. It's okay. It doesn't hurt," Steve told me.

"Liar."

He smiled at me and nodded. "Yeah." He let me take two vials of blood, watching as the liquid drained from his body. "Are you gonna be around this week?" he asked me.

"I'll be in and out," I told him. And it was the truth. For a while I would be back and forth. There was a lot to do in these next two weeks before we gave the first test of Operation Rebirth. "You'll see me more next week for actual physical training. I'll be watching over you all to help make the decision on who becomes our test subject."

Steve nodded at me as I pulled the last vial of blood away, immediately handing him over a bottle of water. "Who else makes the decision?" he asked me as I began to clean the small wound.

I made sure to be completely thorough with him. The last thing that I needed was him to get an infection. "A few of us. Howard Stark, Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter, Dr. Erskine, and myself. There are a couple others. The Drill Sergeants that watch you guys. But Abraham will have the most sway," I told him.

"Essentially it will be whoever he picks?"

Grinning at him, I nodded. That was exactly why it was going to be Abraham. "Pretty much." Helping him roll down the sleeve, I motioned him over towards the door. Okay, Soldier, you are done. Head out. There are other things that you need to take care of today. Paperwork and whatnot. Here," I said, handing him over a cookie and pouch of juice. "Take some food and a drink. Stay out of the heat for today."

"Yes, Doc," Steve teased.

Smiling at him, I offered him a hand down and nudged him towards the door. "You'll thank me when you're not passing out from heat exhaustion," I said.

He smiled at me and nodded. He was almost to the door when he turned back to me. "Vic?" Steve called. I hummed back to him. "Do you really think that I have a chance?"

Turning back to him, I walked over and wrapped him in a hug before pulling back and holding onto his forearms. "I do. I'm rooting for you. This - This is both of our chance to do something," I said, motioning around us.

Steve smiled at me and nodded, brushing back a few stray hairs. "Thanks, Vic. We're gonna do something good in this world," he said.

"That we are. Get out of here. I don't want to get shouted at for taking too long with you," I told him.

Unfortunately, somehow, Steve had still managed to be shouted at. As a matter of fact, he'd gotten yelled at nearly every day since he'd arrived. Not that it bothered him. He took it like a champ. It had been a week since we'd gotten back to Camp Lehigh and things were progressing nicely. The blood work and overall physical assessments of the recruits had already been performed. As expected, Steve was at the bottom of the totem pole. But I was determined that he would work his way up. It was very obvious that no one liked him and that they were all rooting for him to fail, but it didn't matter, he had Abraham on his side.

Over the phone with Howard yesterday, he'd informed Abraham and I that the lab downtown was ready for someone to undergo Operation Rebirth next week. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Things were going to change, but we were still nervous for whoever went into that chamber. It wasn't foolproof. We were essentially rewriting the human genome. What we were doing was extremely dangerous. But all of the men already knew what they were signing up for. They knew what they were risking.

Today would mark the first day of official training for the men. It was extremely shortened, only one week. But it was simply because we didn't have the time. And if the project worked properly, they wouldn't need training. They'd be the perfect soldier without having to ever be trained. Physical training for the men would begin tomorrow. Today most of the team members would sit and discuss the candidates at full. It was extremely early, just past five in the morning. Peggy had been out all night working on her files. I'd woken up around four, unable to sleep due to stress, both from everything at home and the fear for Bucky.

Wrapping my robe around me, I began to dry off my hair. After setting off the fire alarm last month accidentally, I'd learned to do it the mundane way. "Vic?" I heard Peggy call as she walked into the room.

"I'm over here. I'll be right there." I walked out of the bathroom, still towel-drying my hair. "What's up?" I asked her.

She was holding paperwork and a bundle of letters in her arms. "I was just over at the mailboxes. You had a letter," she told me.

My heart soared. I hadn't heard a peep from Bucky since he'd deployed just over a week ago. "I did?" I asked her.

She smiled at me. She knew that having him away, in one of the most dangerous places to be right now, was taking its toll on me. "You certainly did. Looks like your Soldier misses you already. Here you are," she said, handing the letter over.

"Thanks." I cut open the letter and took a seat on the bed, reading it over. The first line already made me smile.

Vika,

Has my handwriting gotten better? When we were kids you used to tell me that it was atrocious. You told me that you could barely read it. But you used to read my essays anyways and then almost completely rewrite them for me. I would have failed most of my English classes without you. In fact, I would have failed most of my classes without you.

The journey here really wasn't that bad. We rode the train out to the Port of New York and got on the ship that night. We took a freighter to the coast and from there we took the military trucks to Leominster. That's where the base is. We got here not that long ago. It wasn't even twenty-four hours after we said goodbye. I'm not sure how long we're staying here, but it's not that bad. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere. Although we aren't that far from the city. A lot of kids play out here. Sometimes its nice. Makes us forget about things.

We mostly live out of the tents. We don't have much. There's a cot that's a little too small for me. Did you know that I'm apparently one of the taller people in the infantry? I didn't. It's alright though. Makes you realize what's really important. The weather here is freezing! You'd hate it here. My things mostly stay in my bag the entire time. The food is terrible, just in case you were wondering. That's one of the things that I miss. I think that you're a better cook than some of the people here. And that's saying something.

I made some friends here in the 107th. There's Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones. I share a tent with them. You'd love them both. Dugan's got a great sense of humor. He's good for making you laugh even when you can't find anything to laugh about. Gabe speaks both French and German. I keep thinking that you two should never meet. You'd probably say terrible things about me all day long. Gabe's got a good thing going. The men here use him as a translator. I found out that Steve's Dad served in the 107th yesterday. Did you know that?

Now for what I know you're really wondering about. Things aren't that bad here, Vika. We've had a few air raids - which were weird at first - but they've gotten to be normal. Even after only a few days. Yesterday we had two. Today we only had one. There haven't been any bombings to the base yet. We're getting prepared for our first mission. I don't think that I can write what it is, but I'll write to you when it's over. I'll be okay, I promise. They've mostly assigned me as a sniper. I'm a good shot, no matter what you say.

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write. They keep telling us that we're going to start moving around more over the next few weeks. We might end up in some places where there aren't post offices. But I'll keep writing the letters. I'll send them whenever I can.

How are you? How's Steve?

How is everyone else? Please stay out of trouble - I know how much you're drawn to it. Promise you won't do anything stupid. I know, I know, I took the stupid with me. Also, please write me a long letter. The nights are terribly boring when we have nothing to do. I've found myself writing songs to myself. I thought about sending you a song that I wrote, but it's really terrible. Really, honestly, absolutely, terrible. You don't deserve that kind of torture. Not even a Nazi does.

It's getting close to time for us to leave. Don't worry about me, when we're back I'll send you another letter. It'll be fine. I love you, Vika. Keep smiling back home. Give everyone hope. I see it over here. There's hope. We're gonna win this and when I get back home, we'll do whatever you want. Anything. Think about it.

I'll see you soon,  
Bucky.

All I could remember was the woman at the train station. Her husband had died in a routine air raid. The reality had finally sunk in that he was gone and there was a very good chance that he was never coming back. It should have been me. I could have survived out there. Nothing could kill me. I could go out there and destroy all of the enemy forces, but I never could, so I did what I could and trained men to fight and die for our country. Bucky was one of them. He was out there right now - to a place that I'd sent him - already fighting for his life.

In the coming days I might be getting another letter telling me that he was okay. But at the same time, I might not. He had promised me, but even I didn't know what would happen to him out there. It wasn't until Peggy crossed the room and came to sit at my side, wrapping an arm around me and burying my head in her shoulder, that I even realized that I'd begun to cry.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The alarm echoed throughout the room and I groaned, sending it a small shock. It short-circuited the alarm clock and Peggy threw a pillow at me. I knew that it was her alarm and that I had just destroyed it. It was the third or fourth time that I'd destroyed one of them. I gave Peggy a bashful smile and she rolled her eyes as she jumped from her bed and began to get ready. I knew that I should get up and start getting ready, but I couldn't drag myself from the lumpy cot.

Zero Week had passed without incident, something that made Peggy and me extremely grateful. I knew that we were both sick of training the recruits. We wanted to get to dealing with the real reason that we were here, Operation Rebirth. While Peggy had been working on recruit files and dealing with the logistics behind Operation Rebirth, I'd been dealing with the practical recruit welcoming.

Over the past week, we'd given them their uniforms and ID tags, along with the haircuts. We'd also made them sign the confidentiality paperwork. After doing their inoculations and blood work with me, they'd undergone the eye and dental exams. They'd done the one mile, physical assessment test. Steve was, of course, the only one that had failed. The mile time was eight and a half minutes. He'd done it in just over nine and a half minutes. The recruits hated going through the barracks upkeep classes, but they wouldn't enjoy being shouted at for keeping a messy place to live. They'd met the Drill Sergeants two days ago, and yesterday we'd sat down and spoken about the potential candidates. Of course, Steve had been widely ignored.

Today was the start of the shortened training that they would be getting. It wasn't really enough to teach them about fighting in the war, it was more just enough so that we knew what they were capable of. All I knew was that I would be exhausted by the end of the week. We would have to be working together the entire time, and not just with each other, but with the recruits as we watched them prove themselves to us. I knew that just because it was annoying though, it would be worth it. Because we were close to the end of this. In one week we would have our Soldier picked out, and a few days after that, hopefully the world would have its first super-soldier.

Just across the room from me, Peggy was also getting ready. She wasn't dressed up at all today. Well, considering it was Peggy, she was still somewhat dressed up. She always was. It was just the way that she was. I knew that she would be spending the next week helping me mark off what the recruits strengths and weaknesses were. We would be taking notes of everything about them, not just the physical. The recruits needed to know that, too. They needed to know just how important this next week was. These next few days would determine the man that would change the tide of the war.

Once Peggy had walked out of the bathroom, I slipped in. I pulled on a beige jumpsuit that was designed for training. My black boots went on my feet and I smiled. I didn't look that great, but I knew that this would work for all of the moving that I had to do. I sighed as I brushed my hair back and pulled it into a bun. Maybe in twenty years the styles would be a little shorter. It was way too damn hot to be working in crap like this... And I knew that Peggy agreed with me.

After I'd brushed my teeth and washed my face, I walked out of the bathroom and sat sadly at my desk as Peggy finished lacing up her boots. My desk was mostly empty - I tried to keep in clean - but there was one thing that sat in the middle of it. My letter from Bucky last week sat there, almost like it was mocking me. I'd yet to hear from him and it was making me more and more nervous as the days ticked by. He'd told me that he was going on a mission. He'd told me that he would be fine... I was terrified for him, but I refused to try and connect to his mind. If something was wrong I wasn't sure that I wanted to find out that way.

Peggy's voice startled me away from the harsh thoughts. "Victoria, you ready?" she asked softly. She knew that without knowing what had become of Bucky, I was a little distracted.

Smiling at her, I nodded. She didn't need to walk on eggshells around me, but I did appreciate it. "Yeah. Come on," I said, pulling her from the room. "Let's see what we've got to work with," I half-spoke and half-groaned.

"Probably not much," she said.

We both laughed as we walked through the halls of the building. We chirped halfhearted hello's to the receptionists that nurses that lived in the barracks. We were the only women that actually worked directly with the recruits. It meant that most of the other women looked down on us. They thought that we were just trying to be 'one of the boys' which was not particularly false, but we had every capability to do it. We headed over to the recruits, who were all standing around and talking, and we came up to stand next to Chester.

He gave me a little nod and I sighed, knowing that I had no option but to speak to the recruits myself. I always hoped that it would be one of them. "Time to get started. Call it," Chester told me.

Nodding, I took a step forward. "You got it, old man. Recruits!" I called out. They all fell into line and snapped to attention. Clearing my throat, I walked up and down the line. "Welcome to the only week of formal combat training that you will have. Make it work. Show us what you've got. Whatever you can do, give it one hundred percent, and then give it another fifty. Every day this week you'll be demonstrating why we should pick you. At the end of the week we'll sit together and choose one of you. The others will be sent through basic training. Do you understand?" I asked them.

They wouldn't dare say no. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am," the men all said together.

"Good. Get moving!" I barked, the men immediately turning to meet the Drill Sergeants. "Follow the Drill Sergeant orders!"

For a long time I watched the men run back and forth. They were doing a reasonably good job. Well, they were almost all doing a good job. Of course, Steve was always the weakest link. I kept trying to convince myself that he would be just fine. But the doubt had begun to seep into my heart. I had promised Bucky that I would keep Steve safe. Was there a chance that I was sending him to his doom? If that was the last promise that I would ever make to Bucky, I wanted to keep it. I wanted Steve to be just fine until the day that he died - from natural causes.

As the week passed I found myself watching fewer and fewer of the men. Most of them would fall in the middle of the pack. None of them were particularly weak, other than Steve. They would become good foot soldiers. Hodge was very clearly the best of the men. Physically, he was the prime example. And that was exactly the reason that I didn't want him to be the one that was chosen. He didn't have that much to do to him. We needed someone that would make an actual, impressive, physical change. Someone that we would be able to look at and tell that we had changed their molecular structure.

None of them were fascinating me. I knew that it would all change once someone went into the chamber. But, as of right now, nothing seemed to be any different from the last bunch of people that I'd trained. It was so strange to think that Bucky had been so close to being one of the candidates for Operation Rebirth. But he'd been recruited before we'd started electing options, and I would have never let him try. He could be a soldier anyways, this was Steve's one chance.

And speaking of Steve, the entire time that I watched him I wanted to keel over and die. He was horrible. The entire time I wanted to laugh when I watched him. He was so bad that it would almost seem like he was trying to make everyone laugh. But that wasn't the truth... He was really that weak. Everything that he did, he failed, and he progressively got worse and worse. If he was picked, it would take me a long time to get used to a stronger Steve. I knew that none of the other Drill Sergeants were impressed with him.

In the meantime, Hodge was actually doing a very good job. No one liked Hodge, but everyone agreed that he was the best of the recruits. Peggy and I were the only ones that directly worked with the recruits that frequently voiced our opinions that Hodge was worthless, merely a grunt. Abraham was still rooting for Steve, even after seeing how weak he was. I knew that his preference was all based on Steve's mind and attitude. It was the only thing that he had going for him. He was clearly the weakest of the bunch and very clearly having a hard time keeping up with everyone else. The other men all thought that he was here for comic relief.

Nerves has seeped into my stomach that there was a chance that Steve might not be picked. I knew that Chester was constantly putting him down - as were the other Drill Sergeants - and they were all praising Hodge. It hadn't helped is attitude towards the other recruits or himself. I was about ready to gouge out his eyes. But Steve had managed to keep a positive outlook. I knew what he was thinking. That even if he wasn't picked, he wanted to go out proud that he had done everything that could.

While we watched the men train over the long week, Abraham and Peggy hung around and watched them. It was one of the rare times that I actually saw Abraham around the recruits. People always shot him a second glance when they saw him. Abraham was still agreeing with us that Steve was the perfect man. No matter how many times he messed something up, it didn't bother him. Peggy seemed a touch hesitant to put Steve in the chamber, but I knew that she was warming up to him and agreed that it would be whatever Abraham wanted. It helped that I also believed that Steve was the right choice. Chester constantly got into arguments with me about how Hodge was the right person for it. I'd eat my own foot before I let Hodge become the super-soldier.

Currently the men were attempting to climb up a rope net over one side only to get to the top, swing their legs over, climb back down over the other side. I could remember Bucky doing it without a problem. He had flung himself up and over the net and jumped over most of it. I remembered being very impressed as I watched him.

To say that I wasn't impressed by Steve's attempt at the rope course would have been an understatement. Steve was in the middle lane. The men on the right and left of him were speeding up and over the netting. Steve was attempting to pull himself through the netting but his foot kept slipping and his arms were too weak to hoist himself up. Each time he would take a step, he would stumble and collapse back onto the ropes. He was holding up the men behind him, who kept trying to climb around him.

About halfway up the course, to my horror, his right foot ended up getting caught in between two of the ropes. His foot slid through and he was unable to catch himself. I placed my hand on my forehead as he fell from the ropes that the sudden movement ripped his arms free from the ropes above him. He tried to catch himself when he was on his side, but it was too late. He collapsed and fell backwards. His legs were caught in between the ropes and trying extremely hard to not fall and smash his head on the ground. He looked somewhere in between shocked and horrified at his current predicament.

I groaned and pressed my hands to my temples. "He'll manage," Peggy tried to reassure me.

"Don't you patronize me. He's pathetic," I growled at her.

Sergeant Duffy - one of the head Drill Sergeants - saw what had happened to Steve and rolled his eyes. "Rogers! Get up from there," he shouted, marching over to the course.

I didn't bother saying that there was probably no way that he could get up by himself. Chester came up to my side and crossed his arms over his chest. "You honestly think that there's enough serum in the world to make him a real soldier?" he asked me.

"Shut up," I snapped.

Crossing my own arms over my chest, I glanced back and forth to see what was happening. My gaze narrowed when I saw that Hodge was at the very top of the first half of the course. He glanced back and saw that Steve was hanging upside down. I saw the grin spread over his face and I ground my teeth together. We'll see who's laughing in a minute. I brought up a gust of wind and sent it through the course at him. He was unable to hold himself onto the ropes and I watched as he was knocked to the ground. The wind was knocked out of him and he rolled over, coughing and trying to get air back into his lungs. Chester was glaring at me.

The other men were laughing and trying to figure out what had happened. Drill Sergeants began shouting at him to get back up. I shrugged at Chester. "What? They need to be prepared for anything to happen," I said.

Before he got the chance to say something back to me, we were drawn back to Hodge beginning to climb again. Unfortunately, his weight shook the net a little too hard. I was right about Steve not being able to right himself. His legs finally gave way and he was unable to catch himself. He went falling to the ground and splayed out over the ground. His face was already going red as everyone else around the area laughed at his misfortune. He tried to right himself, but I could tell that he wasn't feeling well afterwards.

That wasn't nearly the last unfortunate mishap that Steve had encountered over the past week. There were plenty of little ones; everything from hitting himself in the face with a rifle during a run, to being beaten easily during a combat scenario, to being unable to do a proper pull-up, to falling from a raised log. It wasn't just the physical either. His clothes had been stolen from him, he'd been late because he wasn't able to get ready fast enough, and his bed had been moved from the barracks at least once.

But those weren't nearly as bad as what happened two days later. It was the middle of the day and I'd just come from the labs, ensuring that all coding sequences were correct. As I made my way out to the field yard I noticed that the men were doing the low wire crawl. It was definitely not one of my favorite things to do. Once more, Steve had been placed in the middle row. Two lines were on either side of him. The men were able to quickly crawl through in the other four lanes. They weren't having a tough time. But Steve was barely able to crawl through the mud due to his low muscle mass. And the rifle in his hands wasn't helping.

All of the men were moving very quickly. They were using their elbows and knees to move quickly, barely keeping their stomachs on the ground. That was Steve's problem. He was trying to drag his entire body weight, rather than getting up and shoving himself forward. Steve was barely moving and I knew that the men behind him were trying to shove him along. While he was moving so slowly, they were unable to move too. I rolled my eyes, wishing that he would move just a little bit faster.

Hodge was in the left lane next to him and I watched as he momentarily stopped moving. I watched him curiously to see what he would do. He turned back to stare at Steve and I watched as he kicked the wooden post next to him once. Sparks flew over my hand as I debated stopping his heart. A second kick brought the barbed wire down on top of Steve, very nearly injuring him. My teeth ground together and I started to march over, drawing the attention of Peggy and Sergeant Duffy.

Steve was trying to move, but he was trapped now. Sergeant Duffy stiffened and began stomping over to Steve. "Rogers, get your ass out of that line," he barked.

My blood began to boil. I was so sick of men like him. When I watched someone like Hodge it reminded me of the days that I'd spent hiding in the bathroom from Johnathan Harper. He was always the bully that had made me feel like I wasn't worth anything. But I'd hidden more because I was afraid of what I might do to him. I knew that I could kill him. It was why I'd always avoided him. I was able to defend myself, way too well. But Steve... He was hopeless. And that was the reason that I hated Hodge so much. He prayed on the weak.

"Squad halt!" I shouted. The men that were already done with the course paused and I waited for everyone else to make their way out of the crawl. They were all looking at me curiously. No one ever stopped them in the middle of training. "Hodge, come forward, please." With a typical grin, he moved forward towards me. "Care to explain to me how that post came down?" I asked him.

Hodge shrugged his shoulders at me. "World's an imperfect place, ma'am," he said.

"Really? Because I could have sworn that I saw you kick it," I growled. He was giving me a grin and I sighed, knowing that I couldn't let this one slide. So I grabbed the edges of his shirt and yanked him into me, tearing the stitching slightly. The tension in the area rose dramatically. You could have heard a pin drop. "You listen to me, and you listen to me damn well. Recite the Soldier's Creed to me," I ordered.

He clearly expected me to let go, but I wouldn't. Hodge cleared his throat and awkwardly began. "I am an American Soldier. I am a member of the United States Army – a protector of the greatest nation on earth. Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways..." he trailed off and I knew that he had forgotten it.

I also knew that Steve knew it by heart. "Have you forgotten?" Hodge didn't answer. "I haven't. Let me remind you," I said, clearing my throat and speaking loudly, my voice echoing throughout the camp.

"I am an American Soldier. I am a member of the United States Army – a protector of the greatest nation on earth. Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways creditable to the military service and the nation it is sworn to guard. I am proud of my own organization. I will do all I can to make it the finest unit in the Army. I will be loyal to those under whom I serve. I will do my full part to carry out orders and instructions given to me or my unit. As a soldier, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored profession—that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom for which my country stands. No matter what the situation I am in, I will never do anything, for pleasure, profit, or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, or my country. I will use every means I have, even beyond the line of duty, to restrain my Army comrades from actions disgraceful to themselves and to the uniform. I am proud of my country and its flag. I will try to make the people of this nation proud of the service I represent, for I am an American Soldier."

It was very obvious that Hodge hadn't known it. "Now, you haven't done a damn thing that I believe falls under the Soldier's Creed. It is my mission to ensure that you are not the recruit that we take for Operation Rebirth. You are not a Soldier, you're a bully. March back over to your place, do that crawl another twenty times, do not whine, and do not irritate me again. You think what I did to you before was impressive? You haven't seen a thing yet. Get back in your rightful place and keep yourself together. Do we have an understanding?" I shouted.

Hodge gulped and I felt the fear begin to roll off of him in waves. "Yes, ma'am," he said back, his voice unsteady.

"Not ma'am," I corrected.

I was more than just a woman. I worked in the military and I held a rank that I was very proud of. Hodge cleared his throat and ground out, "Sergeant."

"Damn straight," I hissed back at him. "Get back there." With one, last, snarl, I shoved him back away from me and he stumbled back into his place. I glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at me with wide eyes. "What are you all staring at? Get back to work!" I shouted.

That was all that it took. Everyone immediately began running, trying to get back to whatever it was that they had been doing beforehand. "Move! Now!" Sergeant Duffy barked.

Peggy moved forward to stand next to me. "You should have hit him," she said.

I spoke through gritted teeth. "If I did, I don't think that I would have stopped. Can you take care of things here? I need to take a walk or something," I told her, feeling a little bad.

Peggy nodded at me and motioned me away. "Go ahead. I'll handle things."

Thanking her, I moved off into the woods. Knowing that I was too close to the actual camp, I started off in a dead sprint. I'd been running for about twenty minutes when I finally came to a stop. It hadn't done a thing for me, other than put me in the middle of nowhere. I was now about twenty-two miles away from Camp Lehigh. The woods were silent all around me and I turned back and forth, trying to find an outlet for the energy that had built up around me. Running wasn't enough.

So I turned to the only other thing that I could think to do. Letting out a piercing scream, I allowed the energy to travel from my arms over my hands and out of my fingertips. The electricity shot across the trees, burning and charring them. Two were cut through almost completely and I hissed, running over to one. Giving it a hard kick to the center, the tree snapped and fell to the ground, shaking it. Levitating the trunk, I allowed it to drop, catching it, and tossing it. The three trunk shot up into the air and traveled about fifty feet before colliding with another tree, snapping it in half. As the two trees fell to the ground, the third trunk that had already been sliced by the electricity fell.

Chest heaving - not from exertion but from pent-up energy - I turned and slammed my hands against the trunk of another tree. My vision clouded yellow and I immediately saw the effects. The grass underneath me began to die as trees were broken from the shock of the blast, falling away from me. The blinding flash shot across the clearing and the heat - very briefly reaching fifteen million degrees, the temperature of a nuclear blast - charring everything near me. As I managed to calm down, I realized that plants and animals around me were all dead. Everything around me. Gone.

A sickness fell into my stomach and I backed away, seeing all of the damage that I had caused. It looked horrible. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb. I conjured up as much water as I could and saturated the ground before backing away and swallowing one of the pills that Howard had created for me. I swallowed it quickly and backed away. It had been a long time since I'd taken one of them. Far too long. I took a deep breath before turning and running back to camp, desperate to forget the destruction I'd left behind.

Thankfully the next few days passed without incident. I tried to stay away from the recruits as much as I possibly could. It wasn't because I didn't want to see Steve - I did - but I didn't want to be anywhere around Hodge. Although I did feel much better once I'd taken the pill. I would have to thank Howard the next time that I saw him. Those pills were one of the very few reasons that I managed to pretend to be normal.

Of course my luck ran out when the next three days passed. We finally got to the point where we had come out and watch the men do their two mile run. Not just that, but the flag pole. That was one of my favorite parts. It made me feel better. And I really did want to see if Steve could figure it out. I'd thought that there was a chance that he could. They were about halfway through the run right now. I could see them running over the ride right now. They'd be here soon. Sergeant Holden was driving Peggy and I over to them.

She was in the front reading through papers as Holden stared at the recruits. I was in the back, cleaning some of the handguns that the recruits had been using for firearm practice. "What do you think? Someone gonna make it?" I asked them.

"No," Holden said.

"Never," Peggy added. She then turned back to me. "Do you think so?"

Grinning at her, I nodded. "I have faith," I said softly.

Sergeant Duffy was running next to the two lines of recruits. "Pick up the pace, sweeties," he yelled. I could see that Steve was trailing way in the background. We all turned back to see what was going to happen. "Let's go, let's go. Double time. Come on, faster, faster. Move. Move. Squad halt." All of the recruits stopped running. Steve lingered in the back slightly and I saw that he was leaning over with his hands on his knees. Duffy pointed up to the flag. "That flag means you're only at the half way point. First man to bring it to me, gets to ride back with Agent Carter and Sergeant Phillips," he said.

That was all that the recruits needed. Peggy and I exchanged a smile as we watched. "Move, move! Come on, get up there." One man jumped up a few feet onto the pole but he immediately fell and was pulled back. "That's what you got? This army is in trouble." Two of the men made a step slightly as Hodge climbed on top of them. "Get up there, Hodge." I growled as Hodge managed to get up a few feet. Thankfully he slipped down and hit the ground. "Come on, get up there. Nobody's got that flag in seventeen years." A few men managed to get up but none of them could actually make it up the pole. I noticed that Steve was the only one not trying. "Come on, come on, fall in. Let's go, get back in formation," Duffy called. As they began to walk away, Steve walked over to it. "Rogers! I said, fall in," Duffy ordered.

Steve ignored the call and I smiled. Maybe this was his chance to prove that he could actually do something worthwhile. He pulled the first lock out of the pole and I nearly laughed. He had figured it out. Of course he had. He pulled the other one out of the center of the flag pole and I watched as he stepped back, letting the pole collapse. He tossed the pins to the side before moving over and grabbing the flag. As he walked back to the shell-shocked Duffy, I saw that the recruits were staring at him like he'd lost his mind, and Peggy was smirking at him.

"Thank you, Sir," Steve said, handing Duffy over the flag. He climbed up into the truck, using the spare tire to actually pull himself into the back of the truck, taking a seat beside me. Peggy gave him a quick smile.

As we started driving off - leaving the rest of the platoon looking absolutely shocked - I turned over to Steve and patted him on the knee. I knew that he wasn't completely useless. "Not bad," I told him.

Steve looked thrilled that he'd finally managed something. "Thanks, Vic," he told me brightly.

Unfortunately, Steve's luck didn't last for very long. The next day - the last day of physical training - the men were out in the yard performing a fitness test. Today we would debate and decide who would be the world's first super-soldier. Tomorrow we would announce it to everyone else and let the recruits know who would be moving on and who would be moved through to basic training. The next day would be the day that we would send our choice into the Vita-Ray Chamber.

It was going to be a busy next few days. I was walking with Chester and Abraham over towards the fitness testing. They had been arguing back and forth all morning about what was more important - the attitude of the soldier or the capabilities. I argued that we could give someone the skills of a real soldier, we couldn't change their personality. That had ended in a shouting match, and now the three of us were glaring at each other, no one wanting to be the first one to speak.

Up ahead of us, Peggy was watching over the recruits as they performed basic calisthenics. It looked like they were doing push-ups currently. I grinned as I remembered training the previous recruits in push-ups. They had been surprisingly weak. This time most of the men were doing just fine, but Steve was barely able to move. He would get up a few inches - not in the proper form - before collapsing back to the ground. He looked more like he was trying to do the cobra pose in yoga. I grimaced as we walked over, hoping that Chester wouldn't point him out. I knew that he was still against letting Steve go into the chamber.

Peggy was walking back and forth and wrapping her hands around a pocket watch. "Faster ladies, come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!" she shouted.

I grinned at her as I walked in between Abraham and Chester. "You're not really thinking of picking Rogers, are you?" Chester asked, starting the conversation all over again.

"I am more than just thinking about it. It is a clear choice," Abraham said.

Chester glanced over at me, probably thinking that out of the two of us, I would be the one that would bend. He was dead wrong. "You can't pick him just because he's your friend," Chester told me.

"I'd pick him even if I'd never met him before in my life," I argued back.

Chester groaned at me before turning back over to Abraham. "When you brought a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my Army base, I let it slide. I thought what the hell. Maybe he could be useful to you, like a gerbil. Never thought you'd pick him," Chester said.

Once more, I rolled my eyes. We were not going to do anything to Steve unless we were sure that he was the one that we wanted. "Up," Peggy ordered the recruits.

They all jumped upright and stood at attention as we arrived at the training site. Steve was the slowest to stand, looking like he'd much rather lay down and take a nap. Abraham, Chester, and I stood near the back of an open air truck. One older later and the recruits began doing jumping jacks. Steve already looked exhausted and I cringed. He really didn't make things easy on us.

Chester was watching Steve closely as he jumped. Each time that he jumped I thought that he would fall to his knees. "Stick a needle in that kids arm, it's going to go right through him," Chester said.

"Come on, girls," Peggy encouraged in the distance.

"Look at that. He's making me cry," Chester put in.

Rolling my eyes at Chester, I had to resist going into his mind and forcing him to agree with us. That wouldn't go over well. "I am looking for qualities beyond the physical," Abraham told them.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?"

Abraham was barely able to get out, "Yes," before Chester continued to speak.

"All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator whats-his-name committees."

"Yes, I know," Abraham said, trying to stop Chester from continuing to tell us all of the reasons that it shouldn't be someone weak. "I am well aware of your efforts."

Chester and Abraham were leaning very close to each other so that no one else could hear the private conversation. I'd somehow managed to get stuck in the middle. "Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him," Chester said, motioning over to Hodge, who was having no problem with the supersizes. "He's big, he's fast. He obeys orders, he's a soldier."

This time, I had something to say. I couldn't stand Hodge. He was the type of man that kept women at a lower status than men. "You put Hodge in that chamber, we're going to end up with another Red Skull," I snarled.

Abraham stepped forward, sensing the mounting tension. "She's right. There's no way that we can pick someone like Hodge. You've seen what he does. He's a bully."

Chester gave something in between a laugh and scoff. "You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor." I watched as he glanced into the back of the truck and grabbed a grenade. I was watching him closely, wondering what the hell he was doing. "You win wars with guts." He pulled the pin and tossed it towards the recruits. "Grenade!" Completely forgetting myself, I raised my hands to put up a force field around it, desperate to stop the blast. Before I could, Chester out a hand in front of me and shook his head. "It's a dud," he said.

Turning a heated glare on him, I knew that my eyes had turned red. I had been very close to creating a very strange day. "You couldn't have said that before I nearly gave away my secret?" I snapped.

It had landed very closely at Hodge's feet and everyone suddenly realized what had happened. "Oh, no!" Hodge shouted as he ducked away. Everyone ran for their lives as they thought that the grenade was ticking down.

Everyone ran out of the way and got down on the ground. All, except for one. Steve ran over to the grenade and slid across the dirt. Peggy ran towards it, too, either trying to cover it herself or get Steve away. He curled himself around it and protectively covered it with his arms. "Stay away. Get back," he shouted at her, motioning her away.

I noticed that Hodge was watching from behind a truck. Seconds passed by and slowly people started glancing up curiously. Even Steve looked up carefully. He sat up as a soldier shouted, "Phony grenade."

"All clear. Back in formation," a Drill Sergeant said.

Peggy, Abraham, and I were all smiling at Steve. If there had been a shred of doubt in my mind before, it was gone. He was the right person to do this. "Is this a test?" Steve asked, squinting as he looked around.

Chester gritted his teeth together. "He's still skinny," he said.

Rolling my eyes at him, I exchanged a laugh with Abraham as Chester stalked off. I knew that he was upset that for once, in a test of integrity, Steve had beaten Hodge. The recruits were getting themselves back together as Peggy walked back over to them, beginning the orders once more. I saw Steve still on the ground, looking stunned at what had just happened. I decided to walk forward and give Steve my hand. He took it as I offered him a helping hand upright. The moment that I did, I leaned down and pocketed the grenade.

Steve was still staring at me stupidly. "Yes, it is a test, and you passed. Well done," I told him.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly.

It was pretty obvious that he'd thought that he was about to die. "You do that again, risk your own life even to protect someone else, I'll kill you myself. I promised Bucky that I would keep you safe," I told him.

Steve gave me something in between a prideful and bashful look. "Sorry. It was just a jerk reaction," he told me.

Of course it was. He would always be the one to defend everyone else, even when he had nothing left to give. "It was a good one. I'm proud of you. How are things going?" I asked, looking around and making sure that no one was watching us.

Steve scoffed at me. "Have you been watching me?" he asked dully.

Glaring at him, I shook my head. "That's not what I meant," I barked. I knew how he'd been doing out here. Terribly. "How are things going back in the barracks? The men. Are they treating you alright?"

"You sound like my mother."

"I feel like your mother," I quipped.

He grinned at me and ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I'm alright, Vic. You know, they're a bunch of brainless oafs." We both laughed at that one. "I read most of the time so that I don't have to listen to them. They all like to run back and forth all over the barracks. They're constantly wrestling and treating me terribly. But tomorrow they pick who goes through the project, right?" he asked.

I nodded at him. "We talk about it tonight. It will be announced in the morning," I told him.

As if he wasn't pale enough, his face paled even more. "God," he muttered, yanking nervously on his dog tags.

"You'll be fine," I insisted.

Just as he was about to speak, another voice drifted over to us. "Fraulein?" Abraham called. I turned back and smiled at him. "I have some men that I would like you to meet."

Curiously, I nodded at him. "I'll be right there," I called to him before turning back to Steve. "I gotta go, I'll see you later, alright?" I said, backing away from him. "And I'll vouch for you tonight."

Steve smiled at me. "Thanks, Vic."

Abraham held out an arm and I walked with him. Wherever we were going had to be somewhere close or somewhere fast. We didn't have the time. We would have to be downtown to decide who would be the next super-soldier soon. "Come with me," Abraham said, sensing my reluctance as he pulled me along.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Abraham merely gave a friendly smile. "I have a friend that I'd like you to meet," he told me.

I nodded and walked with him towards the offices. We walked in - where people were running back and forth, trying to finish every last-minute detail before actually beginning the experiment tomorrow - and I waved hello to my team. They all smiled and waved back to me. They'd opened up recently, mostly because Abraham had given me a large piece of the credit for Operation Rebirth. We walked past them and I allowed Abraham to usher me into his office. I walked in and spotted an older man wearing a trim suit, who was watching us. He looked friendly enough and seemed interested to meet me.

Abraham cleared his throat and stepped to the side to let me walk up to the man. I shook his hand. "This is August Jay. He is on the Board of Admissions to Harvard University," Abraham explained.

I'd already known that, of course, but I pretended like it was a surprise. Smiling at him, I shook his hand once more. He had a light grip and I immediately knew that I could shatter every bone in his hand. "Pleasure to meet you," I said sweetly.

The man gave a nice enough smile. "You as well, Miss..." August trailed off.

"Phillips."

August smiled at me and nodded. "Of course. How did I not know that?" he asked with a small chuckle. I laughed with him, although nothing was funny. He was simply another man that believed that women had no place in the world. He motioned for me to take a seat, and I did. "So, I hear you're a driving force behind this experiment," he said conversationally.

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to observe my personality and whether or not I actually understood what this project was about. He would keep me away from Harvard if he could. "Abraham is the driving force but I contribute as much as possible. I specialize in Genetics and Human Mutation. It's an area of great personal interest," I told him.

"How did you find yourself interested?" August asked.

A small grin fell over my face. "For most of my life I was told that there were only two things that I could do. I could be a teacher or I could be a nurse. That's only if I could even manage to get a job. Otherwise I would have been a housewife. I'm not interested in that kind of life. I want to do something important," I told him.

It was obvious that I had goaded him into asking the question that I knew that he would, but he was oblivious. Mind manipulation, without actually using the mutation, was a specialty of mine. "A family is not important to you?" August asked.

I knew that we would have to get this out of the way. "Not right now. If we're speaking frankly, I did not have a good home life." August stared at me curiously. "I was raised by my two best friends' parents. I have no husband. My significant other is on the war front right now." The curiosity piqued, just as I knew that it would.

"He may come back, he may not. But I know that as important as he is to me, that doesn't mean that I have to sacrifice something important to everyone else. He can have his life and I can have mine, together. There's no need for one of us to give up what we want. There's no need for me to give up the chance to do something right in the world to support him. Why can't I support him while doing what I want? There will always be women that should stay home and take care of the children and cook and clean. But that's not me. I believe in a world where everyone can do what they have the capability to do what they believe in."

August nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Progressive thinking that you have there," he said, folding his hands over his lap.

"We'd still be in the Stone Age if people like me didn't exist," I told him.

August stared at me for a long while. He was clearly very curious about me. His thoughts were not particularly rude, but he was curious about me. "You're a very odd woman," he finally said.

Not very impressive thoughts from a Harvard man. "I'll take that as a compliment." The corners of August's lips almost tilted up in a smile. "Thomas Edison was laughed at when he developed the light bulb. The Wright Brothers were thought to be fools believing in magic when they invented the airplane. There were people who thought that vaccines were too dangerous to be used. You see, times change. Women didn't used to work. They do now," I said.

"Because men are not filling the posts, as they're at war." This time he spoke faster. He wasn't angry, merely curious about how much he could get out of me. "When they return, women will return to their homes. And, as for your inventors, all men, you see."

"It won't always be that way," I said.

Once more, he fell silent for a while. I could see Abraham behind us, watching on curiously. "You never considered to try and be normal?" August finally asked me.

Laughing softly, I looked down at the desk before looking back up. "Normality is not only accepted, it's... encouraged. Do you know anyone that differs from yourself? In a wide range? Probably not. When I was in high school, I took classes that no one else dared to take. DNA Sequencing, Calculus II, Physics, Molecular Biology, Latin... The list goes on.

"I speak forty-seven languages fluently. I can understand almost every other. There are almost seven thousand recognized languages. But the one thing that I could never do, was the one thing that every other woman could. Home Education. I can't cook, I burn everything. I can't sew, I'll destroy it. And I've never looked after a child in my life. No man, either.

"You asked me why I specialized in Genetics. Because I believe in being different. My yellow eyes are a mutation. The white hair is, too. People always liked to laugh at me, call me cruel names, and attack me. Physically. As shameful as that is. Young boys, attacking a young lady. I learned from a very young age that I couldn't rely on anyone to save me. I learned that people will never understand. They will never accept anyone that isn't as they are. My yellow eyes - they're a more obvious mutation.

"You have one, too. As did many of the boys and girls that used to harass me. Your blue eyes. You - and every other person with blue eyes on the planet - share a single common ancestor that lived approximately between six and ten thousand years ago. If we're getting technical, if you'd like me to demonstrate that I do know what I'm talking about, I will. Here's a fun fact. Blue eyes stem from the eighty-sixth intron of the HERC2 gene, which is hypothesized to interact with the OCA2 gene promoter, reduced expression of OCA2 with subsequent reduction in melanin production. But I'm sure that you knew that. After all, I'm just a woman, correct?

"You see, many women believe that we're better off this way, dressing and living for the men. Not me. I'm my own person, as I've clearly already demonstrated. There will never be anyone that owns me. I left home when I was only eight years old. It does something to a person. It makes them fiercely independent. Perhaps some people would say that it's strange. Perhaps some people would say that it's bullheaded. I say that it breeds strength. In every meaning of the word."

Perhaps I'd gone a little overboard. I may very well have just driven away that Harvard degree. But, if I had, it would be worth it. That was everything that I'd wished that I could say for so long. Men thought that they were so much better than women just because they worked, just because they were normally stronger, and just because they were the ones that didn't raise a family. The truth was, everyone had their own strengths. We just had to learn what they were, and how to use them. Towards the door, I saw that Abraham was smiling brightly at me. He knew that I'd wanted to say all of this. August seemed to be processing everything that I had just said.

His thoughts were amusing. He didn't understand how one person - a woman at that - could actually manage to understand everything that I'd repeated to him. "So you believe women to be on a higher plane than men?" August finally asked.

I had to resist rolling my eyes. That had not been my point. But he was a man, and he still had to prove himself better than me. "I believe that we're all created equal. We have the option to rise higher or sink lower. It's in each and every one of us. I intend to do something with my life. Something important," I said.

"You deem this as more important than raising a family?" August asked.

Had I ground my teeth together just a little more, I was sure that I would have broken them. I slowly shook my head at August. "I deem this as a different kind of important. And, honestly, why can't someone do both?" I said.

August smiled and nodded at me. Clearly we were finally getting somewhere. "Are you good with what you do?" he asked me.

A prideful grin fell over my face. I felt that I'd earned it, after all of the work that I'd done on the project. "Come to the demonstration in a few days. Let me prove it to you," I told him.

August nodded at me and stood from the chair. I did the same a moment later. "I do certainly hope that this project works. The day and age is coming that lives will change. A woman like you might help things along," he said.

I was almost surprised to hear him say something like that. "Thank you."

August moved forward and I shook his head once more. "And Harvard University would be honored to present you with a degree." I smiled brightly, and had to resist throwing it back in his face that I'd managed to pass his stupid little test. "Perhaps you'd consider coming to speak with the new students?" he asked me after a beat.

"It would be my pleasure," I told him.

And that was the truth. It couldn't just be me. There had to be more women like me in the world. More women like Peggy. Maybe it should be her that spoke. She was slightly more of a role model. After all, I'd just destroyed a good part of the woods around Camp Lehigh the other day. So maybe I was smart, but I certainly didn't have many skills in the anger management department.

August walked over and shook hands with Abraham before turning back to me, with his hand on the doorknob. "My colleagues and I look forward to seeing your project. Best of luck," he said.

"Thank you," I told him. He gave us both a nod before turning and leaving. The door had barely clicked shut when I turned to Abraham and gave him a short hug. "And thank you."

Abraham pulled away from me and placed a hand underneath my head, giving me a smile that was what I imagined my father might have given me, had he lived to have been able to. "You earned it, Fraulein. You are very well spoken." I laughed, I was more of a jerk. "Come. It is time to decide who will be our super-soldier," he said.

I nodded as we walked from the office and out towards the car. We would be taking one of the Army trucks out to the office where we would be doing the experiment in just a few days. "Where do you find these assholes?" I asked Abraham, referring to August.

Abraham laughed, and I found myself wishing that he did it more. He seemed so much younger. "They are everywhere, Fraulein. You just have speak to them. You can usually shrink their heads pretty quickly," he told me.

He was right about that. We both laughed as we climbed into the car and ordered the man to bring us to our destination. We would probably be the last ones there. I knew that Peggy and Chester were leaving around the time that I'd gone to meet with August. I had a feeling that Duffy and Holden had gone with them. And Howard was already there. He'd been working around the clock to ensure that there would be surprises with Operation Rebirth in two days. Two days... We were almost there. It had felt like it would never come.

The ride was a pleasant one. There weren't many chances that I got to take to speak to Abraham freely, considering that we were both busy so often. We chatted back and forth about the project for the most part during the ride. It was nice to actually get to see him slightly relaxed. We were speaking to each other like the oldest of friends. For the exact reason that we didn't want to speak about the project or mutation in front of the man that was driving, we were speaking German. I really did enjoy the time that we got to speak to each other. It helped me brush up on my German, and it helped that Abraham spoke to me like I was a real person. Not like I was a woman or a freak.

We arrived in the disguised pawn shop just a few minutes late. The woman allowed us through once we'd given her the password and we walked back into the room. We bypassed the auditorium where someone would undergo Operation Rebirth and headed back into the large meeting room. As expected, everyone was already here. I took the empty seat next to Peggy with Chester on my other side. Sergeant Holden and Sergeant Duffy were on the ends of the table. Abraham and Howard were across from me. Howard sent me a little wink and I rolled my eyes at him, laughing and looking away.

The small bits of chatter died the moment that Abraham cleared his throat. All eyes turned over to him. "I'm glad that we're all gathered here today to decide who will take on the mantel of the world's first super-soldier. We move to elect two men," Abraham said. I nodded. We would vote on which of the two would go into the chamber. "Gentlemen?" Peggy and I both glared and Abraham smiled, fixing his tie awkwardly. "Pardon me, and ladies."

As I had expected, Chester was the first person to speak. "I move to elect Gilmore Hodge," he said. I rolled my eyes. There was no way that I was going to let that happen.

"I move to elect Steven Rogers," I immediately countered. Chester turned a glare on me as laughter was exchanged throughout the room. Peggy smiled at me and Abraham nodded as well.

Chester and I stayed locked in a glaring contest for a few moments before Abraham cleared his throat once more. "Would you like to speak on behalf of your elected men?" he offered to us.

I nodded for Chester to speak first. He was good. But I was better. "Hodge is a Soldier in every way. He's passed every test that we've given him, he's at the top of his ranking physically, and he knows how to take and follow orders. He's already strong, this will push him over the precipice. He's the only choice," Chester said.

It was just like him. Short and sweet. "Fraulein? Do you have a counter?" Abraham asked me.

Smiling, I nodded and stood. "Yes." The room shifted as they waited to hear what I had to say about Steve. It would probably be one of the nicest things that I would ever say about anyone. "Part of this serum enhances key personality traits. A bad man becomes an evil one, a good man becomes a great man. That's how it was designed to work. Hormones and the like. Hodge is a bully, in the simplest terms. Throughout the last week, I've seen enough examples to show me how he can't work. He refuses to accept orders from either Agent Carter or myself, due to the fact that we're women. It shows small mindedness.

"Someone like that is not someone that needs to be the driving force behind this war. He acts like a Nazi. Worse than one, because he doesn't see the similarities in their actions. Even when he was shown that he was not physically superior, he turned to mental manipulation. Do you think that that's something that we can deal with after being put through the super-soldier serum? It isn't. He's been horrible to the other recruits. He kicked out one of the posts on the barbed wire course, very nearly injuring the other recruits.

"Is that someone that you would be proud to stand behind? I would not be proud to call him a leader in my country. I don't just rest my case on why Hodge shouldn't be picked. That can't be the reason that we pick someone. We have to find someone that actually has the capability to be a true Soldier. In every meaning of the word. And we've found someone. Rogers dove after a - admittedly dud - grenade. He risked his own life to save everyone else. He was the only person that moved to do something. He captured a flag that hasn't been caught in seventeen years by thinking outside of the box, rather than brute strength.

"It wasn't just me. I know that everyone was impressed by that move. We have so many strong men fighting the war and not making a difference. This war could last a lifetime. With someone like Rogers, we could end it in a few years. And if he works, it would just be the beginning. I suggest that maybe what we need is someone that can think their way through it. That's Rogers. And given the tools to become the perfect soldier, he'll be unbeatable. We have so many men like Hodge. Maybe we need one like Rogers," I said.

Peggy, Howard, and Abraham were smiling at me. Duffy and Holden seemed to be thinking it over. Chester was still glaring at me. "Colonel Phillips, do you have anything more to say?" Abraham asked.

Chester cleared his throat and stepped forward. "It's very nice that Rogers is a good guy, but we need a Soldier," he said.

"We have a soldier," I immediately rebutted, not needing the go-ahead from Abraham. "We have quite a few, as a matter of fact. The serum will work on him. But maybe what we need is someone that knows the difference between right and wrong. I don't think that we have enough of that."

The room was silent for a long while afterwards. We had said everything that there was that could be said. It was time to make the decision. "Shall we vote?" Abraham asked. There were scattered answers. Everyone seemed ready to end this. "Sergeant Holden."

He took almost no time to answer. "Hodge," he said. I wasn't exactly shocked. He had seemed very impressed by the flag routine but I knew that it wasn't enough to convince him that Steve should undergo the procedure.

"Agent Carter," Abraham prompted.

Just like with Holden, she took almost no time to answer. "Rogers," she said. I shot her a grateful smile that she returned.

"Mr. Stark."

All heads turned towards Howard. He hadn't really seen the recruits so he was going off of what Chester and I were saying about them. He was silent for a while until his voice floated through my mind. You're sure?

Positive.

"Rogers," he finally answered.

Abraham nodded and turned to Chester. "Colonel Phillips."

"Hodge," he answered without hesitation.

"Sergeant Duffy."

Again, all heads turned to the Sergeant. He thought for a long while. I knew that he had seen both of the men train. He knew what a jerk Hodge was, but he also knew how weak Steve was. For someone that didn't understand the science behind the project, it wasn't really an obvious choice. But, finally, he made up his mind.

"Hodge."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Sergeant Phillips," Abraham said.

"Rogers," I answered without hesitation.

It put the men at a tie currently. I grinned. With only Abraham left, I knew that we had won. "That leaves me for the last. And I believe that I will vote for Mr. Rogers as well." Peggy and I exchanged a wicked smile. Abraham grinned and stood. "Well... I believe that it is four votes for Mr. Rogers against three votes for Mr. Hodge. Majority rules. We will proceed with Mr. Rogers as our Operation Rebirth candidate. The project will commence two days from now," he said.

Chester growled under his breath but stood anyways. He knew that he was outnumbered. "We will be moving the other candidates off to other branches of the Army to train and go through basic in the meantime. Sergeant Duffy, you'll be in charge of their placement," he ordered.

Duffy nodded and saluted Chester. "Yes, Colonel," he said before moving off. Holden followed a moment later.

Howard stalked off towards the main room before Abraham followed him. I assumed that they had things to discuss before it was time to start the experiment. "We tell Rogers in the morning," Chester said as the other two stood on the end of the room.

"Everything is ready here, whenever it's time for him to come," Howard said before walking off.

Walking up to Chester, I gave him a shit-eating grin. He rolled his eyes at me. "I believe that we have everything handled in the meantime. Thank you, everyone, for coming together to conclude the project. It's been a long time coming. You may go about your days," I said, dismissing those that were still left in the room.

Chester waited until everyone had left the room before turning to me. "You had better be right about this," he growled.

"I am, old man."

I was about to turn to leave the room when Chester fell back at my side. He would learn that Steve was the right choice soon enough. "This does not mean that you get to kill Hodge now," Chester told me.

Rolling my eyes at him, I kicked the metal floor gently with the heel of my boot. "You just have to suck the joy out of everything," I muttered as we walked towards the main hallway.

Chester actually gave me a grin and laid a hand on my shoulder. We might bicker like an old married couple, but we loved each other. "I'll see you back at base tomorrow," he said as he headed back to his car.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"To get a stiff drink," he said. I snorted at him. I could probably use a stiff drink too. "I can't believe that you four think that the toothpick will actually be able to do anything out there," he growled as he pushed past me.

"I'll bet you ten bucks that he'll prove you wrong," I called after him.

Chester turned back to me and nodded. "I'll take that bet," he agreed.

I laughed softly. He would not win that bet. I was going to be the person that won this bet. Steve was a good man and we were about to give him the tools to be a great one. "I'll get in on that bet," Peggy said. I turned back and smiled at her as she came to stand at my side. Chester scoffed at us and walked off. We laughed at each other as Peggy wrapped an arm around me. "You really believe in him," she told me once Chester had left.

I nodded at her. "I do. I know that he can do this," I said.

She smiled at my determination for my friend. "You'd almost think that you care for him," she said teasingly.

Laughing softly, I shook my head at her. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Steve. He's been one of my closest friends for most of my life. It was actually him that really managed to convince his parents to take me in. I took his last name and pretended to be his sister during my school years. He means the world to me. I know that if anyone can do this, if anyone has the right to do this, it's him," I explained to her.

Peggy smiled at me. "I don't think that I've ever met someone as passionate at you are." I grinned at her and shrugged. "It's a good thing. I hope that he proves you right. We need this. And I think that he needs it, too."

Glancing over at her, I dropped my voice so that anyone hanging around wouldn't hear me. "I've noticed that you've become rather taken with him lately," I said wickedly.

She would be with Steve if it was the last thing that I did. "Well I doubt anything can slip past your attention," she told me. I snorted and shrugged my shoulders. Nothing could stay hidden from me. "He's sweet. He's funny. He's not like most other men that you'd meet. There's something about him that's innocent. It's refreshing."

She wore a small smile. I knew that she was taken with him but she'd never admit it. "Yeah. He's a strange one. But sometimes strange is a good thing," I said.

Peggy gave me a sideways smile. "I'd think that if anyone would know, it would be you." I gave her a gentle nudge but smiled anyways. "Where did you find those two? Barnes, who would rather die than let anything happen to you. And Rogers, who would do anything to defend his country and his friends. It's sweet," she said.

Come to think of it, they really were some of the strangest people that I'd ever met. But I wouldn't trade them for the world. "They're some of the strangest people that I've ever met but I love them both. They're some of the reasons that I'm the person that I am today," I said.

"They did a good job," Peggy said brightly.

Just as I was about to respond to her, a figure popped up next to us. "Victoria," Howard said, wrapping himself over me. "Agent Carter -"

He didn't get to see anything else before Peggy pulled away from us and turned to leave. I knew that she liked Howard, but she tried to avoid staying around him for extended periods of time. "I have work to do. I'll see you both later," Peggy said, turning to leave.

"And then there were two," Howard said dryly as Peggy walked off. I snorted at him and turned to see what he wanted. "What are your plans this evening, doll?" he asked me.

"Don't call me that," I immediately snapped. I wasn't even overly fond of Bucky calling me that. But, luckily, he normally didn't call me any type of pet-name. "I didn't have any plans. I was thinking about breaking one of Chester's rules and go to tell Steve early that he's going to be chosen," I told him honestly.

I was sure that Steve was jittery with nerves about who was going to be chosen. If it was me, I would want to know immediately. Howard grinned at me and offered his arm. "Why don't we get dinner first?" he offered.

Well, I was hungry. "Sure. Where at?" I asked.

Howard didn't tell me. He merely smiled and pulled me along. "Come on."

As we walked towards the door, I placed my hand on his arm. I definitely wasn't sure that I trusted him not to do something weird. "I'm not sure that I trust you to bring me somewhere without telling me where we're going," I said as we walked out.

"Have some faith," Howard told me.

We walked out to the parking lot and I looked around. Everyone was already gone. Sergeant Duffy and Holden had probably gone back to Camp Lehigh with Chester. I assumed that Peggy and Abraham had left together. That left only Howard. He motioned me to follow him and we walked down the street, saying a quick goodbye to the owner of the facade shop. His car was just around the corner and I rolled my eyes. Once more, it was a new car. One more that I'd never seen before. A Duesenberg Model SJ. I rolled my eyes. I knew the car. It was the fastest car in the world, currently, traveling up to one hundred and forty miles per hour.

Howard held open the door for me and I thanked him as I climbed inside. The car was one of the nicer ones that Howard owned. Of course, I'd never seen him own a relatively cheap car. Everything that he owned was far more expensive than the average person could afford. Howard climbed into his seat and revved the engine, shooting off down the road. I turned a heated glare on him. He was not about to kill himself by crashing into something. He slowed down, but just a little bit. I leaned back into my seat, wondering just how many cars he'd shown me since I'd known him.

"How many cars do you own?" I asked him after we'd been driving for a few minutes.

"Not enough," Howard answered me.

My head snapped over to him. He had way too many cars. How could he possibly think that he didn't have enough? "I have to have seen at least ten cars since I've known you. How many do you want?" I asked.

Howard seemed to think about it for a moment before saying, "Fifty."

My jaw dropped. There was no way that someone could own fifty cars. Where would he even manage to put fifty cars? "What are you even going to do with fifty cars?" I asked.

"Look at them."

I scoffed at him as we drove out of the city. "They're cars. The whole point of having a car is driving it," I tried to argue. There was no point in having fifty cars for only one person. "You can't drive fifty cars." Howard shook his head at me and I groaned. "You can, but you know that you'll pick four or five favorites and you'll end up only driving those."

Howard glanced over at me and smiled. "Are you jealous? Do you want a car?" he asked me.

"No!" I barked at him. I didn't even know what I'd do with a car. There was nowhere that I really wanted to go. I didn't like shopping and I didn't really have any friends that weren't within walking distance. "I could buy a car if I wanted," I muttered.

"With what money?" Howard asked.

My voice faltered. I didn't have a bank account, I just had a few dollars in my dresser from Chester, and even that was maybe ten dollars. Cars cost, on average, eight hundred dollars. "I could ask Chester..." I said, my voice trailing off.

Howard seemed slightly surprised at my answer. I supposed that he thought that I was at least saving up some money. In reality, I had less than ten dollars to my name. "Are you not making money working for Operation Rebirth?" Howard asked.

I shook my head at him. I had a feeling that Peggy was being paid - albeit not much - but I wasn't being paid a cent. "No." Howard looked shocked. "It's basically a volunteer position. A way to keep a woman from working there," I explained. "The only thing that I'm working for is that Harvard degree. I've never made as much as a dollar in my life."

"You'll be paid graciously when you work at Stark Industries," Howard told me.

Scowling slightly, I shook my head. The last thing that I wanted was to be paid because he felt bad for me. I'd figure out the money situation in time. "You don't have to do that," I told him softly.

Howard glanced back at me quickly. "I do. I have so much money that I don't know what to do with it. I don't just want to give it to anyone so I find ways to invent and spend it that way." I supposed that I'd never thought about just how much money Howard really had. "But with you... I've found someone worth the money," he said, giving me a small smile.

My heart twisted slightly. I'd always known that I'd meant the world to Steve and Bucky. But I'd never really thought about just how much I meant to other people. "Thank you, Howard," I said quietly, trying to push off the blush. We sat in a comfortable silence as we drove through the woods. I was absolutely positive that there were no restaurants out here. "Where are we going?"

Howard shushed me as we drove up a steep hill. "Be quiet and enjoy the ride," he said.

"I could just read your mind," I said.

I tried to avoid reading minds unless I absolutely had to. It wasn't really respectable. "I will think of something that you really don't want to see," Howard told me seriously.

And I knew that he would. Although, I'd seen some pretty awful things. I wasn't sure how much it would bother me to see whatever he was thinking of. "Now you've made me curious," I told him.

"Go for it," Howard offered.

"Not that curious," I immediately said.

Honestly, I knew that Howard would think of something awful. So we both laughed as we continued to drive down the mostly abandoned road. The ride was nice. I did miss speaking to Howard. He'd been so busy lately, and mostly away from Camp Lehigh, so I wasn't able to see him as much as I would have liked to. I was grateful that Howard kept the conversation away from Bucky and Steve. He knew that I really didn't want to talk about them.

And it wasn't because I didn't love either one of them. I adored them both more than I possibly could have thought. They were my best friends and they meant the world to me. But I knew that Operation Rebirth was still dangerous. We had gotten the risk rate up the ninety-five percent. That was pretty good, but there was still a five percent chance that something might happen. I couldn't imagine what would happen if Steve died in the chamber. I'd never be able to speak to Bucky again, that much was certain. I'd promised Bucky that I would keep an eye on Steve and keep him safe. This definitely wasn't safe.

At least I would be able to keep an eye on him and make sure that I could stop things before they got too dangerous. In all fairness, I could keep a relative eye on Bucky, too. But I couldn't bring myself to slip into his mind and see what was happening. I couldn't risk seeing something horrible. I liked to think that I would know if something had happened to him. In the meantime, I wanted to stay ignorant and pretend that he was fine. I wanted to pretend that he would come back home and we would... Carry on, I suppose would have been the best word. I loved him, but I wasn't the type to settle down and have a family. And I knew that he did eventually want that.

But those were things that weren't a problem right now. It would be a long time before he came back home. I leaned back in the seat and watched out of the window as Howard drove. I wasn't really in the mood to chat for a while. I just wanted to watch the peaceful woods. They made me forget my problems. Wherever we were was absolutely beautiful. I'd never been this far away from New York City. Not unless we were at Camp Lehigh. And the last time that I was this separated from civilization was when I was a child. I had absolutely no clue where we were headed, but Howard seemed to know where he was going.

"It's gorgeous out here," I said softly.

Howard glanced over at me and smiled. "You like it?" he asked.

"Yeah," I muttered as I gazed out the window. "When I was growing up I lived in a house in the woods. No one was around us. I always wanted to live somewhere closer to people because I was so lonely. But now that I've been around people, learned what I was, and seen how busy things in the city can be... I like the privacy."

"I could build you a house when this is all over," Howard offered.

I glanced over at him curiously. I couldn't understand how he would build a house for me. I hadn't known him to ever make anything that wasn't advanced technological devices. "You specialize in technology," I said.

"I built my own house and Stark Industries. I could build yours too. Free of charge," Howard told me proudly.

Turning to him, I shook my head. "Nothing is free." Howard waggled his brows and I rolled my eyes. It was quite obvious what he meant. "What do I need to give you for the great Howard Stark to build my house? Watch what you answer," I warned him.

Howard grinned at me. He knew what I was thinking, and I knew what he was thinking. Of course, it would have been a joke. We'd kill each other if we ever tried to be together. "I'll build it once you get married," he said.

Not this conversation again. "I'm not engaged, you buffoon," I snapped.

"Not yet," Howard said brightly.

Once more I rolled my eyes. Peggy and Howard were absolutely determined that I was going to get married to Bucky. Nothing that I said would ever change their minds. So I sighed and took a breath. "Okay, fine, for the sake of argument, when and if I do get engaged, you have to build me a house, free of charge. Deal?" I offered.

Howard took one hand off of the steering wheel and shook my extended one. "Deal. I'm thinking a nice, secluded, farm house," he said after a few beats.

The thought was nice. Rolling hills off in the distance with a huge plot of land. Enough to run on and play games. I could toss a football or baseball back and forth. My powers could be utilized out here and I wouldn't need to bother hiding it from anyone. The house would sit right in the center of the plot of land. Perhaps I couldn't cook, but the kitchen would be in the center of the house. Howard, Abraham, Chester, Peggy, and Steve would all sit in the living room, smiling and laughing among themselves. My cheeks burned at the thought of Bucky standing in the kitchen with me, trying to push our child back into the living room.

My stomach rolled in pain. That might not ever happen. He was gone for now. He might not come back. And if he did come back, he might be terrified of me once I told him what I was. I'd already promised him that I would tell him the truth. I couldn't go back on that. And I was sick of keeping him in the dark. He loved me without a hint of hesitation, it wasn't fair of me to keep a huge part of myself from him. If we were going to work, he had to know. No matter how much it scared me and no matter the chances that it would ruin everything.

All of those things were bothering me. But I didn't say any of that. Instead, I smiled sadly at Howard and nodded. "That'd be nice." We drove up over a hill and I glanced over at Howard. "Okay, you have to tell me, where are we?" I asked.

Howard motioned for me to look out of the windshield. "Welcome to Stark Manor," he said.

Of course we were going to his home. How hadn't I managed to piece that together? I glanced out of the window and my jaw dropped. I knew that Howard had money, but I didn't know that he had this much money. It was gorgeous. Suddenly the woods opened up and the large mansion sat in the middle of open grounds. Clearly Howard had spent a long time landscaping. Pine and palm trees - that definitely didn't grow this far north - were planted around the grounds. Bushes were kept immaculately neat. A large fountain sat in the center of the drive that Howard drove the car up towards.

The house itself looked like something in between modern and Middle Ages. It looked almost like a castle. The house was painted a soft beige with deep maroon accents. It was two floors with balconies over every room. There was a grand entrance in the center of the house with a slight rotunda. I couldn't even imagine how much money this had cost Howard. Windows were at random places throughout the home and a large oak tree stood towering over the home.

"Care for the grand tour?" Howard asked as he parked the car.

Unable to speak, I nodded. On the first floor was the grand entrance, which was, as said, grand. There was a huge staircase that led to the first floor that Howard led me down. The foyer was huge and led into a coat room - which Howard said was to hold coats during large parties. There was a large gallery off to the side and a butler quarters off of that. Even the butler's quarters was huge. The kitchen and pantry were beyond that and I laughed. As I had suspected, Howard had never cooked there a day in his life. On the back wall was a public conference room and in the center of the first floor was the dining room. On the far side of the first floor was a library that I immediately fell in love with. Howard ensured to tell me that he would build me one and, in the meantime, he would let me use this one.

The second floor had a grand total of eight bedrooms. Of course, Howard had the largest. He had his own personal office and an experimentation room that was filled with potential experiments to expand on. The third floor - which I hadn't noticed before - was an airplane hangar. I'd laughed and wondered why I was surprised. Howard took me to the basement afterwards and showed me around. There were running tracks, saunas, showers, a game room and arcade, a combat simulation room that Howard told me that I could use, a pathology laboratory, an actual operating theater, a hydrotherapy room, and a sunning deck - complete with a pool, of course.

For a while I'd hung around in the combat simulation room, Howard watching me closely. He had punching bags - two of which I'd broken - that hung from racks above us. One of the hooks had bent when I'd kicked the bag too hard. I'd offered to fix it but Howard had laughed, telling me that it was no big deal. I'd completed a lap around the track - a quarter of a mile - in ten seconds. I'd used the pull-up bar without an issue. Howard enjoyed watching me enjoy his training basement.

Finally he escorted me back upstairs with the promise that I could come and use it whenever I wanted. We were back up in the foyer when he turned back to me. "What do you think? Can I design your house?" he asked, motioning around us.

Still, I couldn't believe everything that surrounded us. I couldn't believe that he had done all of this on his own. "Yeah, I think you can," I breathed out, completely floored.

Howard smiled and placed a hand on my lower back. "Come on, dinner should be ready," he said, motioning me back to the kitchen. I'd sensed that someone else was in the building the moment that we'd come in. We must have missed them earlier. We walked into the kitchen once more and towards a man standing over the oven. "Victoria, I'd like to introduce you to Edwin Jarvis."

Immediately my eyes scanned over Edwin Jarvis. He was a slightly younger man, perhaps in his early thirties. Just like Howard, he was dressed in a finely pressed suit. I would have never guessed that he was a butler, other than the way that he was carrying himself. Very much as a trained professional. His hair was dark and combed over his head and his blue eyes shone as he glanced over at me. His gaze turned curious as he placed down the ladle that he was using and made his way over, giving me a brief nod.

"Pleasure," I said, giving him a quick handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine," Edwin said. He bore a thick British accent that I smiled at. I couldn't help but to wonder if he knew Peggy. Once he had let go of my hand he gave Howard a very pointed look. I could hear his own thoughts assuming that I was one of Howard's girls.

Unable to stop myself, I ground out, "I am not one of his conquests." Edwin looked absolutely shocked that I had managed to piece it together. But he quickly recovered himself and smiled bashfully. "We're business partners. I'm one of the heads of Operation Rebirth, I lead the Genetics division," I told him, slightly nicer this time.

Howard couldn't keep his mouth shut. "You have to admit though, you did find yourself lost in my eyes and my -"

"You keep flapping your jaw and I'll break it. Shut up," I snarled.

Edwin grinned at me as he moved forward, giving me his arm that I took. "I do like her," he told Howard. I smiled as we walked back towards a fully-stocked bar. "Would you care for a glass of wine?"

Grimacing, I shook my head. I'd never been much of a wine fan. "How about bourbon?" I asked politely.

Edwin smiled brightly. "I like her very much," he said to his boss.

Grabbing Howard and dragging him with me, we went into the kitchen and stood with Edwin as he made the dinner. He was explaining everything that he was doing after I mentioned to him that I couldn't make anything. He thought that it was rather funny that I couldn't cook and was determined to get me to make something. After I burned the pasta, Edwin told me to back away and offered his advice that I should marry someone that could cook. Howard laughed and asked me if Bucky could cook. I rolled my eyes and awkwardly shifted. I actually wasn't sure whether or not he could cook. If he came back I would have to see.

When we were kinds he couldn't. I assumed that it had probably carried over into adulthood. Edwin told me about his ex-fiancé while he cooked. I didn't bother asking what had happened to her. We merely enjoyed each other's company before dinner was served. Edwin continued to go about his day and do his chores around the house. Howard and I walked back to the dining room and ate together. I said goodbye to Edwin, just in case I wouldn't see him before leaving to go back to Camp Lehigh. Howard and I ate in silence for a while and I reveled in the taste of the food. The stuff at Camp Lehigh was alright, but it was still military food.

Finally I knew that I had to ask Howard the question that had been plaguing me since Bucky had left two weeks ago. "Can I ask your opinion on something?" I said, shattering the silence.

Howard swallowed a piece of chicken and nodded. "Fire away," he said.

Clearing my throat, I swirled the bourbon around in the glass and drained it in one swoop. Howard laughed and refilled it. "Do you think that I should tell Bucky the truth if he comes -"

"- When -" Howard interjected.

"- When he comes home?" I corrected.

"Yes," Howard answered without hesitation.

So both he and Peggy thought that I should tell Bucky the truth. I sighed softly and nudged the chicken around on my plate. "If I tell him the truth, I think that I have to tell him the whole truth. I'll have to tell him the entire truth. Everything about me. My childhood, everything that happened to me when I was gone for all of those years, exactly who I am... Everything." Howard nodded, clearly telling me that it wasn't that bad. "He said that he loved me, but he doesn't know me."

And it was the truth. All of the years that we'd known each other and he still didn't know me. "He does know you. He knows that you're the worst dancer that ever existed," I laughed as he continued, "he knows that you have a bigger heart than humanly possible, he knows that you're as tough as nails, and he knows that for all of the moments that you've proved that you don't need a man, you still love him."

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. "But those are all things that normal people do. Strange people, admittedly, but all the same, they're still normal." There were women that were similar to me, but at the end of the day, they were still just normal people. I was barely human. "Howard, I'm about as far from normal as you can get."

"So what?" Howard barked at me. I jumped backwards. He never spoke to me that way. I'd never heard him irritated before. "You've got a few oddities about you. We all do. If he doesn't recognize what a wonderful woman you are, he doesn't deserve you. He told you that he would always love you," he said.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know about this. About what I really am," I argued.

"I didn't run."

He'd already known what I was. He didn't need me to tell him what I was. Maybe it would have been different if he had. "You're batshit insane, you don't count," I told him.

For a moment, Howard actually laughed before sobering once more. "Victoria, I like to tease you about Barnes, but I've never seen someone as in love with someone else as he is with you. You make him happy." He made me happy, too. I wanted to tell him just how happy he made me. "So you're a little strange. I think he likes strange."

Glaring at him, I scoffed. I was too dangerous to be around him. What if I got angry one day? What if I forgot to take the pills? I couldn't do to him what I'd done out in the woods... I'd kill him. My tone became very soft. "You really think that someone could get over this? Over me? I'm dangerous. I don't wanna hurt him," I whispered.

Howard sighed and stood from his chair, coming to sit next to me. "I think the only way that you would hurt him would be if you walked away from him, and didn't tell him why. He loves you. He might need some time, some explanation, and probably some therapy, but he'll manage," Howard said.

I nearly snorted at the therapy comment. "He's always known that there was something crazy about me. I suppose this won't be that much of a shock," I muttered.

"You've told plenty of people. Chester, Peggy, myself. No one has run away screaming yet."

But there were plenty of reasons that they hadn't left. "Peggy's a woman. She was my friend first. She likes to see powerful woman. You're a scientific mind. I'm more fascinating to you than terrifying. And Chester already knew what I was," I argued.

"Barnes has known you for a long time. Fifteen years, or something like that." I nodded. This Christmas it would be sixteen years. It was hard to realize that we'd known each other for so long. "You really think that he'd leave you for something like that?" Howard asked, grabbing my hands and holding them in his lap.

Sighing deeply, I shook my head at him. He was right. He wouldn't leave. He'd try to get over it. "No. But I don't want him to start treating me differently, like he's scared of me," I said.

"Honey, he's already scared of you." I couldn't help it, I laughed. He was right about that. Bucky was scared of me, so was Steve. "The only thing that telling him the truth will do is make him love you even more. More to love. You said before that you wanted him to know the entire truth, right?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Yes."

"Tell him. He'll appreciate it," Howard told me.

I knew that I couldn't keep it a secret forever. One day I would have to come forward and tell him the truth. It wasn't something that I could hide forever. "Thank you, Howard," I said honestly.

Howard took the bourbon from me and downed it himself. "Should've been a therapist," he said.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "Yes. You should have." But he would have made a terrible therapist. He didn't have the patience for it. "You know, one day we're going to have to work on your love life. I'll find someone for you," I told him.

He looked put off by the thought that he might ever get married and have a family. It made me smile. "Oh no, you're the only girl I need in my life," he told me, hooking an arm over my shoulders.

"Just gonna stay a bachelor forever?" I asked teasingly.

Howard shook his head at me and I watched him curiously. "Now I didn't say that," he told me. I could imagine him being a good husband and father. He just had to find the right woman. She was out there somewhere. "Eventually I'll have a kid and they'll annoy you even more than I do. I'll make that my dying wish."

I growled under my breath and shook my head at him. "Lucky me." The last thing that I needed was two Howard's in my life. I wasn't sure that I could tolerate it. "You should let me name them," I told him after a moment.

Howard snorted at me and shook his head. "We'll talk about it," he said.

I would name them anything stupid. I'd try to, but he wouldn't let me, and I wouldn't be serious. Standing from the table, I grabbed Howard and pulled him upright. "Okay, I need to be going." Howard nodded at me as we walked from the dining room and past the foyer. I saw Edwin in the corner dusting. "Thank you for dinner, Edwin! It was lovely," I called to him.

Edwin glanced up and bowed slightly. "Come by anytime, miss," he said.

Once he had left us, I turned back to Howard. "Take me back?" I asked. I wasn't quite fond of running all the way back to Camp Lehigh.

Howard nodded and motioned me out of the mansion towards the drive, where his car was still parked and waiting for us. "Yeah." He opened the door to his car and allowed me to hop in. He started the car and began down the road. We weren't in silence for long. "You mind coming to visit the lab tomorrow? Make sure that everything is in place?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Sure." I figured that we would be done talking to Steve by the middle of the afternoon. "Come get me at two, yeah?" I asked him.

"I'll meet you then."

Together we rode back to Camp Lehigh in a peaceful atmosphere. It was the moments like this that I almost forgot about everything that plagued me. It had been a long time since I had had such a peaceful night. We laughed together as we drove through the roads back to camp. It made me wonder how I had ever managed to make such a good friend out of Howard Stark. A man that no one seemed to really understand. Sure, he could be an ass, he was definitely arrogant, and he had way too high of an opinion of himself. But he also had a big heart, an open mind, and a wonderful personality.

It almost made me sad when we finally got back to Camp Lehigh. I kissed Howard on the cheek and departed from him for the night. It was getting a little late. It was already past nine. Lights out was in an hour. But I had time to actually walk freely. I thought about heading to the mailboxes and I hesitated for a moment before deciding not to. Peggy usually checked for me. She knew that it made me too nervous to do it myself. So I headed back to the barracks and gently slipped into our room.

She had been so busy lately that I half expected her to be asleep. It surprised me that she wasn't. She was writing a letter at her desk. "Oh. You're awake," I said. She turned back and smiled at me, crossing her legs. "I didn't want to disturb you," I explained.

For a moment I went to go change into my pajamas, but Peggy spoke before I could "No. I wanted to see your face," she said. She was still smiling brightly at me.

A letter. Was it a letter? I didn't want to get my hopes up. "What?" I asked, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

Peggy stood from the desk with something behind her hands. "Picked up your mail today. You got a letter," she said, extending it. My heart skipped a beat. "It's from him, it's his writing."

"Thank God," I muttered, taking it from her. "Thank you," I told her. She smiled and sat back down at her desk, giving me a moment of privacy to read the letter. I quickly opened it and pulled the paper out. It was shorter than the last.

Vika,

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to write to you. We have to get moving soon. The mission was a success. They had me working as a sniper so I was out at a distance. Everyone is just fine. One man was skimmed in the leg but with some stitches, he'll be fine.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to write to you much over the next few weeks. I think we're going somewhat off the grid. But I'll keep writing the letters and I'll send them when I can. I miss you a lot. It gets so boring out here. I'd write everything to you, tell you every second of my day, but I'm getting yelled at that it's time to go.

Hopefully things are good back at home. Has Steve managed to get into another fight yet? How's that project that you've been working on going? Hand any new recruits their asses yet? I like to imagine that you have.

I love you, and I'll see you soon,  
Bucky.

Peggy was watching me as I read over the letter three times. I kept trying to find some extra clue in the letter, anything, just something to tell me what else was happening. But there was nothing. He'd told me as much as he could and I couldn't complain about that. Plus there was the fact that I knew that he was still alive. At least, whenever he had sent this letter. He'd made it through his first mission and been unharmed. I took a shaky breath and placed the letter down on my desk. His jacket still sat over my chair and I pulled it on, tugging at the sleeves that were far too long for me.

Taking a deep breath, I sent Peggy a smile. She grinned back at me before turning to her own desk. She wanted to make sure that I was alright. I grabbed a piece of paper and laid it out, tapping my pen against my mouth for a moment as I debated what to write. He had told me to write him a long letter, since he was always so bored.

Bucky,

It's horrible here without you. I knew that it would be, so I can't say that I'm surprised. I don't think that it's even having you away from me - although that's pretty miserable too. It's the fact that I don't know what's happening while you're out there. Sleep is hard to get. I'm so paranoid about everything lately. An overwhelming feeling that something is going to go wrong, I suppose.

But that's my problem, not yours. And I guess things are a little better now that I know that you're alright. I've got so much that I wish that I could tell you. Way too much to write in a letter. I met an admissions officer from Harvard today. He was an arrogant ass. You'd be proud, I put him in his place. He said that as long as the project works out, he'd be more than honored to present me with a degree. Not only that, but he even offered me a chance to come and speak to the new students. I don't know how keen I am on that, though.

As for the actual project, we've found our candidate. Human testing begins two days from now. I think that you'd like the man that we chose. He was my personal choice. Abraham's too. Maybe you can speak with him one day. We're telling him tomorrow. He probably thought that he had no chance. I'll be glad to tell him that it's him that we chose.

The other option was a man by the name of Gilmore Hodge. If you thought that I was bad to Jeremy or any of the other recruits while you were here, you should see me with Hodge. I thought about breaking his ribs the day that I met him. He'd just horrible to the other men. He preys on the weak. That's not a Soldier. It's a coward.

Steve is fine. He's back at the apartment and working on getting a job assembling airplanes for the Air Force. So, he's at least doing something good for his country. And, who know? Maybe he'll build a little bit of muscle.

I'm glad that things aren't too bad for you at your base. I hope that you don't think of me nearly as much as I think of you, it makes it hard to get things done. By the way, I would love to hear one of those songs that you wrote. I wish that you were here. I wish that I could kiss you or hug you. Good luck prying me off of you when you get home.

Anyways, I'm sure that you have better things to do than read my letter, so I'll make the rest short. It's getting late and I want to go deliver the news that we've chosen our new soldier. I promise I'll tell you all about the project when you get home. Not that I'm supposed to do either of those things. I'm supposed to wait until tomorrow to tell him, but I don't care. I hope that you're alright. I miss you every single day. I can't wait to see you again. I love you, please stay out of trouble. And write me whenever you can. You mean the world to me, come back home soon.

By the way, thanks for leaving your jacket here. It's soft. I think it'll be mine now.

Don't you dare do anything stupid,  
Love, Vika.

Folding the letter up, I placed it in an envelope and stood. I had to go deliver the letter as soon as possible, before he could move on. "I'll be right back," I told Peggy, turning to leave the room.

She glanced up at me quickly. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm gonna tell Steve that he's been chosen," I said.

She laughed at me and leaned back in her chair. "Aren't you not supposed to do that?" she asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Yep." I was about halfway out of the door when I turned back and smiled at her. "You can come and talk to him..." I playfully suggested.

I got a shoe chucked at me in response. "Get out."

Laughing loudly, I tossed the shoe back onto her bed and turned from the room. I closed the door gently behind me, not wanting to disturb anyone that might have turned in early, and walked from the room. I paid a quick visit to the mail room and dropped off the letter. No one else was inside so I placed a small kiss on the envelope, sealed it, and placed on the postage before sending it off. Taking a deep breath, I headed over to Steve's barracks. Disaster struck the moment that I walked in. Men were running everywhere and destroying the room.

Clearing my throat quickly, all movement came to a dead halt. Steve, who had been reading on his bed, glanced up at me. "Everyone with the exception of Rogers, out," I snapped.

It didn't take anything more than that. They all grabbed their things and ran from the room. Some of them weren't wearing shirts and I rolled my eyes at them as they walked past me. They were probably thinking that I was impressed. I wasn't. As far as that went, I had Bucky and I'd seen Logan - a man in prime physical condition - completely bare. Once they'd gone, I walked over to Steve. He looked extremely concerned as I came to sit on the bed opposite him.

He hung his head. "So that's it, I'm out?" he asked me.

I couldn't keep up the solemn look for long. A wide grin spread over my face and I jumped over to his bed, wrapping him in a hug, trying to regain my composure. "Welcome to Operation Rebirth, Soldier."

Steve's jaw dropped. "They - They picked me?" he asked hesitantly.

I nodded at him proudly. He'd done it. He was about to do the one thing that he'd always wanted. "They did. You are about to be the first super-soldier in history. Congratulations, two days from now you'll be going into the Vita-Ray Chamber and coming out as the perfect Soldier," I explained to him.

We'd give him the full rundown on what would happen tomorrow. "Wow..." Steve muttered, looking down at his hands. He looked back up a few moments later. "What happened?"

"We took a vote. You and Hodge were nominated." Steve looked as bothered as I had been that someone had nominated Hodge. "Chester nominated Hodge and I nominated you." He smiled at me. "Chester, Sergeant Duffy, and Sergeant Holden voted for Hodge. Peggy, Howard, Abraham, and I voted for you. So, we won," I said brightly.

Steve placed a hand over mine. "Thanks for believing in me, Vic," he said.

"Don't make me regret it," I warned.

He laughed and nodded at me. "I won't. I promise," he said determinedly.

Of course, I knew that he wouldn't. Steve would never be able to disappoint me. We sat in silence for a few moments before I looked up at him. "Bucky's alive. I just got a letter from him saying that their first mission went well. Only one man was injured. Nothing serious. They're moving on now. He said he'd write as much as possible," I told him.

Steve nodded at me. "He'll be fine." I knew that he was saying it just as much for his own sake as he was saying it for mine. "You know that he will. He's doing a good job out there. Maybe one day I'll get a little closer to him out there."

"I don't think that I can tolerate having you both out there," I told him honestly. Steve laughed once more and wrapped an arm around me. I'd never felt so much like his little sister as I did in that moment. We were in silence for a while before a wicked grin fell over my face. "So can I name you?" I asked.

"Name me?"

He looked like I'd just asked him to give me his first-born. "Yeah! You're going to be the world's first super-soldier. No offense, but Steve Rogers isn't really that impressive. We'll have to give you a name that will fit the new person that you'll be. Pick a rank," I said.

"Rank?"

I rolled my eyes. Had he been paying attention at all the past week? "Like Sergeant, Colonel, Lieutenant; you know."

Steve thought about it for a moment. "Umm... Captain," he landed on.

I nodded. I could work with Captain. "Okay... Captain... Captain..." I trailed off, trying to think of what would actually sound good. Finally, it hit me. "Captain America!" I said cheerfully.

Steve looked doubtful. "Seriously?" he asked me.

I gave him a hard nudge. "It'll grow on you," I told him. And I honestly believed that. Things weren't perfect right now. There was a chance that Steve wouldn't be alright when he went into the chamber, Bucky was still risking his life in the war, and my life was still mostly a lie. But I had this moment, and I would enjoy it.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Bucky's P.O.V.

He was standing right back against the bed, looking back and forth. He was restless. He wanted to do something, but he couldn't figure out what to do. They were stuck until they deployed in a few hours on their next mission. Dugan and Jones were already gone and it left Bucky by himself, in his thoughts. He missed everything. He missed his late-night chats with Steve. He missed drinking way too much and slugging around the house the next morning. He missed having real food to eat. He missed his soft bed. He even missed having an actual alarm clock. But more than anything, he missed her.

It was almost like his prayers were answered. It was like she had materialized from thin air. Victoria leaned up against the edge of the tent, almost shimmering in the streaming sunlight. "Hey, Soldier," she quipped at him.

"Vika..." he whispered, moving towards her. He was moving so slowly, almost afraid that she would disappear if he got too close. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, standing just a few feet away from her.

Clearly he shouldn't have been afraid of her vanishing. She moved forward towards him, gently laying a hand on his chest. "Coming to visit you. I've missed you. Have you missed me?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

A dream... It was just a dream, he realized. She wasn't here. She was back home, trying to deal with him being gone, just like he was still trying to deal with being gone. But he decided that he was going to take this moment. He had missed her terribly over the past two weeks. He hadn't seen her in two weeks. It felt like it had been years since he had last seen her. She stood there and ran her hand up over the material or his shirt and he smiled, wishing that she was really here.

He could touch her, but she felt cold, nothing compared to the way that she normally felt. Warm. Almost like fire was constantly running under her skin. "Of course. I miss you every single day. I wish that I could tell you everything," he told her.

"Tell me now," she whispered, her voice echoing in the dream.

He shook his head at her. As much as he loved seeing her, it was also painful, knowing that the moment that someone woke him up, she would be gone. "We don't have the time. But I'll tell you everything as soon as I can. The second that I come back home, okay?" he asked her, praying that somewhere back home she could hear him.

"Still coming back to me?" she teased him.

He would always come back to her. The only thing that had ever mattered the most to him was coming back to her and spending his life with her. Just as he'd always wanted to do. "Always. I will always come back to you. There's no one that I would rather have," he told her honestly. "And that's not to mention that I have some unfinished business with you."

The one thing that he wanted from her more than anything else was the truth. He wanted to know what had happened to her. He didn't care what had happened to her. He just wanted to know what had happened. He wanted to know that she really did trust him enough to tell him where she'd gone that afternoon, and where she'd stayed for the next eight years. More than anything else, he wanted to know why she didn't stay long enough to tell him where she'd gone. She always said that she was dangerous. But she couldn't have been... He was never scared of her. Not genuinely afraid.

Even in his dreams, she was always smart. "The truth. My truth," she told him.

"Not just that," he told her honestly. There was one other thing that he wanted to tell her. He wasn't ready yet, he knew that she wasn't ready yet, but the day would come that he would tell her. "There's something that I need to say to you. In time... But I intend to say it."

She moved into him and laid her arms over the back of his neck. "Say it," she goaded.

But this wasn't her. It was him. So he smiled and shook his head at her. "You already know it," he said.

It was like he'd just told her his darkest secret. Maybe it was... But it wasn't dark. He was proud of it. "Are you sure that you want me around for the rest of your life?" she asked him.

He nodded at her, letting his fingers run up and down her bare arms. "There's no one else that I could imagine being with. You're the only one that I want. You were always the only one that I wanted. Look at how gorgeous you are. I can't believe that I was the one that was lucky enough to be with you," he told her honestly.

He'd never understood how cruel the other kids could be to her. She was perfect. Strong and smart and beautiful. But they'd never seen it. He was always glad that he had. "You are a lucky man," she said.

"I am," he agreed.

She laughed softly and pressed herself up against him. It was how he knew that it was a dream. She was forward for a woman, but not this forward. "What do you miss most?" she said in his ear.

"Seeing you," he responded, tracing his fingers down her spine.

Even in his dream, he felt her shiver underneath his fingers. He knew that it was one of the things that would calm her down. "You're sure?" she asked him, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

He grinned sideways at her. Definitely a dream. And he definitely missed her. "Kissing you," he said.

She smiled. "That's better. Come here," she ordered.

In real life he wouldn't have argued with her either. He pressed a hand against the back of her neck and pulled her into him. She laughed as he held her tightly against him, pressing a harsh kiss to her lips, pushing her hair through his fingers. He loved every part of her. He always would. She was gorgeous. Her hands were wound into the bottom of his shirt, pulling up the edges of the shirt from their tucked-in place under his came loose quickly, and she straightened it out.

As he ran his hands around her small waist, her strong legs pushed them backwards and they collapsed on the laughed softly against his lips, pressing a small kiss against the underside of his jaw. He felt her fingers push against the buttons on the top of his shirt and he sighed at her, feeling her soft body press against his was all he wanted. But it was shattered when she stopped kissing him, dropping her arms from his buttons and shaking his arm gently, saying his name over and over.

The vision of Vika quickly vanished and it was replaced by Dum Dum Dugan. Bucky groaned and placed his head in his hands. He really missed her. "Barnes. Hey, Barnes, man, come on, they're serving breakfast soon," Dugan prodded.

Bucky nodded, trying to push himself up from the small cot. "Yeah, thanks man. I'll be out there in a minute," he said. Dugan nodded and moved from the small tent that they were sharing with Jones.

Once Dugan had left the tent, Bucky yanked himself off of the cot. It wasn't really much. It was slightly too small for him, barely wider than he was, and lumpy beyond belief. Even the cots back at Camp Lehigh were better than that. It was right against the hard ground, too. His, and the other two. The tent that they were in was barely big enough to share their things. Bucky knew that the farther out they moved, there was a chance that they would have to leave the tent behind. They couldn't bring things that were too heavy or would weigh them down. Bucky's clothes were all stuffed in a pack at the foot of his cot and he grabbed them.

There wasn't much else that was in the small tent. He had a few personal items. The Bible, simply for something to read when he got bored. He wasn't overly-religious, but it was the only book that he could find last-minute. He had a small comb and a few sets of clothing. Besides the locket that he constantly wore around his neck, those were the only thing that he had.

He'd never been the kind of person that kept sentimental things to him, but he always had some things that he liked. He missed his bed back home. He missed the few pictures that he had hanging around. And he definitely missed having more than three outfits - none of which were ever clean. He gathered his brown boots - caked in mud - and slid them on his feet, tucking his black and brown pants into them. They were spotted with some blood from a man named Oliver, who had cut himself one night during a mission, crawling accidentally over some barbed wire. He was fine, just surprised.

Unfortunately Bucky hadn't been able to wash out the pants yet. One of his other pairs had been worn far too much, and the other was torn from a broken tree that had snagged them during their first mission. He pulled on the gray shirt that hugged tightly to his form and pulled on his beige jacket over the top of it. For now he left off the hat and weapons that he normally carried. He was exhausted today and he wanted something that felt a little bit more like life back at Camp Lehigh that he missed so much.

Deployment was strange. In some ways, it was exactly what he had imagined, but in other ways it was nothing like he had imagined. They woke up early, were briefed for whatever mission that would be accomplishing that day, take some time to plan any attacks or recoveries, move base, and, if the day called for it, carry out the plan. At night they would take care of any injuries or casualties - thankfully of which they hadn't had to deal with any yet - and they would have dinner. Since they would sometimes be deep in enemy territory, they wouldn't be able to speak or be allowed to light fires. But that was only two nights so far, and now they were back at their base.

But there were definitely things that Bucky hadn't been expecting. Things that had become a harsh reality very quickly. There were the moments that they were showering with collected water - highly contaminated as they were warned to keep their eyes and mouths shut - and the alarms or sirens went off. Nothing was worse than having to streak out of the showers buck-ass naked to take cover. On the actual base, sleep was elusive. Bucky had learned that engine maintenance was performed at night. They could be as loud as a tornado. When they were actually able to shower, sometimes it came down to choosing either showering or drinking because they would be so low on bottled water.

Those weren't even the worst of the things that he had learned. Dinners were disgusting and it wasn't uncommon to find hair in their food. It would stamp-out starvation among the men pretty fast. One of the most horrifying things that he'd learned... When they ran out of toilet paper, it was replaced with a softer sandpaper. It was something that he didn't wish upon anyone. After thirteen hundred hours, the toilets didn't even work. The woods became their toilets.

It wasn't always a problem though, things could be worse. They hadn't gone straight into open fire more than the once, and Bucky had stayed at a distance for that. The worst part was being away from his friends. He really missed being away from Steve this long. It was the longest that Steve and Bucky had been away from each other. They were best friends, and more than that, they were brothers. It was tough being away from him. Especially because Bucky knew what a pain in the ass that Steve was. He was always managing to get himself into something, and it was always Bucky to the rescue. He could only pray that Vika was keeping a close eye on him.

And it was the thought of her that hurt the most. He missed her with every part of him. It was proof by the dreams that he had every night. She was always in them. Sometimes they were memories, sometimes they were dreams of the future, and sometimes they were dreams that almost didn't feel like dreams. Like this morning. Lately, more than ever, he'd been dreaming about their future together. Perhaps it was because he always had the threat of his life hanging in the balance, but he knew that he wanted to be with her. He'd always known.

Since the moment that he'd met her fourteen, almost fifteen, years ago, he'd known that she was going to be the woman that he'd marry. She was perfect. He'd always loved her. She was so much different from anyone that he'd ever known. And he liked different. There were some men that wanted a woman who would cook and clean and take care of them. Bucky thought that it was nice, but he really wanted someone like her. That wouldn't put up with his shit, could take care of herself, and would make a name for herself. Maybe they hadn't been together for that long, but he'd known her for most of his life. Once he got back home and had more time with her, he'd ask her to marry him.

He'd always known that he would. Steve had always known, and encouraged Bucky on it. And now... Bucky had a father that he could ask. Colonel Phillips wasn't her real father, but he knew that she looked at him like one. Trying to push off the intrusive thoughts that wouldn't matter unless he got back home, he walked out to their fire pit.

Breakfast was already going and Bucky slowly picked at the disgusting food. Six ounces of corned beef throughout the day. It made Bucky sick to think about. He always took an ounce at breakfast, but today he found that he could barely push it down. Sometimes they had meat stew and hard biscuits - which were more like stones. They occasionally had vegetables, but being on the front lines, they were usually rotten by the time that they got to them. So Bucky swallowed it all in one bite and leaned back on the grass and dirt, fingering the locket that held the pictures of her. All of the men had shared the pictures and stories of their significant others, with the exception of Bucky.

He wasn't really sure why. He just liked having some part of him to himself. He wasn't left in silence for very long. Jones took a seat next to him and saw him picking at the closed locket. He sighed. "Missing your girl?" Jones asked.

Bucky nodded, fiddling with the gold chain. "Yeah. But, I mean, barely any time has passed. Shouldn't be missing her yet," Bucky said.

A moment later Dugan took a seat at his other side. He'd grown close to the two men lately. "I guarantee you that she's back home missing you just as much," Jones insisted. Bucky smiled, she had much better things to think about than him. "I know my old lady didn't want me to leave. Where'd you meet her?"

He grinned at the dirt on his boots. She broke into my apartment. Skinny little eight-year-old, barely spoke and was covered in dirt and grime. "We grew up together. Met her when she was eight and I was eleven," he told them.

"What's her name?" Jones asked.

"Victoria." It felt strange saying her entire name. He was sure that he'd never called her by her full name before he'd told her that he loved her just two weeks ago.

Both Jones and Dugan smiled at each other. It helped the men, talking about their girls. Calmed them down and reminded them of what they were fighting for. "Pretty name. You two go to school together?" Jones asked.

Bucky very nearly laughed. "It's a weird story," he said honestly.

Dugan spoke for the first time since waking Bucky up that morning. "Barnes, we got more time than anyone else. Come on, everyone's talked about their girls except you. Tell us about her," he prodded gently.

Bucky sighed but spoke anyways. "A lot of her is a mystery. Her parents died in a house fire when she was eight." The two men sighed at the news. "She panicked and ran. Right into my childhood home. She was terrified, barely spoke to me and my best friend, but we were kids. We didn't need to know anything. So we just took her in. Our parents couldn't live with sending her off to an orphanage so she took my best friends last name, pretended to be his sister, and joined the family," he said.

Now that he was older, he saw just how much their families had done for her. At the time, all that had mattered was that she was a kid that needed help. "That's good of y'all to do that," Dugan said.

Bucky nodded at him. "I guess I never really thought of how good it was for my parents to take in some girl that randomly appeared in our apartment one night. But they did," he said with a little laugh.

"So you've been with her since then?" Jones asked.

I wish... There was a chance that they would have already been married if they'd been together since childhood. But she'd been gone for so long and they'd had to rebuild their relationship. "No. When she was fourteen and I was seventeen she just... vanished," he trailed off.

It was the mystery that he had been talking about. Dugan and Jones looked stupefied at his words. "What?" Jones finally managed to ask.

Bucky laughed and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "She's - uh - She's not exactly a normal girl. She's smarter than anyone else I've ever known. She took all of the hardest classes in the school and never got anything less than a one hundred on anything. We were kids and she could speak at least six languages." Jones grinned. He spoke a few languages as well. "People... They took it hard on her. She was different. She couldn't cook worth a damn, never learned how to sew, and had no desire for a family. She rarely showed any type of affection towards anyone outside of our families. The girls said awful things about her and the boys, they actually hit her."

All three of the men cringed. Bucky hated the thought that anyone had ever laid a hand on her. Maybe she was strong. But no man should ever lay a hand on a woman. He would rather die than ever lay a hand on her that she didn't want there. It was why he had nearly killed the boy that had shoved her to the ground and broken the bracelet that he had given her for her birthday. It was why he had always hated Johnathan as much as he had. Because they had always hurt the one person that he loved more than anyone else, outside of Steve.

"My God," Jones breathed.

"Assholes," Dugan growled.

Bucky nodded at them. She hadn't had an easy childhood. "But she never let it bother her. She was so strong. It didn't exactly seem normal. She could beat anyone in a race, hit so hard you'd be sure that she'd broken something... You know, she was crazy." Jones and Dugan laughed. "But we loved her. These boys that used to tease her took her books one day before class, made her late, got her detention, and said all of these terrible things. She stormed off from the school that afternoon and that was the last time that I saw her for eight years," Bucky remembered with a painful twinge.

He had been so heartbroken. He'd been terrified that she was dead. More than anything, he'd been scared that she's simply left them without a word. "What happened to her?" Jones asked curiously.

Bucky shook his head slowly. He really wasn't sure what he could say to them that would actually make sense. "It's a mystery, most of it. Most people thought that she'd been abducted or killed. Steve - my friend - and I were the only ones that knew that she was still alive out there," he told them. They had always known that she was not dead.

"Why didn't you think that she was dead?" Dugan asked.

Because she's too strong for that. "She'd broken this boy's knee the day before she disappeared. He was always awful to her. He was out of school the next day - the last day that I saw her. When she never came back home we called the police." They'd waited until three hours after dinner to call them. That was the most afraid he'd ever been. "But... She'd changed her name. There was no evidence of her, and not knowing much about her past, they couldn't look for her."

"She broke someone's knee?" Jones asked in shock.

Bucky let out a deep sigh. This was where the story started to get strange. Of course, everything that surrounded Vika was always strange. "Not just broke it. Turned out that she'd completely ripped it out of the socket and torn the tendons from the bone," Bucky said, remembering the reports that had circulated on the radio about the attacks on the boys.

Dugan and Jones exchanged a look with each other. "Holy shit," Dugan muttered.

"Like I said, she's not normal. The only thing that anyone ever could say was that this boy that she'd hurt had cornered her in an alley with three of his friends." He cringed at the thought of how scared she might have been. "They were probably planning on trying to beat her within an inch of her life. But it didn't work. She broke his nose. He kept claiming that she'd fought them like it wasn't even hard for her. One of them had three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. The other had a broken nose and had an aneurysm from massive head trauma. The last one had a broken nose and ankle. All of the bones in his foot were crushed and the tendons were torn," he explained.

It was something that would have been nearly impossible for a fully-grown man to accomplish. It wasn't something that a fourteen-year-old girl could do. "No way that a kid - not even a woman - but a kid could do that," Jones said.

And that was the problem behind everything. The evidence was there, but there was no way. She had just been a kid. She couldn't do things like that. No one could. "People started to think that they were just making it up. They wanted to blame her because someone had jumped them. The theory was that it had scared her and she'd run off, thinking that they would blame her. But one of them kept claiming that it was her and that she had red eyes," Bucky said.

People had believed him for a little while. Bucky had always thought that if it was her, Johnathan must have just been terrified. The light must have tricked him into thinking that her yellow eyes were red. "He must have been terrified, probably imagining things," Dugan reasoned.

"The hell did the red eyes come from?" Jones asked.

Bucky cleared his throat. "People were always awful to her because she didn't look normal. Her hair is so light that it's almost white. And her eyes... They're yellow," he said, keeping his voice low.

They were silent for a long time. "Like a really light brown that looks yellow?" Dugan asked carefully.

Bucky shook his head. "No. Yellow like the sun," he explained.

Her eyes were the best thing about her. They made her so much different than any of the other girls that he'd ever known. He had always liked them. "She sounds like a pretty bird to me," Dugan said.

"She is," Bucky immediately put in.

"How'd you meet her again?" Jones asked after a beat of silence.

"It was when I got drafted and got to basic. I reported to my division and saw that she was there. Training the recruits." He could see her perfectly, nearly taking Jeremy's head off. He'd thought that he was dreaming. "She'd taken on a new name, Sergeant Victoria Phillips. There was no doubt. It was her. We just reconnected. It was like no time had passed. And we just got together one day. Felt right. She's a geneticist now working on some secret project. If it works she'll earn an honorary degree in Genetics from Harvard. Howard Stark offered her the Corporate Operations Officer position at Stark Industries."

Both Dugan and Jones laughed. He knew how they felt. She was so impressive... It was hard to live up to someone like Vika. She was like a superhero. He'd always thought so. "Hope you're not ever planning on living up to her," Dugan said, patting him roughly on the back.

Bucky laughed and shook his head. She'd always outshine him. And he was just fine with that. "No. We all knew that she was gonna do great things. I'm proud of her," he told them honestly.

"So what happened to her all of those years?" Jones asked.

And there was the question that seemed to always hand over her. What had happened to her? It was an answer that Bucky almost felt like he would never know. "I don't know. She never said. I could tell that it wasn't something that she wanted to talk about. But she promised me that when I come back, she'll tell me everything. Incentive to come back, she said," he told his friends.

"She sounds like a good girl," Dugan said.

"She is."

They were silent for a little while, the shouts echoing all throughout the small area. Everyone was getting ready to move out on their new mission reasonably soon. "Alright. Show us," Jones said, pointing to the locket.

With a sigh, Bucky nodded and opened the locket. It felt like giving away a part of himself, but he was proud of her. He was proud to show her off to the world. He was proud to say that she wasn't his... But they were equals. They were each other's. He gently pushed open the pictures of her. The two men looked at her and smiled almost immediately. Bucky sighed at the sight of her. She looked so happy. She was smiling and laughing, all because he'd been teasing her. There was a small surge in his stomach. Just a hug... That was all that he wanted.

"Pretty bird," Jones said.

"Nice looking dame," Dugan added.

"She is," Bucky agreed.

They had all said the same things when Dugan and Jones had shared the stories of their ladies. They were all happy for each other, and they all hoped that they would get back to them. "You'll get back to her," Jones said, patting Bucky on the back.

He nodded at his friend. He would never want to see what she would go through if he died. "I know. She told me that she'd break my nose if I didn't come back. And I believe her," he said, laughing.

To his surprise, both Dugan and Jones laughed as well. They were Army men. They tended to like the tougher women, not that there were many around. They were spread few and far. It was always amusing when someone found one. "Better be enough room for us at the wedding," Dugan told Bucky.

The three of them laughed together, standing as they were called into a meeting for their next mission. Even as they began talking about battle plans and infiltration strategies, Bucky felt the best that he had since deploying. Perhaps the timing wasn't the best. She'd just come back into his life and he'd been forced back out of it. But this time he knew that when he got back home, she'd be there waiting for him. They could pick things up and move on with their lives. When he went back, he had a family to go back to. Between Vika and Steve, he had everything that he'd ever wanted... And so much more.

Victoria's P.O.V.

It was the first day in months that Peggy hadn't set an alarm for us. We really didn't have a time that we had to get things started today. The only thing that we needed to do was alert the recruits at some point that a man had been chosen for Operation Rebirth. I woke up at just a little past ten in the morning and smiled at Peggy, who was already ready and clearly waiting for me. She tapped her wrist where a watch would normally be and I rolled my eyes.

Flipping headfirst out of the bed, landing softly on my feet, I zipped back and forth through the room at top speed, using my mutations to bring things to me that were across the room. Peggy watched in amusement as I pulled my hair up in a loop and nodded at her. The project was almost ready. In just over twenty-four hours Steve would be going into the Vita-Ray Chamber, and proving to everyone that a woman could really manage to do something more than raise a family and make a good meal. It seemed that Peggy felt the same way. I could tell that she was in high spirits about being so close to the end.

We both hung around and did our work for a few hours. Peggy had some paperwork to file and I had a few reports to work on. It didn't help that I also had to write letters to invite the men that would be at the demonstration tomorrow. Abraham had asked me to do them so that he could focus on the finishing touches. I wrote the duplicate letters quickly and gathered them in my hands, ready to send them out. I also took some time to ensure that I had all of my paperwork ready for the experiment tomorrow.

Briefly I left the room to deliver the letters and ensure that the women in the mail room knew where I wanted to send them. They didn't look fond of taking orders from me, but they agreed anyways. With the papers for the experiment tomorrow in hand, I walked out towards the offices and dropped them off with Abraham, who was muttering very rapidly in German to himself. I smiled and left the office without a word, sensing the stress in his office. I headed back to the barracks and smiled at Peggy, who was standing and reciting something to herself. Probably some type of speech.

Throwing an arm over her shoulder - which didn't work so well considering that she was half a foot taller than me and in heels - we walked towards the barracks that held the Operation Rebirth recruits. "We ready to get this thing started?" I asked her giddily. I had finished everything that I needed to do, and she looked like she needed a break.

She smiled down at me. "Getting excited?" she asked through a laugh.

Immediately I nodded at her. This would be one stressful thing off of my plate; something that I really needed. "Ready for it to be done with. Plus, the moment that we make this work, I get that degree from Harvard," I said proudly. Peggy smiled brightly. I knew that she was happy for me. "Things are finally starting to look up."

Peggy wrapped an arm over my shoulder and I groaned. One of the strongest mutants in the world, but I'm barely taller than a child. "It's amazing how much work that women have to do to actually make something of their lives. But, you and I, we're making the best out of things," she told me, pride seeping from her voice.

I nodded at her as we walked towards the barracks. We were on the other side of the camp from them, so it was somewhat of a walk. "So, shall we get things started?" I asked her.

"Are you going to kill Hodge?" she quipped back.

I should. I knew that if I did do anything to Hodge, there would be very few people that actually cared. "I will try my very hardest not to," I promised her, not at all sincere in my words.

Peggy shook her head at me. "I somehow don't think that you'll be trying very hard."

"You would think correctly," I told her, dragging her away from the mess hall, where she was grabbing an apple. "Come on. We should go." She whined at me, probably wanting something else. But I didn't care. We'd been waiting long enough. "I want to explain to Steve what we're going to be doing to him. At least make it seem like we know what we're doing."

We both laughed at my words and I took the apple from Peggy's hand. I knew that she wanted to split it. But we had no knife to cut it. Not that I needed one. I tore the apple in half and handed the bigger piece to her. She snorted in amusement and bit into the fruit. It took me a moment too long to realize that tearing an apple in half with bare hands was not something that a normal person could do. Either way, it didn't matter, no one other than Peggy had seen me do it.

As we walked over towards the barracks, I kept my gaze straight ahead at the currently abandoned obstacle courses. It was the Fit to Win Course, and, for today, no one was on it. Most recruits were doing their indoor training right now. Taking a deep breath, I found myself feeling much better today than I had in a long time. Perhaps because I was getting really confident that things were going right for me, for once in my life. It would have been perfect if Bucky was here. But he'd be back. About halfway towards the barracks I saw Abraham and Chester standing together, speaking in hushed tones.

The moment that we passed them, the two men fell into line with us. A few recruits that were passing saluted - only because Chester was with us - and we responded. We waited for them to pass before Chester leaned over to me. He was hungover - I could still smell the alcohol lingering on his breath and the cortisol that was releasing. He was in pain, but he would never let us know that. Still, I didn't say anything. I knew that he wouldn't appreciate my unwanted comments.

That didn't keep me from smirking at him. He glared at me for a moment but said nothing. "You're absolutely positive about this?" Chester asked me, referring to our choice to use Steve.

Glaring at him, I debated on shocking him, sending the headache from the hangover through his body. "Knock it off, old man," I snapped at him as Peggy walked beside Chester, both of them laughing at us." You're going to be eating your words in twenty-four hours. He'll prove you wrong. You just have to give him a chance."

"He's still skinny," Chester argued with me.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, walking past him slightly. It was the same argument that he'd used to Abraham after Steve had thrown himself over the grenade. "He's not going to be skinny forever!" I barked at Chester, startling a few people standing near us. I lowered my voice and hissed, "Shut up and deal with it."

For once, I was the one that was in charge. He might have overseen the project, but I was the one that made the final decisions. With Abraham, of course. "Who gave you this job?" Chester snapped back at me.

"Who was the idiot that took me in?" I responded quickly.

Peggy walked forward and stepped in between the two of us. "I can't believe that you two haven't killed each other yet," she said as we walked closer towards the barracks.

"We've come close. But, whether or not he wants to admit it, Chester loves me," I teased.

"March," he barked at me.

The comment ticked everyone funny. Peggy and Abraham both laughed, and although Chester didn't laugh, I did see the corners of his lips twitch upwards. He would never want to admit it in front of anyone else, but I knew that he really did care for me. It was the same way that I cared for him. Even from a few meters away from the barracks, I could hear the men yelling back and forth with each other. The only voice that I couldn't hear was Steve's. I assumed that he was reading in silence, trying to ignore them. They were clearly very excited to see who had been chosen. I imagined that Steve was trying to hide his smirk.

Just outside of the barracks we met up with Sergeant Duffy. He would be reassigning the men that wouldn't be going through Operation Rebirth. They were still perfectly good soldiers, and the United States needed them elsewhere. We all walked into the barracks together and I rolled my eyes at the sight of the men. Some were shirtless, some wore ruffled clothes, but they were all acting fools. They were wrestling with each other, laughing and shoving themselves back and forth. Steve was the only one that was seated on the bed, reading quietly. None of them had spotted that we were inside the barracks yet.

The five of us exchanged a sigh as we watched them fight. Useless. Every single one of them. But not for long. "Recruits! Attention!" Duffy shouted, easily speaking over all of the commotion.

The men all jumped upright, coming to stand in a line. Steve was the only one that didn't panic. He moved forward and smiled at me. I smiled back at him. "Good morning, gentlemen. We thank you for your dedication over the past two weeks. We know that it hasn't been easy. For now, one of you will be put forward into Operation Rebirth. The rest of you will proceed to basic training for deployment. We have made our choice. We will be going forward with Mr. Steven Rogers," I said.

Chattering began throughout the crowd of men. It was one of the few times that no one actually yelled at the recruits for speaking to each other. I knew that it would be a shock. I knew that it would have been, no matter who was chosen. But they were clearly very shocked to hear that it would be Steve. They were asking each other if they were sure that I'd said Steve. I rolled my eyes. Not a single one of them actually moved to congratulate him. But it didn't matter. He had his own friends, and he was the one that was going into that chamber. Steve pushed out his chest - something that almost made me laugh - and stepped forward. I smiled at him.

The muttering went down, but many of the recruits were still glaring at him. I noticed Hodge send a particularly nasty glare his way. "You will report to Agent Carter and I tomorrow morning at eight in the front of Camp Lehigh. We will be taking you to the site," I told Steve. He nodded at me. "As for the rest of you, Sergeant Duffy will place you. Thank you for offering us your time. Proceed to make this country proud. Sergeant Duffy?" I offered the older man.

He nodded at me and motioned towards the remaining me. "This way, recruits!" Duffy shouted.

They began walking in lines. I could hear the men snapping back and forth about how Steve could have possibly been the one that was chosen. I rolled my eyes at them. He had already been chosen. There was nothing that they could do now. It was probably for the best that they weren't going through the procedure. I didn't trust them. As Duffy and the recruits left the barracks, Chester gave me a nod before leaving as well. Abraham gave Steve a bright smile before leaving as well. Peggy grinned at the two of us before following him, probably ensuring that our ride for tomorrow morning was set. It left only Steve and I.

I waited until the door had closed behind them to react. "Congratulations!" I yelped, running after Steve and jumping into a hug. He laughed and stumbled back slightly, hugging me tightly. "God, I was so scared that Chester was going to find a way to weasel out of this and bring someone else in."

Steve laughed as I let him go and ran his fingers through his hair. "No one else will ever be allowed to call themselves Captain America," he told me proudly.

Grinning brightly, I nodded at him. The name might have been a little silly, but I felt that it was very appropriate for the reason that we were even creating him in the first place. "I knew that the name would grow on you," I teased, nudging him gently.

"Only because you were the one that picked it out," Steve teased me.

The two of us smiled at each other. I grabbed his hand and led him over to the bed, taking a seat and crossing my legs and facing him. "There's something that I want to tell you. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You've done so much and you're doing something that very few people would have the nerve to do. And it's not just me that's proud of you. Bucky doesn't know yet, but when he comes home he will know. He's going to be just as proud as I am, once he gets over the shock," I told him.

He grabbed my hand in his and brought it into his lap. It was moments like these that I really felt like I was Steve's little sister, proud of her big brother for doing something this amazing. "I'm proud of you, too, Vic. You're the one that did all of this. You helped with this project and you're half of the reason that this even worked out. You've done so much. All of this, it's incredible," he told me.

His hands were running over my knuckles. They should have been so scarred, but it looked like I'd never laid a hand on anything or anyone. Looks were deceiving. "I had a lot of help," I muttered, staring at the unblemished skin.

If I looked extremely close, closer than any normal person could see, I could see the slightly green tinge under my wrist from the Chronicle. "Doesn't matter, you still did it. You're the person that I always knew would do something great with your life. It never mattered that you were a woman, you were the smartest person that I ever knew," Steve told me.

Smiling softly, I nodded, pushing back my hair. "Thank you, Steve." We sat in silence for a moment before I kicked out at his knee playfully. "But I'm not the only one that's going to do something great with their life."

It wasn't like I wasn't already proud of him - I would always be proud of him - but this was something so much bigger than anything that I'd ever thought that he would do. I'd never been so proud of him. This was something huge. And this was something much bigger than himself. It was like he had said. There were men laying down their lives. He had no right to do any less than them. That was exactly the reason that I had faith that Steve was the perfect candidate. He was a perfect example of selflessness.

"You're sure that this is going to work?" Steve asked me after a long silence.

"Yes," I answered almost immediately. Steve gave a long nod, staring down at the bed. I sighed and tucked my legs underneath me. "You don't trust me?" I asked teasingly.

Steve glanced up at me and shook his head. "No. I trust you, I really do. I just don't want to get my hopes up and then have nothing happen to me. I couldn't imagine how embarrassing that would be," he muttered lowly.

There was no doubt in my mind that something was going to happen to him. "Trust me, something is going to happen when you're in there," I told him.

Steve stared at me sideways. "Well that doesn't sound appealing," he laughed.

The mistrust in his voice made me laugh, too. This whole project didn't sound very appealing when you actually thought about it. "Do you want to know what's going to be happening while you're in there?" I offered him. He looked curious at my offer. "I can't tell you the side-effects or what will happen to you physically, but I can tell you the science behind it."

We were silent for a while as Steve thought about it. It might make him more nervous, but he would at least know what to expect. "You know, I think that I'd like to know. It's not going to make me nervous, will it?" he asked me.

"Oh, it will. You'll probably want to run and hide," I told him honestly.

"Great," Steve groaned.

Smiling at him, I nudged his arm. "Still want to know?" I asked.

Steve let out a small sigh before nodding at me. "Sure. Why not?" he said with a laugh.

Standing up from the bed, I offered him my hand. He took it and I easily pulled him up from the bed. He weighed next to nothing. "Come on," I told him, motioning him to follow me.

He looked confused but didn't ask me what we were doing. I just didn't want to sit around and talk with him. I wanted to get up and do something, far away from everyone else. So we walked out to the Fit to Win Obstacle Course. There was no one around and I smiled to myself. I appreciated that today would be the day that we were allowed out here. They were all training indoors today. Steve and I walked over to an abandoned area of the course and, while he took a seat on the logs, I began slowly walking over the stumps that were raised in the air. Steve watched me with a smile as I easily kept my balance, jumping from one to another.

We were in silence for a few minutes and I grabbed Steve's hand, forcing him to walk over the stumps with me. We kept together with our hands, walking back and forth. I had the strength to be able to keep him upright. He seemed a little surprised that I was able to keep the both of us moving over the stumps. They were so narrow that it was hard for both of us to keep upright, but I felt like it was a good way to teach him to keep his balance. After a few minutes, I walked a few stumps ahead of him and motioned him to walk towards me. He laughed in disbelief as I walked backwards over the stumps, watching him as he moved towards me.

He clearly couldn't believe that I was able to walk so easily, without even looking back. "Well, there are three things that we are going to do to begin the transformation," I told him.

"Okay," Steve said, focusing very hard on keeping himself upright.

"Like I said, there are three components. One is oral. You'll be taking a pill the night before," I said. Steve nodded. Abraham had designed the pill. I'd read over the papers for it. "The other is intravenously. It's a shot. More than one. There's actually eight." Steve slipped off of the stump at that. I offered him a hand back up and sighed at the green tinge that had fallen over his face. "Sorry. But we've got a lot of work to do." He scoffed at me. "No offense. The other is a technique of my own design."

Now he looked curious. Steve paused on one of the stumps and looked curiously at me. "What is it?" he asked.

Pausing for a moment, I wasn't quite sure if I should tell him. It probably didn't sound very good. But I knew that I should tell him. He'd find out soon enough anyways. "Radiation," I answered quickly.

Once more, Steve slipped off of the stump. "R - Radiation? Isn't that dangerous?" he asked me. I snorted at Steve as he weakly pulled himself back up onto the stump.

Shaking my head at Steve, I jumped over two of the stumps and landed on the last one, turning back and starting over again. "Don't worry about it. Radiation is somewhat of a specialty of mine. You see, low levels of radiation actually advance the human genome when they're specifically targeted to large muscle groups or bone structure." The confusion was written plain and clear across his face. "Simply put, it will make you stronger. I developed a special type of radiation that will help rather than hinder your body."

Steve stared at me for a long while. Finally, he asked, "So it's not going to burn me or anything like that?"

I laughed loudly at him. That wasn't exactly what radiation did in the first place. But I supposed that burns did happen before the body was completely destroyed. "Relax, it's not going to kill you. We've already done tests. And the oral pill that you'll be taking will counteract any side effects of the radiation blast. I've ensured that," I told him confidently.

It wasn't going to hurt him... No... It wouldn't. "So is this, like, normal radiation?" Steve asked me.

"No," I immediately said. It's my kind of radiation. "It was created specifically for this project." Not really completely true. "Abraham agreed with me that radiation was key. We thought about using alpha level waves but they were too low. Gamma was way too high. So I created a new kind of radiation. We call them Vita-Rays. They target muscle groups and increase growth," I explained to him.

It was a long time that Steve wobbled back and forth over the stumps, trying to process everything that I had said. "That's impressive," he finally said, making both of us laugh. "And if it does something to me, I'll know who to blame."

As much as it was a joke, it made bile rise in my throat. I'd never let anything happen to him. "If anything happens to you, you'll be more than welcome to blame me all you want. I'll blame myself. Although, considering we've done some live tests, and we've had very few negative reactions, I'm inclined to think that you'll be just fine," I told him.

"What happened with the serum?" Steve asked me.

Sighing softly, I stumbled over one of the stumps. My mind wasn't completely in it with me. There were far too many things that I was trying to think about. "That's mostly Abraham's specialty. Let me put it as simply as I possibly can... If you shoot radiation light at dendrimers - which are repetitively branched molecules (the extra explanation clearly didn't help Steve) - they actually break up. So anything they're carrying gets released into the tissue they are currently embedded in.

"So if you imagine one of these nano carriers are carrying the serum, which is a genome editing tool essentially, it turns on the right genes for increase muscle mass. We'll be injecting it directly into your muscle mass and zap you with the Vita-Rays. That will specifically activate those molecules to release their full potential load and have a very specific function. How much of that did you gather?" I asked him.

He was silent for a long while. I knew that nothing that I had just told him made very much sense. I probably wouldn't have understood it either, if I was anyone else. It wasn't the simplest thing to understand. For a moment I wondered if he might understand science a little better after getting the serum, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't be that good. He would definitely be smarter, but these kind of things took years to really understand. Years, or a genetic mutation.

Obviously he was still trying to figure it out. But it seemed like he had finally given up. "Honestly, I didn't really understand any of it," he admitted. I laughed, having figured that much. "But I understand the basics behind it." At least he understood something. That was what really mattered, I supposed. "So what are the effects of the serum?" he asked after a little while.

And that was where the problems started. We weren't completely sure what it would do. We had theories, but I didn't want to tell him and have it not happen. "We're not exactly sure," I said. Steve seemed to very quickly lose faith it what I'd told him before. "But I could give you an educated guess if you'd like?"

Steve debated on it for a moment before nodding at me. "Go for it," he said.

"Your metabolism should start burning about four times the typical human rate." He glanced up at me and I smiled. My metabolism burned about ten times faster, so fast that it should have killed me. "You may age slower and have a heightened healing factor. A bullet wound will still hurt, so I suggest that you avoid them, but you'll heal better than someone else would. If we're correct, you should be exceeding peak human potential," I told him.

He had not looked convinced when I'd mentioned the bullet wound. In fact, he looked about ready to collapse to the ground. Of course, the idea of being shot was shocking to someone who never had been. "What does that mean?" Steve asked, referring to the peak human potential.

"Expect to be able to lift over eight hundred pounds. Perhaps upwards of one thousand pounds during heightened times of adrenaline release." This time he did slip off of the stump. "I did perform my own equation that suggests that you would be able to run nearly sixty miles per hour. You'll have the ability to counteract the acids in the muscle that cause fatigue, so this will allow you to maintain strenuous physical activity for hours on end before tiring. Reasonably interesting, you'll have immunity from nearly any poison known to man. That includes most drugs and alcohol. We anticipate you to be gaining about one hundred and fifty pounds," I told him.

This time he didn't bother getting back up onto the stump. He collapsed on the wooden beam and I took a seat next to him, smiling at him. He was going to be the perfect human. He would be able to run for hours and never tire. The sixty miles an hour would only be for brief intervals, but he would be able to maintain a speed of twenty miles an hour, much faster than average. He'd be much larger. He'd get taller and gain more muscle. I wouldn't be shocked to be able to see him lift a truck. He would be immune to all poisons, so that was the one area that we might actual be equal in something.

Steve took a long time to process all of this information. I knew that it sounded like a fairy-tale, but it wasn't. It was science at its finest. "Is that even possible?" Steve finally managed to ask me.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "There's a lot that's going to be possible. And it won't just end with the physical," I said. He clearly didn't understand what I meant. "There will be mental changes, too."

"So I'll be smarter than you?" Steve asked teasingly.

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head, shoving him roughly. As much as I loved Steve, he was not allowed to be smarter than me. "In your dreams," I snapped at him.

Steve laughed at me and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into him. "Yeah, I didn't think so," he said. He knew that it would be hard to be as intelligent as I was. "What do you mean?"

Taking a deep breath, I thought as hard as I could to make my explanation make sense. "Hopefully you'll be able to retain and recall any information that you take in. That's my own theory. This is half of what will make you a perfect Soldier. Now you will be able to react and process data faster, which should improve your reflexes far beyond those of a normal human. So, yes, you will be smarter," I told him.

Steve grinned at the thought. His grades had always been average. But I knew that he would appreciate the chance to excel in something. "Buck's gonna love that," Steve said with a little laugh.

Grinning brightly, I nodded. Steve and I used to love ganging up on Bucky when we were kids. It would be nice to be able to do it again as adults. "I'm hoping you'll learn to speak Russian or something like that. Do you have any idea what we'd be able to say around him and he'd never know?" I asked. We both laughed at the thought.

Bucky had always hated when I'd gone on rants in Spanish or French when we were kids. Sometimes I would make up completely nonsensical sentences, just to laugh when he thought that I'd been teasing him. Steve chuckled softly at the memories of our childhood. "He'll lose his mind in between the two of us," he finally said.

I sighed softly and smiled. "Poor Bucky," I muttered.

The air suddenly became very thick. It was thick with a slight guilt, remembering that Bucky was in the middle of the war while we were here, laughing and smiling. "So, are there any side effects?" Steve asked awkwardly.

That was definitely the conversation that I'd been hoping to avoid. "We've seen a few," I muttered.

"Tell me," Steve said determinedly.

"Steve -" I attempted to steer the conversation away.

He spoke over me, and for once, I let him. "Please, Vic, tell me," he begged softly. I sighed, not wanting to admit to him that something could happen to him. He was my best friend. I didn't like even pretending that something might happen. "I want to be prepared. Just in case. I want to know what I might have happen to me," he said.

His hand wrapped around my own and I sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to leave me alone about this. He was going to want to know. And he had a right to know. "It might not happen. Steve you're the first human experiment that we've performed. This is all based on animal testing. We don't know exactly what side effects to anticipate," I told him.

"I just want to know what you've seen. I'm not scared, Vic," he told me softly.

Even if he was afraid, he would never say so. "I know you aren't. That's what scares me," I told him. He smiled at me guiltily. "Psychosis. That's the most common. Due to the rapid evolution of the human brain as a result of exposure to super-soldier serum, the super-soldier is far more susceptible to mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and paranoia than an average human. But that might not happen," I told him. I could only hope that it wouldn't. That would not be easy to explain to Bucky. "In the early testing we did see some reversal in powers and eventual loss of them. We haven't seen them since."

That had happened quite a bit during the early testing phases, but we hadn't seen anything like that lately. We would see some degeneration as time progressed, but it seemed more like the animals were becoming used to the new bodies. And we had to remember that the testing that we were doing was all a part of animal testing. This would be the first human testing that we would be doing. This would be the time that we would really be able to see what would happen to a human in the chamber.

Steve nodded at me, processing the information on his own. "Okay," he breathed out. I patted him on the knee, knowing that I had probably just made him very nervous. "Well, I'm prepared, Vic, no matter what happens."

Nothing was going to happen to him. He was going to go in that chamber as Steve Rogers and come out as Captain America. "You're going to be fine. You're going to make this work. If it's the last thing that I do, I'm going to make sure that you're just fine," I told him brightly.

"I trust you," Steve told me.

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I smiled at him. I knew that we both trusted each other with our lives. "Do me a favor and don't say that until we get you out of the Vita-Ray Chamber safely," I teased.

Steve laughed loudly at me. "Love you, Vic. I hope I make you proud," he said.

I smiled at him and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "You already have." He had made me proud the moment that I saw everything that he was going through to be a part of a war that most men were desperate to escape. "Love you too," I said, glancing down at my watch. We were pushing two o'clock and I sighed. The day had flown by. "Okay, as much as I love being around you, I need to leave."

We both stood from the stumps and I smiled at him. In just a matter of hours, there was a chance that he would tower over me. "Where are you going?" Steve asked curiously as we headed back towards the main camp.

I turned back to him and let him catch up to me. I forgot that he walked slower than I did. Perhaps he would walk faster after tomorrow. "Howard Stark is coming to get me to bring me to the Vita-Ray Chamber. We're taking one last look over it to ensure that everything will go properly tomorrow. Don't worry, you're in good hands," I told him.

"I trust you," Steve repeated as we stopped outside of the barracks.

Smiling at him, I laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked nervous. I knew that he was, and I didn't blame him. If it were me in his place, I'd be nervous too. "I'll drop by tonight to make sure that you're alright," I said.

Steve smiled at me and shook his head. He probably thought that I was treating him like a child and coddling him. But that wasn't the truth. I was merely a concerned friend that didn't want anything to happen that would be my fault. "I'll be fine, Vic," Steve said.

Nodding at him, I gently nudged him towards the dorms. "I know. But I'll be antsy," I teased. He laughed and I felt some of the tension fade from his body. I assumed that he needed something like that. "Get some rest today and be prepared for everything tomorrow. Have a good day!" I shouted as I backed away. He smiled and waved me off.

Walking through the camp, I pushed my hands down into my pockets. A few people were milling around that I waved at. Sergeant Duffy was underneath one of the tents, ordering the men to their new units. I overheard the conversation for Hodge being suggested for the 107th and I rolled my eyes. Please kill him, Bucky. Unfortunately, Hodge was a good soldier, and that was probably the reason that he would be chosen to be deployed with them. Chester was standing with Peggy, seemingly going over plans. I shouted my plans for the afternoon out to them and they both nodded, telling me to be cautious and to alert them if there were any concerns.

Near the gates of Camp Lehigh, I saw that Howard was standing outside of - yet another - car. He was grinning madly. I knew that he had brought this car here today just to prove to me that he could have fifty cars and use them all. This one was one of the nicer cars that I had seen of his. It was extremely rare. Only five had ever been made. It was a 1939 Delahaye Type 165 Cabriolet. It was a French-made car and bright red. It was no shock that a few men were standing around and whistling at it. I rolled my eyes Howard he kissed me on the cheek, allowing me to hop into the passenger seat of the car, closing the door gently behind me.

Once he had revved the engine and began roaring down the road, I glanced over at Howard. "Another car?" I asked him, trying to keep the dirt on my shoes off of the carpeted interior of the car. I didn't want to ruin the gorgeous car.

Howard smirked at me. "You weren't honestly expecting it to be the same one?" he quipped back at me.

After the last conversation that we had had about cars, I was sure that he would never let me see him in the same car more than once. "No, of course I wasn't," I told him honestly.

Howard grinned at me and pushed the car as fast as it could go. We weren't really that far away from the office that we were working behind, and the ride didn't take much more than twenty minutes or so. "You tell Rogers that he was the one going into the chamber?" Howard asked as we drove out of the gates of Camp Lehigh.

Nodding at him, I smiled off in the distance. We were all going to make this work. "I actually went in private and told him last night. We went and told all of the recruits officially this morning," I told him.

"How'd he take the news?" Howard asked curiously.

Much better than I would have originally thought that he would. I could tell that this was the thing that he wanted to do. He always had. "He seems happy. I know that he's excited to do something with his life. But it's dangerous. I wanted him to know that. So I did say what might happen to him," I told Howard, very obviously showing my concerns.

Howard took one of his hands off of the wheel and gently set it on my leg. He clearly didn't want me to worry. But I knew that Howard was good at what he did, and I knew that he would take care of Steve. "And he still wants to go through with it?" Howard asked.

Steve was no coward. He wouldn't back out of it even if I told him that there was a huge chance that he was going to die. "Yeah. There's no talking him out of it," I said.

"And how are you handling everything?" Howard asked carefully.

He didn't want to annoy me. So many people had asked me how I was handling everything. Trying to be a woman in a man's world, how I was handling Bucky being gone, and how I was managing putting my best friend in danger. It was a lot to put on one person. And I wasn't sure how I was going to keep going. But I was keeping my head mostly intact. It just bothered me that people though - strictly because I was a woman - that I couldn't handle some hard things in my life. And that wasn't true. I could handle things.

Sure, it got hard. But just because I was a woman didn't mean that I needed to be patronized. But I knew that Howard wasn't patronizing me, he was simply making sure that I was alright. "I'll manage. I have faith that this is going to work just fine. He'll be okay. Honestly, I'm more concerned with how the hell I'm going to explain this to Bucky. I promised him that I would keep Steve safe," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

The last thing that I wanted was to think about was the chances that Steve would be hurt. "This is... Not safe," Howard trailed off when he realized that there was nothing to say about this. I scoffed at him. "You're right. Good luck dealing with him."

Turning a glare on him, I shook my head. "You're so useless," I snapped.

Howard seemed to think about it for a few moments. "You could tell him that you've been training him," he suggested.

Immediately I shook my head. There was no way that I could explain to him how Steve would make such a drastic change. "And how am I going to explain the sudden gain in muscle, loss of all physical ailments, and that's not to mention the fact that he's going to be almost a foot taller than he is now?" I asked Howard.

We were silent for a long time as Howard debated on an explanation. I watched his face closely, seeing the little movements flit across it. He seemed to land on something eventually. "Stilts," Howard spit out.

The two of us sat in silence and stared at each other before I burst out laughing. Howard followed me a moment later. "I hate you," I said through gasps of air as I continued to laugh.

Howard chuckled and shook his head. "No, you don't," he said. I nodded at him. He was right about that. I couldn't ever hate him. We were silent for a while as we regained our composure. "Have you heard from Barnes lately?"

Giving a very small smile, I nodded. For now, he was safe. And hopefully in a few months he would be back home. "I got a letter from him last night," I told Howard. He smiled and glanced over at me for a moment. I could feel the happiness oozing out of him. "They went on their first mission. He was fine."

"Don't be worried about him," Howard told me.

"How couldn't I be worried about him?" I snapped at him, not meaning the words to come out so harsh.

Howard clearly knew that I hadn't meant it as his hand gently patted my knee. "Because he loves you. That's his reason to stay alive out there. He'll be back, Victoria. Just give him some time," he said.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. Men were deployed for long periods of time. I knew that it would take time before he came back home. "I know. He's barely been gone for two weeks," I muttered, feeling a little silly for missing him already. "But I've gotten so used to seeing him every day, even if I don't talk to him. To have him so far away from me, somewhere so dangerous... It's tough."

Howard sighed and looked over at me. His loved ones were all safe. He knew how hard it was for me to have Bucky gone, but he didn't really know. "Trust me, I understand. I know how much he means to you. But he's going to come back. You trained him. He knows what to do. And he knows what you'll do to him if he gets himself hurt out there," Howard added.

I laughed softly and nodded at him. I'd kill Bucky if he got himself hurt. I wanted him to come back, and as much as the thought scared me, I wanted to have a life with him. "You like to make jokes about us getting married..." I trailed off awkwardly. Howard nodded at me. "Are you just being an ass or do you really mean it?"

He snorted at me calling him an ass but nodded. "I mean it. I really do. I can't read minds, but I do like to say that I can read people pretty well, and I know that if there's one thing that Barnes is sure of, it's that you're who he's meant to be with." I smiled softly and stared at the floorboards. "You thinking about the future?"

Shrugging at him, I tried to play off my thoughts. "Sort of. I try not to, but sometimes I do. I want to pretend to have a future, but I can't be sure. I don't know if I'm the type of person that can have a future," I mumbled.

Howard grinned at me. "I'll tell you what... I see your future." Curiously, I glanced over at him. I couldn't wait to see what he meant by that. He was staring dreamily off in the distance. "A huge farmhouse in the middle of a field, you and Barnes up on the porch swing, with two little kids running around," he said.

Smiling softly, I shook my head. I would never wish this upon another child. "Yellow eyes and all?" I asked him.

"Just as adorable as the two of you are," Howard said, grabbing my chin in his hand.

I sent a shock through my hands that were on his wrist and he shouted in pain, letting go of the steering wheel and glaring at me. Rolling my eyes at him, I laughed and glanced out the window. Could I see it? Could I see us in our own house, two little kids running around in the yard? I knew that he could. He wanted a family. He would be good with a family. But what about me? Was there I chance that I might actually have the capability to act like a real woman? Maybe. Maybe not.

There was no way that I would be sure unless I gave it a shot. "Maybe you're right..." I muttered, trailing off.

"I'm always right," Howard said haughtily.

Rolling my eyes at him, I nodded. "Sure thing."

We were in silence for a little while before Howard grinned and gave me a quick look. I knew that nothing good could come from that look. "If you have a boy, you should name them after me," he said.

Immediately I shook my head. Not if there was a chance that they would be anything like him. I could barely stand one Howard. I did not want two of them in my life. "Not a chance in hell. If you have a girl, you should name them after me," I cheekily said.

Howard smiled at me and nodded. "Now, see? I'm nice, I would name my child after you," he told me. I laughed and shook my head at him. "But what if I were to have a boy?"

"Victor," I said quickly.

Howard grimaced and shook his head at me. I didn't blame him. It was an ugly name. "That's terrible. He would sound like a Soviet wrestler." We both snorted at that. "How about a name that you like?" he offered.

Humming to myself, I thought about it for a while. There weren't that many names that I really liked. But there was one that I could think of that I really did like. "Anthony," I said after a few minutes.

Howard nodded along for a few minutes. "Anthony..." he repeated, testing the name on his tongue. "I like that," he finally agreed.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile. We were a few minutes away from the offices when I glanced back over at Howard. "How's the chamber been lately?"

He was the one that had been around it so frequently over the past two weeks. He was the one that knew the Vita-Ray Chamber backwards and forwards. "Things have been good with it. I haven't found any issues with it yet. I think that we're going to be ready to put him in the chamber tomorrow morning," he told me confidently.

"If we're ready, that's all that matters."

Howard nodded at me. "He's your friend, we're going to do everything in our power to keep him safe," he said.

Glancing over at him, I narrowed my eyes. If something happened to him, I knew exactly who to blame. "If anything happens to him in there, as much as I love you, I'm going to kill you," I told him in complete seriousness.

If Howard was concerned about what I was going to do to him, he didn't show it. "Yes, I'm well aware of that fact, and considering that I don't want to die yet, I'll be very careful with your beloved friend," he told me. I laughed softly. The last thing that I wanted was to really hurt Howard. I absolutely adored him, as angry as he made me.

"I'll hold you up to that," I told him.

"Relax," Howard told me. I glanced over at him and shot him a nasty look. "I have my own reputation to uphold when it comes to this experiment. You think that anyone will want to buy machines from me if I can't prove that I can make this work?"

Raising my eyebrows, I nodded. I supposed that I hadn't thought about it that way. "Of course not. But, to be fair, you only built the chamber to withstand the radiation blast. If it can do that, you've proven yourself," I told him. He shrugged his shoulders at me, nodding. "We're the ones that have something to prove. We took care of the actual science behind the experiment."

"We all know that it's going to work. Erskine has already proven that it can work," Howard said.

Perhaps that was true, but it definitely hadn't worked the way that it was intended to work. "With the Red Skull, who no one is willing to say was created by Abraham. As far as anyone is concerned, this is the first time that we're ever attempting this experiment," I reasoned.

No one wanted anyone to know that Abraham Erskine had created the Red Skull and given him the powers that he needed. "Fair enough," Howard told me. We weren't silent for very long. "Did you ever meet those men from Harvard?"

Snorting softly, I remembered the strange conversation with August. He certainly wasn't my favorite man that I'd ever met. "I did. Just one of them. August something or another. I wasn't listening," I said. Howard laughed at me. "He says that if the experiment works, the degree is mine."

"We'll hang it on the wall in your office at Stark Industries," Howard told me proudly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. I had thought that I'd be working in his office with him. I hadn't thought that he would make me one. "You already made me an office?" I asked him.

He nodded at me. "I'm working on it. It's directly adjoining mine so that we can leave the doors open and enjoy each other's company," he told me. I rolled my eyes at him. Great. Just what I wanted. Howard grinned, knowing that I wouldn't love that part. "I think that you'll like it."

"I didn't get a say in what this office looks like?" I teased.

Howard looked like I had just asked him to drink bleach. "God, no," he snapped. I glanced over at him, brows furrowed. What was wrong with me saying what I wanted the office to look like? "I've seen the way that you dress."

Well that was uncalled for. I glanced down at my clothes for the day and scowled. They weren't that bad, were they? I was wearing brown boots today that laced all the way up. They went to just below the knee. They had a slight heel in the back that I was debated throwing through Howard's fat head. I was wearing high-waisted black pants that were tucked into the boots and a white button-down was tucked into those pants. The shirt only had one button undone, leaving me extremely hot in the heat. There wasn't a touch of makeup on my face and my hair was tied up in a bun. I knew that pieces were falling out all over the place, leaving me looking very unkempt.

But my clothes weren't that bad. Were they? I didn't think that they were that bad. Of course, I knew that Peggy would probably have something to say to that. "Thank you, jackass," I snarled at Howard.

He looked over at me and grinned. I debated on burning off his eyebrows. "I'm only teasing you. Although I am serious. You have to let me design something for you. You dress like a man," he told me.

Shaking my head at him, a few more strands of hair fell loose, definitely not helping my case. "What the hell should I be wearing? A dress and heels while I'm trying to fight someone off?" I asked him.

Howard shook his head at me and waved me off. "No, of course not. I'll design you something to wear," he told me proudly. I shook my head. I did not want him designing something for me to wear. "Something that doesn't look like you're wearing your boyfriend's oversized clothes. Feminine, but tough."

Gulping awkwardly, I wrapped the jacket in my lap tighter around my fingers. It is my boyfriend's oversized clothes. "Can I trust you to actually design something that won't make me look like a harlot?" I asked him seriously.

"You think so little of me," Howard said.

Glancing over at him, I shook my head at him. "I think very highly of you," he smiled at my admission, "but I don't trust you to not get me laughed at."

"You'll love it," he insisted.

By his wording, I knew that he wasn't going to let it go. He was going to design something for me whether or not I wanted it. "I suppose that I'll have to trust you on this one," I muttered.

"Trust me, you're going to love it," Howard told me. Sighing deeply, I nodded at him. He would make something nice, I had to trust him. "I'll take your preferences into account. Tight or lose?" he asked.

Could I trust him by saying tight? I didn't need a costume that would be like a second skin. "Tight would make more sense. Easier to move around in," I explained.

"Color?"

"Black," I answered without hesitation.

He must have been remembering everything. Howard glanced over at me and rolled his eyes. "Of course," he muttered. I could tell that he had really been hoping that I would want to do something with more color.

"Easier to blend in," I argued.

Howard nodded. "We'll need to make it flame-retardant and find the strongest material that I can find," he said. I nodded. Flame retardant would keep it from melting and leaving me without clothes. Strong would be so that nothing would tear it. "Black... I can do that. Tight... I can do that too. But you'll have to let me put a flare on it," he told me with a smile.

Snapping my head over to him, I glared at him. He was going to put something on there that was going to make me look like a stupid little girl. "If you put a pink frill on it, I'll electrocute you," I snarled at him.

"Not pink. How do you feel about green?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at him. I actually really did like green, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "Yes, I like green, too," Howard chirped, taking my silence for acceptance. He glanced back up at the road and smiled. "Oh good, we're here."

He parked the car on the side of the road and the two of us climbed out, heading towards the small store that served as the facade. "Are you going to show it to me before you actually start creating it?" I asked him.

"No," he told me. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's go."

We walked inside the small store and gave the pass code to the woman that was standing behind the counter. She allowed us inside and I glanced around. It was the first time that I'd really looked around and observed the area. The chamber was up on a raised, circular, platform in the center of the room, bars around it to keep people from falling. Below it were the controls that the men and nurses would be observing for the procedure, watching the vitals and power levels. Up on the next level - that was just slightly higher than the control panels but lower than the actual chamber was raised - were all of the power controls that would show us how the chamber was affecting the power grid.

Nudging me gently, Howard pushed me into the center of the room to get to work. I nodded at him and took a look around the rest of the room. On the first level were blast proof doors that would hold the men that were observing Steve's vital levels, ensuring that he was reacting well to the procedure. In a lifted booth above the rest of the room was enough room for about twenty people that would watch the procedure. Speakers were aligned in the observation booth so that Abraham could explain what was happening.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the chamber and began observing it, checking it over to make sure that I didn't see anything wrong with it. The chamber was currently laying in the open position. It had three different parts. There was the black plastic bed that was laid out for Steve to place himself in. Pads that would lay over Steve's chest were currently pulled up into place. Syringes were all over the chamber, ready to distribute the serum into Steve. There was a foot hold on the bottom of the chamber that would keep Steve from falling out of the chamber. There were two sides of the chamber that would close over his body, and one hood that would fall over his face. There was a window in the headpiece of the chamber, but Steve would be too short to see out of it.

The Vita-Ray Chamber was nearly seven feet tall, just in case Steve got a little taller than we were expecting. It was also about three of him wide. The chamber was bright blue, standing out against the stark gray and green room. There were ten projection tubes for the Vita Rays and eight tubes that would inject the serum. The chamber was hooked directly into the power grid of New York City, so there was a good chance that we were going to cause a city-wide blackout. The biggest problem for the chamber was how much power that it drew.

As nervous as it made me, there was nothing that could be done to ensure that there was anything more with the chamber. It was ready for Steve to go into it tomorrow. So I walked over to the table that sat next to it and glanced down at the pill. It was the pill that Steve would be taking tonight. It was designed to counteract the degradation of bone and tissue that the chamber alone would cause. It was vital that he took it tonight so that he would be able to withstand the effects of the chamber tomorrow morning. I grabbed the pill and slipped it in my pocket.

For a long time I sat and read over the mechanics behind the pill. I had designed part of it, suggesting to Abraham what exactly it was going to have to counteract. He knew - because of my suggestions - how to design the pill. Finally, I moved to the one part that I wasn't exactly sure about. The serum was completely of Abraham's own design. Each one of us only had a very small part in helping out with the serum. He was the one that really understood it.

The serum itself was bright blue and looked a little bit like slime. I cringed as I touched the bag that it was in. It was very thick. Definitely didn't look like anything that I wanted in me. Could I really say anything though? My bones were plated with the strongest metal on the planet and my body was filled with the most toxic element on the planet that was also a healing agent. So it seemed that both Steve and I were going to be turned into the circus freak in a matter of time.

It made me curious to see how Abraham had ever managed to figure this out. The most that I really knew about it was that potassium was one of the key ingredients in it. The serum would cover and expand all of the key muscle groups. It would coat them, coaxing the Vita-Rays to come and interact with the muscles. It would definitely be the key component in the entire process. Perhaps one day soon I could have Abraham explain a little more about the process to me.

While I was goofing around with the serum and chamber, Howard had been looking over the mechanics. I glanced back at him as he poked around the controls. "All levels appropriate?" I asked him, calling across the room.

"We're ready to go," Howard told me, glancing back over to me.

Nodding at him, I placed the serum back down in its container and glanced at the clock. It was already pushing nine at night and I sighed. I needed to get moving. "Take me back, yeah?" I asked him.

Howard nodded at me and we called a goodbye to the few people that remained. "Come on. You could always stay at Stark Manor tonight if you'd like?" he offered me.

For a moment I thought about it. It would probably be easier, but I really wanted to be there for Steve when the morning came. It would be easier to have a friend around. "I would, but I want to be there for Steve in the morning. If he's ever going to need the comfort, it's going to be tomorrow morning," I told him.

Howard nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Can't say I blame him for being nervous. Come on, let's get you back," he told me.

Thanking him, the two of us walked back out of the store and headed back out to his car. On the ride back, Howard continued to grill me about the kind of costume that I wanted. For whatever reason, he seemed to think that the world would react better to me once Steve was put in the public eye. That meant that Howard thought that I would be going on missions with him. The thought made me happy, but I couldn't imagine people actually reacting well to me. I supposed that I would find out what people thought about me soon enough.

We got back to Camp Lehigh a little after nine-thirty and I jumped out of the car, giving Howard a quick kiss on the cheek. He promised me that he would get the costume back to me as soon as possible. I rolled my eyes and laughed, telling him that I would see him in the morning. As I walked back through the camp I realized that it was mostly empty. It made sense. We were just past the lights-out order. As I came up on the barracks that Peggy and I shared, I spotted Abraham. He was walking away from me with a large bottle of Schnapps in his hands. I snorted and pushed myself forward, coming to stand next to him in under a second.

He glanced down at me and smiled. I motioned to the bottle hanging in his arms. "Having a good night? Planning a party that I'm not invited to?" I teased.

Abraham smiled at me and shook his head. "Never, Fraulein. I'm going to speak with Steven," he said. I nodded and fell into step. "I imagine that he'll still be awake. Would you care to join me?" he offered.

"Yes, I think I will, as long as you promise to share."

"I will, Fraulein," he laughed. We walked together and made our way into the barracks. The large barrack now only belonged to Steve. He looked so strange being the only one awake. Abraham knocked on the door and Steve turned back, looking up from his book. "May I?" Abraham asked as Steve looked up at him.

"Yeah." His smile grew as he I walked in behind Abraham. "Not gonna ask if you can?" he teased me.

"I'd do it anyways," I said honestly.

He laughed at me as I walked into the room. "I know you would," he said.

Abraham and I walked over, Abraham setting down two glasses. I dug through my pocket and handed Steve the pill. "Here. This is the pill for the experiment tomorrow. Take it. Dry swallow it. Don't eat or drink anything today or tomorrow morning. We can't have anything interfering," I told him.

He nodded at me and swallowed the pill, looking extremely sick as it stuck to his throat. I smiled guiltily. "Can't sleep?" Abraham asked.

"Got the jitters I guess," Steve said.

"Oh, me too," Abraham quipped back playfully as he moved the pillows off of the bed across from Steve and unfolded the cot. He took a seat on the bed and made a space for me to do the same.

Steve watched us as we sat down. "Can I ask you a question?" Steve asked Abraham.

"Just one?" Abraham added.

They didn't notice that I was fighting back a laugh. Abraham was much funnier than anyone thought that he was. Perhaps it was a German sense of humor that most people didn't understand. "Why me?" Steve asked.

Abraham held the bottle in his hand, and with his spare, began slowly unscrewing the cap. Out of the window I could see a few soldiers walking by. "I suppose that is the one question that matters. This is from Augsburg," Abraham told Steve, showing him the bottle. "My city. So many people forget that the first country the Nazi's invaded was their own. You know after the last war they... My people struggled, they... they... They felt weak, they felt... slow.

"Then Hitler comes along. With the marching and the big show, and the flags and all that... And he hears of me. My work, and he finds me. Then he says, 'You.' He says, 'You will make us strong.' Well. I am not interested," he said as he placed the bottle down on the floor. "So he sends the head of Hydra. East Research Division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt," Abraham said, fixing his glasses.

To my surprise, Steve interrupted the story to glance over at me. "Weren't you talking about him?" Steve asked me.

I wasn't even sure that I'd mentioned Schmidt around Steve. But, perhaps I had. Or maybe I'd been talking in my sleep a few weeks ago. "Yes. He's an awful man, but also very important. To us, and to them," I said.

Steve nodded as Abraham continued speaking. "Now Schmidt is a member of the inner circle. And he's ambitious. Even Hitler shares his passion for, occult power and tatanic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power. Hidden in the earth. Left here by the gods. Waiting to be seized by superior men. Victoria is well-versed in this kind of power," Abraham said, pointing to me.

It was theorized that this type of power was the kind of thing that could create someone like me. Not mutants, but an enhanced. I wasn't sure what it was, I'd never seen it, but I knew that it was enough to make someone just like me. Perhaps even stronger. And if those myths were the truth... The world was about to get a lot more dangerous.

Steve looked shocked. "Is it real?" he asked me.

There was no clear-cut answer to that. "Not to the extent that he believes, he's more of a man of myth. But there are times that science and legend tell us the same thing. Not often, but it does happen," I said. This was one of the few times that they lapsed over each other. "The power that he seeks is real. It is no power that any man should control. He becomes powerful enough, he controls this power, and he'll believe that he's past Hitler."

If this... thing was real, it would cause a lot of damage. We could only hope that we would get to Schmidt before he could tap the power. "This is a bad thing," Steve said, more asking than anything else.

I nodded at him. "Very bad thing. But that's not what our focus is right now. The focus right now is about you. In time, we're going to figure out what to do about Schmidt and his desire for power. But we have time," I said, trying to convince myself that it was the truth.

Steve glanced over at Abraham, almost as if to ask if I was telling the truth. "She speaks the truth. This is much of why we needed you. Anyways, when he has found my formula and what it can do. He cannot resist. Schmidt wants to become that superior man," he explained.

"Did it make him stronger?" Steve asked.

"Ja," Abraham said, nodding quickly. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "But, it has other effects. The serum wasn't ready. But more important. The man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so... Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse." Steve glanced at the ground. "This is why you were chosen." He glanced back up. "Because a strong man, who has known power all his life... They lose respect for that power. But a weak man, knows the value of strength, and loves compassion..."

Smiling at Abraham, I watched Steve as he stared at the ground. "Thanks," he said. He was staring at the ground until his eyebrows finally knitted. "I think," he added.

We both laughed softly. "It's a compliment," I told him, earning a smile from Steve.

"Get this," he said, motioning over to the two glasses that were on the table. Steve grabbed them and held them out as Abraham poured the drink. "Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing." He corked the bottle and placed it back on the ground. He took a glass from Steve. "That you must stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier. But a good man," Abraham said, pointing to Steve's heart.

It was the happiest that I'd ever seen him. Abraham found another glass and poured me one as I looked over to Steve. "You are the best man I've ever met. And I mean that," I told him softly.

"Bucky?" Steve asked with a small smile.

For a moment I laughed. But I had meant exactly what I'd said. "He's a wonderful man, but there is no one with a better sense of self, and knowledge on what is right and what is wrong than you. You're the one that belongs in that chamber. You are the only choice," I told him, grabbing the glass as Abraham handed it to me.

"To the little guys," Steve said. I turned a heated glare on Steve and he paled. "Pardon. To the little people," he said. I nodded at the correction and clinked my glass with the other two.

Steve was about to drink when Abraham stood slightly from the bed and swatted Steve's hand away from his mouth. "No, wait, wait. What am I doing?" Abraham asked himself. He grabbed the glass back and I laughed at the put-out look on Steve's face. "No, you have procedure tomorrow. No fluids," he said, holding both drinks.

Abraham poured the liquid from Steve's glass into his own. "All right, we'll drink it after," Steve said.

"No, I don't have procedure tomorrow," Abraham said, motioning to himself. "I can't after, I can now," he said, drinking most of the fluid from the glass. Steve smiled at the German man.

Steve turned towards me. "Vic?" Steve asked me.

I snorted and shook my head at him, grasping my glass tightly. "No way. I don't have the procedure tomorrow either. I have to be of sound mind, but... I don't think a few drinks will hurt," I said, tipping back my drink and laughing. Both Steve and Abraham laughed too.

Between Abraham and I, there was no problem draining the glasses, and half of the bottle. I knew that it wouldn't affect me. But I was surprised to see that it didn't seem to affect Abraham either. I assumed that he had been drinking since he was a child. We all sat together and talked for a little while. It was nice to see the two of them bond. I knew that Steve liked Abraham a lot, and it was for far more than just letting him come to Camp Lehigh to train. Abraham left around ten to go to bed. We waved him off together, and I told him that I would see him in the testing room tomorrow.

It left Steve and I alone, but we weren't in silence for that long. "So... Is it going to hurt?" he asked me.

Not bothering to lie, I nodded. "Yes."

Steve laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Not going to even try and sugar-coat it?" he asked me.

Shrugging slightly, I shook my head at him. "I don't like to lie if I can help it. It's going to hurt. Probably a lot." Steve cringed but nodded anyways. "But you'll manage. I know that if anyone can do it, it's you. You should get to bed. Try not to dwell on tomorrow," I said, standing from the bed and laying a hand on Steve's shoulder.

He sighed and nodded up at me. "I'll try. Goodnight, Vic," he said.

"Night, Steve."

Pulling my hair down from the hold that it was in, I shook my hair out and walked out into the fresh air. The air was slightly cool and I smiled. It was a nice night out. I liked to think that it was a good sign for what was going to happen tomorrow. Heading straight towards the barracks that I lived in, I walked into the open hallway, saying hello to two women that were chatting up front. I blushed at them but smiled; they were the two that had run into my door the night that Bucky and I had gotten trapped in my room. My face burned with the memory, but a burning desire to just be able to hug him shot through me.

Sighing softly, I walked into the room that Peggy and I shared. She was already in her nightgown and I smiled at her, heading into the bathroom to get changed for bed. "Is he ready?" she asked me.

"I think that he's nervous. But can you really blame him?" I called back to her, quickly changing my clothes.

Peggy laughed at shook her head. "Not at all," she said as I walked back into the main room and tossed my clothes into the hamper. "He's going to be fine, Victoria. You know that he is. We've all made sure that nothing bad will happen to him when he goes into that chamber," she told me as I plopped down onto my bed.

"I know," I told her as I tucked myself under the sheets, laying on my hand so I could talk to her. "I'm just trying to think of how to explain all of this to Bucky. I promised him that I'd keep Steve safe. This isn't exactly safe."

"Just kiss him. He'll forget all about it."

"Best advice I've heard in a long time," I told her. We both laughed loudly.

Knowing Bucky, he probably would forget about it. But he'd remember the next time that he saw Steve. "You miss kissing him, don't you?" she asked me. I nodded sadly. "I remember when I first called off my wedding to my ex-fiancé. That was the worst part for a long time. Having no one to kiss or even hug. Feeling like I wasn't close to anyone."

Sighing at her, I shook my head. I knew how she felt. To have someone with you all of the time and then one day to just have them leave. Now I supposed that I knew how Bucky and Steve had felt for all of those years. "Yeah. I think that's one of the worst things. I miss not being able to hug him, or kiss him, or even just tell him about my day."

Peggy smiled at me. "You'll have plenty of years for that in the future."

"Thanks, Peggy. And you'll find someone that makes you forget all about your ex-fiancé," I told her, thinking of Steve.

They would be good together. I had faith that they would work. I knew that she liked him and I knew that he thought that she was cute. "Thanks, Vic. We should get to bed," she said.

"See you tomorrow," I said, waving my hand and flicking off the light.

Even as we drifted off to bed, I heard her laughing. I'd figured out how to make small force fields that could hold an object and move it. In time, I was sure that it would get better. Lately it had been enough to turn off the lights, float over my clothes to me, and be able to slam the doors without touching them. It was something that Peggy liked to challenge me with.

The morning came far too fast. The alarm began to ring at just past eight in the morning and I groaned, forcing myself up. Peggy was moving with me. She took a long time perfectly curling her hair. I allowed mine to rest limply around my shoulders. With all of the work that we'd been doing, I assumed that I would be allowed a pass for today. I slipped on a pair of beige pants and a black t-shirt with boots on my feet. Just in case I had to move quickly when the time came. Peggy was dressed appropriately, in a green blazer and skirt, heels on her feet.

Once we had ourselves together I nodded at Peggy. We both left the room and I locked the door behind us. There was a chance that we wouldn't be back here for a while. Together we left the barracks and headed over to Steve's barracks. Everyone else would either already be downtown or they would be on their way right now. We walked into his room and I smiled at the sight of him. He was in uniform, the beige pants, button-down shirt, white undershirt, and beige cap. He was tightening the beige tie incorrectly.

Smiling at him, I walked over and fixed it for him, feeling very much like his mother. "Thanks," Steve said bashfully. Peggy was smiling at us in the background. "Is it time?" he asked me.

"It is. Are you ready?" I asked.

Steve took a deep breath and nodded. I could tell that he was nervous. "I think so. Too late to back out, right?" he teased.

It was way too late for anyone to start backing out. "I'll drag you there by your ear if I have to," I told him. Both Steve and Peggy laughed at that one. I held my hand out and motioned him along. "Come on. We're getting ready to leave now. You're going to make everyone proud. Number one, I want you to make yourself proud."

He was holding himself high. I could tell that he was already proud of himself. "I'm already proud. But I don't think that I can be any more proud of anyone than I am of you," he told me.

"Thank you," I said, blushing slightly.

"You've done a good job," Steve told me.

"So have you," I said, smiling at him.

We walked out to the car that was sitting at the gates of Camp Lehigh. I smiled and led Steve inside. The driver was up in the front seat, already well-aware of where we were going. It was unmarked for discretion. Peggy was on the far right side of the car, I'd somehow wound up in the middle, and Steve was on the left side of the backseat. We drove for a long time in silence, but we quickly arrived in the city. I glanced out the window and smiled as we drove past a few boys that were playing baseball in the street.

Steve leaned towards the window and sighed. "I know this neighborhood," he said. Both Peggy and I glanced over at him. I got beat up in that alley," he said as we drove past a very narrow alley with a few couples walking around. "And that parking lot. And behind that diner," Steve added, glancing down at the floor.

Peggy sighed and stared at the seat in front of her. "How about in that store?" I asked, pointing to a random clothing store that we were passing.

Steve smiled at me and shook his head. "No." I found myself almost disappointed. "But I did get beat up in that alley back there," he told me, pointing to a mostly abandoned alley.

"Of course you did," I muttered.

Finally Peggy glanced over at him. "Did you have something against running away?" she asked him.

She kept her gaze ahead of her. I knew that she was trying not to get attached. Steve shook his head, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. "You start running they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. You can't say no forever, right?" he asked.

"I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face," she said.

Grinding my teeth together, I nodded along with her. Peggy and I exchanged a look as she met eyes with Steve. "I guess I just don't know why you would want to join the Army. You're a beautiful dame. Beautiful... Oh, a woman," he stuttered. Peggy and I looked straight ahead, surprise clear across our faces. "I mean... An agent, not a dame. You are beautiful."

Peggy was staring at Steve as I laughed, looking down at my lap. "Keep talking, you're doing great," I muttered to him.

He gave me a look that very clearly was asking me for help. Peggy merely smiled at Steve. "You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?" she asked him.

Laughing softly, he nodded. "I think this is the longest conversation I've had with a woman," he said.

My head snapped over to him. "What the hell am I?" I snarled.

His already pale face drained of color. "You don't count," he said. My hands clenched together and I had to fight very hard not to light his hat on fire. "I mean, you do count, but -"

I cut him off by speaking over him. "I'm going to wait until you get out of that chamber and then, super-soldier or not, I will kill you," I promised him.

Steve swallowed harshly and nodded at me. "And I'll deserve it," he said before looking past me and at Peggy. I decided to stay quiet and let them have their moment. "But, as for the women... They're not exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on," he said.

"You must have danced," Peggy put in.

I was brought back to the night of dancing with Bucky and Steve. Well, our attempt at dancing. Connie and Bonnie had completely ignored Steve. Was that why Steve hadn't wanted to come with us? Because he knew that no one would want to dance with him? I frowned. I would have danced with him. I was glad that Peggy could see past the physical with Steve. He was such a good man.

"Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying," Steve said, distracting me from my thoughts. I smiled at him. He was more confident to go into a chamber that could kill him than he was to ask a woman to dance. "And the past few years just... Didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait," he said.

"For what?" Peggy asked curiously, gazing at Steve.

"Right partner," he answered with.

She exchanged a small smile with me and I saw an even larger smile fall over her face when she turned to look out of the window. Of course, Steve never saw it. For a moment I wished that he had. He would have known the effect that he was having on her. We sat in silence as the car pulled up to an old antique store - the facade for the experimentation lab. The three of us hopped out of the car, thanked the driver, and moved into the entrance of the store. Steve looked confused as to why we were here.

"This way," Peggy said, forcing Steve to follow us.

He looked around. "What are we doing here?" Steve asked.

"Follow me," Peggy said, walking into the store. Steve placed the hat back on his head before following her. I brought up the rear, carefully closing the door behind me.

The older woman walked out as the door closed and smiled at us. "Wonderful weather this morning. Isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella," Peggy responded.

The woman walked behind her desk and hit the buzzer to allow us in. Steve, Peggy, and I walked into the back room and stood at the entrance that was designed as a bookcase. The doors swung open and Steve jumped slightly. He followed Peggy and me in as we began walking down the hall that opened to the lab. Two soldiers opened the doors at the end of the hallway and we were led out onto the overhand. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look up and stare at Steve.

He looked like he might faint. We all exchanged a look and Peggy sighed, walking down the stairs. She was slightly ahead of us as I pulled Steve downstairs with me. "Whoa. This is it?" he whispered to me.

People were going back to what they had been doing before. "Yep. Come on, we're going to get you down there so we can get you ready for the project. Not long now. Another five minutes or something like that," I said, not really sure what Abraham's schedule was.

"This is... A lot of people here," Steve said nervously, loosening up his tie.

I smiled at him. There were a lot of people here. But they were all here to ensure that their money had gone to a project that was really going to work. "Well, considering you're about to be the world's first super-soldier, a lot of people are interested to see what's going to happen. Head up there, alright?" I said, pointing to where the chamber sat.

"You're going to stay?" he asked me, looking very nervous.

I smiled at him and nodded, grabbing his thin arm. Perhaps for the last time that it would ever be like that. "I'll be right down there by the control panels when the experiment starts. I'll be here with you beforehand. I just have to go talk to some of the other men before we get started. I'm not leaving, Steve, I promise. I'll always be here," I said.

Steve nodded at me. "Thanks, Vic," he said.

"Wish me luck," I groaned as I spotted August and Chester.

He whipped his head over to me and laughed disbelievingly. I smiled, knowing that I would get a reaction. "What am I wishing you luck for? I'm the one going in there," he told me.

Shrugging slightly, I nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Love you, don't panic!" I said as I walked off.

"Thanks for the pep talk," Steve said as I headed towards Chester and the other men.

Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I threw my head back and shoulders out. This was what the past few months had all been for. This was the moment that I would earn that degree from Harvard. I was going to prove to the world that Steve was s much more than a little shrimp that got in fights that he couldn't win. I had to imagine that people were proud of me. Bucky too, even if he would hate that I was putting Steve in danger. Because this was for all of the times that Stryker had told me that I was nothing. It was for all of the bullies that had told Steve that he was weak and worthless. We were both so much more than those words, and we were about to prove it.


	20. Chapter Twenty

It wasn't like I'd even made it ten feet before being called off elsewhere. I couldn't really understand why I'd even bothered to try and walk off. As 'useless' as women were, I knew that I was going to be a wanted figure today. And that meant that I wouldn't have a moment of peace. Although I supposed that could be a good thing, too. It kept my mind off of what was about to happen to Steve, and everything that could have been happening to Bucky.

"Fraulein!" Abraham's voice echoed through the empty room. I turned back and smiled at the man. He was wearing a lab coat and looking very professional. "For a moment," he added, motioning me over to him.

I waved off Chester and Abraham, letting them know that I'd be right back. I turned off and followed Steve over to the platform with the Vita-Ray Chamber. "Morning," I chirped, falling into line with Abraham. "How are you?" I asked.

The nerves were coming off of him in waves. "Ready to proceed. And you?" he asked.

"Ready to proceed," I teasingly parroted.

Abraham was grinning at me as Steve slowly came up behind me. "Good morning," Abraham said as he moved forward to shake hands with Steve. A man standing off to the side flashed a camera to take a picture. I cringed at the sudden, bright, light. Abraham glanced over and scowled. "Please, not now," he said. The cameraman scowled and walked away, muttering under his breath. "You ready?" Steve nodded. "Good. Take off your shirt your tie and your hat," he said.

Steve began taking off what Abraham had ordered him to remove. As he took off his hat - Peggy taking it from him - he began unbuttoning his shirt. He gave me a quick glance and I smiled. I had a feeling that the nerves were starting to slip into him. Actually, I could feel how nervous he was. I knew that he was looking at me as if to ask that this was right to do. So I smiled and nodded at him.

"Go ahead, I'll be right back," I promised.

Steve nodded at me. "Okay," he said.

For a moment I watched as he took off his shirt. Immediately I cringed. There was nothing but skin and bones on him. He really needed some muscle. And we were about to give it to him. I could see his spine and the bones of his rib cage. Slowly I made my way over to the booth where the men and women that weren't directly involved would be watching. Chester was already upstairs, glancing around. He glanced over at me and nodded with something as close to a smile as he could make. I rolled my eyes and walked over to him, taking a seat in the currently empty one next to him.

"Morning, old man," I chirped.

I knew that he was nervous about this whole thing. Not for Steve, but for his own standing, and mine. We were risking a lot by doing this. "I can't believe that I let you talk me into doing this," Chester snarled, looking over to Steve.

Rolling my eyes at him, I whopped him on the shoulder, sick of him harassing me about picking Steve to go into the chamber. "Oh, stop, you'll be fine," I told him.

Standing slowly, I offered my hand over to Chester. He didn't take it, but did rise. He was sixty-six, he was getting older. The average life expectancy was barely sixty for white men. It was surprising that he was even this old. It sent a painful surge through me, knowing that in a few years, he might be gone. I just had to enjoy the time with him while I had him. It was the same way that I had to think about everyone else. Peggy, Howard, Steve, Bucky... They'd all be gone one day, and I would have to move on. It would be that way for all eternity.

The thought was rather depressing. I didn't want to live forever. But I had no choice now. "You ready to suck up to all of the men around here?" I asked, trying to shake off the thoughts.

Chester glanced over at me and sent me a sharp glare. "Do you know me at all?" he asked.

Laughing softly, I threw an arm over his shoulder. It looked a little strange. A woman standing and laughing with a high-ranking Colonel. Something that was not accepted. Chester was a normally very stoic man that was strong in every way, shape, and form. It was nice to see that he could let that appearance drop around me. Although everyone else thought that it was so strange to see him like this. That was probably the reason that the others were all staring at me like I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. Or perhaps it showed just how little I cared for tradition.

Tugging on his shoulder gently, I led him towards where August was waiting for us. "Come on, I'll go with you. Make it a little easier," I said, giving a glance back at Steve as we walked.

He was standing near the chamber, watching as everyone walked back and forth with purpose. I could feel that he felt lost in this world. I almost felt bad for him. Even after all of this happened to him, he would still be the odd man out. He would be the science experiment that everyone would be watching closely. I knew how he felt. I really did. But my intention was to keep him close to me. They would never treat him anything near the way that I was treated. I could see that Peggy was watching him as closely as I was.

It was obvious that Chester still didn't like that we had brought Steve here. "Worried for the little guy?" Chester asked, catching where my eyes were.

"Would you knock it off?" I snapped, glancing back over at Chester. "He might just prove you wrong. I'm going to prove you wrong the second that he comes out of that chamber," I hissed.

Men were glancing over at us, as we were some of the few that were speaking somewhat loudly, but one glare from Chester sent them back to their work. "We'll see," he told me.

"You have no faith in me?" I asked, holding my hands on my hips.

Chester stopped moving and looked over at me. I knew that look. Love. It had been so long that I didn't know what that look was. But now I knew. The way that Howard and I would laugh like maniacs and smile at each other. The constant teasing that Peggy and I harassed each other with. Every time that Steve and I told each other that we were proud of the other, and the little looks that were exchanged. And Bucky... Every time that he looked at me and laughed at me. There was always love. I'd never thought that I would see it so much from so many people. I dropped my hands from my hips and smiled sadly as Chester placed a hand on my cheek.

There was a man standing close to us that was watching. Slipping into his mind, I forced him to walk away from us. "I have all the faith in the world in you," Chester muttered under his breath, trying not to draw attention to us.

Gently, I pushed his hand away from me and kicked my booted feet against the stone floor. "Thank you, old man," I said softly, feeling a little embarrassed at the emotional moment.

"Anytime, brat," Chester said.

I smiled brightly, appreciating the moment of lightheartedness. The two of us were the same kind of people. Stone-cold on the outside, but once you got to know us, we opened up. It was a good way to keep ourselves from getting hurt by anyone that walked into our lives. There were very few people that I would ever let hurt me. And only two, willingly. Steve and Bucky... Always. In the meantime, August slowly walked up to us and I smiled through my teeth at him. He was not my favorite person in the world. Chester narrowed his eyes. It took me a moment to remember that Chester had never met him before.

"Victoria," August greeted.

His hand reached out for mine and I handed it over, expecting him to shake it. Of course I should have remembered that men never just shook a woman's hand. That was impolite. Still, it surprised me when he turned it over and kissed it. I was more than a little tempted to shock him. I did not want his lips anywhere near me. I managed to merely smile tersely.

"Hello, August. How have you been?" I asked, trying to keep my manners intact.

Even as he spoke, I could hear his thoughts. He didn't think that this would work. He was planning on laughing about this with his friends tonight. I'd like to laugh as I flung you through the window. "I've been wonderful. I think we're all ready to see just how good you are. If you're really as good as you claim to be," August told me. I grinned. I'm so much better. "It should be quite something."

Before I could say anything nasty to him, Chester spoke. "I assure you, she is," he snarled.

His arm was tightening around me. I assumed that it would have hurt someone normal. I tapped his hand gently to get him to relax. "Take your seat, I'd be more than happy to prove to you just how good I am," I told August.

His thoughts about me proving myself to him were nothing pleasant. I was very tempted to use the Vita-Ray Chamber to crush him. He had a wife and children. He did not need to be thinking the way that he was. "With pleasure," August told me. I narrowed my eyes into slits. I'm sure. "Best of luck," he added, walking towards his seat.

"I don't need it," I told him. He turned back to me and gave me a long look before nodding and walking off. Chester glared at me to get me to say something nice. "But thank you," I called.

Once August had walked off and taken his seat in the back of the room, Chester looked over at me. I could see the irritation in his eyes, plain and clear. "The hell is he?" Chester asked me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I walked back up towards the windows that overlooked the procedure. "August something-or-another. He's one of the Admissions Officers at Harvard. Abraham invited him here today. If this project goes well, he'll be the one that hands me over that diploma," I told him.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Chester told me.

Raising my brows at him, I gave a little smile. "I thought that you didn't have faith in me?" I asked him.

He turned to glare at me. "I don't have faith in your choice. I have plenty of faith that this will work," Chester told me. I smiled at him. He would learn to have faith in Steve. He had a great heart already. We were about to give him a great physicality. An older man walked over to us and I glanced over at him. "Senator Brandt, glad you could make it. This is my daughter, Victoria," Chester said.

Brandt gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Pleasure," he said, inclining his head towards me. "How do you do?"

Before I answered Brandt, I gave him a good once-over. He had dark hair that was combed back properly. I merely stared at him, hearing his thoughts. He didn't seem to be the type of person to hold back what he thought. I could tell that he didn't want to be here and that he felt like this was a waste of his time. He appeared to be around Chester's age. He was staring at me with wide eyes, and I really had to force myself to keep from flashing the red in my eyes. Yellow eyes was nothing compared to what I could do that would really freak him out.

"I'll be better the moment that I know that the radiation works properly. It's of my own design," I told him.

Brandt now seemed to be interested. He turned towards me with wide eyes. I grit my teeth, knowing that he didn't believe me. "Your design?" he repeated questioningly.

"Yes, Senator," I said quickly.

Chester obviously knew that I was very bothered as he stepped in between the two of us and spoke up before I could. "You'll find that my daughter is one of the best scientists around," he said.

The three of us stared at each other before Brandt nodded. "We'll see about that," he said. I could hear the little laugh in his voice. I grit my teeth together and had to repress the urge to smash his head in against the glass windows. "Why exactly am I in Brooklyn?" Brandt asked as he turned to Chester with an irritated glance.

Exchanging an angered look with Chester, I watched as he barked back at Brandt. "We needed access to the cities power grid," Chester told him, the snapping tone showing his irritation. "Of course if you had given me a generalized requisition -"

"A lot of people are asking for funds..." Brandt spoke over him. Before Chester got the chance to say anything back to him, another man came to stand with us. "Oh, this is Clem - Uh..." he stopped speaking.

I rolled my eyes. It was his own man and he didn't even know his name. Showed just how much Brandt really cared about his people. "Gregg Clemson, State Department," he said.

He shook hands with Chester and gave me a friendly smile. He seemed much nicer than Brandt. I glanced back at Steve as I started to hear the project downstairs taking effect. I sent Gregg Clemson a smile before quickly glancing down at Steve. He was just standing there, looking very awkward. I glanced back over at Gregg Clemson. He had dark hair that was brushed backwards over his head and glasses that were pushed over his eyes. He was wearing a light gray suit. He was rather handsome and reminded me slightly of Bucky.

Turning back to Brandt, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Polite of you not to know your own man's name," I said.

Brandt turned a nasty glare on me, but before he could say anything, Clemson spoke. "No bother, honestly. Lots of names," he said, waving his hand around his head flippantly.

"You're more forgiving than I would be," I said.

Clemson smiled at me before turning back to Chester. "If this project of yours comes through, we'd like to see that it doesn't get into the headlines," he told Chester.

"It's not an 'if.' It'll work," I cut in.

Before anyone could say anything else, Brandt spoke. I noticed that he was turned towards the bay windows. "Jesus. Somebody get that kid a sandwich," he said, staring down at Steve.

Gritting my teeth together, I forced a smile onto my face, and turned to the others. "Would you excuse me, gentlemen? I'm going to do a few last-minute checks," I said, turning to leave the viewing box.

"Don't mess this up," Chester warned me.

Glaring at him, I yanked my arm away from him roughly. "I won't, you big pain in the ass," I snapped.

Without bothering to say anything else I turned to leave the box. More men were filing into the room and I could hear them all thinking about how the project wasn't going to work. There were also some rude thoughts about what Steve looked like. So I hopped down the stairs before I could do anything to them. I had a feeling that Chester and Abraham wouldn't be too happy with me if I killed one of the members of Congress. I arrived back into the center of the room as Steve climbed into the Vita-Ray Chamber.

Walking up to the side of it, I smiled brightly at Steve. His heart was beating rapidly. I could hear the blood pounding through his veins. He was nervous. He had every right to be nervous. Particularly because this was probably going to hurt pretty badly. Not that I wanted to tell him that. I'd already warned him once. That meant that I'd done my job. As Steve's eyes quickly scanned the room he seemed to have finally noticed that I was back. A small smile fell over his face and his heart rate slowed slightly.

Grinning at him, I came to stand at his side. I laid a hand on his shoulder, cringing when I felt just how bony he was. "Told you that I'd be back," I told him.

Steve reached up and grabbed my hand. "Do me a favor and don't leave," he said softly.

Smiling at him, I gave it a gentle squeeze. I'd have to let go of his hand once the procedure started, but I'd be right here the whole time. "Never," I said fiercely, meaning it completely and wholeheartedly.

As we stood together, another man walked up to our side. I glanced over and smiled. Abraham was walking over to us, checking to make sure that everything was okay. "Comfortable?" he asked Steve, looking over me.

"It's a little big," Steve admitted. The three of us all laughed. I had a feeling that in a few minutes, Steve would be bursting out of the chamber. "You save me any of that Schnapps?" Steve asked after a beat of silence.

Abraham looked a little guilty as he shrugged his shoulders. "Not as much as I should have. Sorry, next time," he said. Steve nodded at him as Abraham turned back to where Howard was standing on the lower level, reading over the machines, ensuring that we were ready to start. "Mr. Stark. How are your levels?" Abraham called out.

Howard glanced back at us. "Levels at one hundred percent," he said. Abraham nodded as Howard placed a pair of glasses down on the machine before walking up to where we were standing. He came to stand at my side, exactly as I had been expecting. He threw an arm over my shoulder, earning me a strange look from Steve. I was sure that Bucky would hear about this at some point. "Good morning, darling," Howard teased, nudging me gently.

"Don't you start with me until this thing is over," I snapped at him.

"Good," Abraham said absentmindedly, about the levels standing strong at one hundred percent.

It was right then that I noticed that Steve was giving Howard a terrified glance. His thoughts confirmed why he was terrified. He was remembering the time that the flying car had collapsed on the stage at the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition. I smiled at him. "I promise that this will work better than the flying car," I told Steve.

Steve looked very surprised to realize that I knew what he was thinking. If only you knew that I always know what you're thinking. "I'll hold you up on that," Steve teased me.

Howard rolled his eyes at me. "The flying car drops one -"

"Two," I interrupted.

"- time, and I'll never hear the end of it."

Glancing up at him, I nodded. As long as he kept making mistakes, he would never hear the end of them. Especially because he thought so highly of himself. He had to be knocked down by someone. "No. You won't," I told him brightly.

Howard seemed to have finally gotten over his desire to harass me. He then turned to Steve and gave him a good once-over. "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn. But we are ready. Ready as we'll ever be," he corrected himself.

The momentary calm air that had settled over Steve became nervous once more. "Was that so necessary?" I snapped at Howard.

"It was honest," Howard told me.

I shoved him away from me as I saw the look that Steve was giving me. "Shut up. Go be useful," I hissed at Howard. He grinned at me and nodded, walking back to his work station.

In the meantime, the nurses were starting to strap Steve into the Vita-Ray Chamber. We had to keep him still so that he didn't thrash around too much. "I'll be okay," Steve said through the arm of a nurse.

Smiling at him, I gave a nervous nod. "I know. I designed this thing. Of course you're going to be okay," I told him, wringing my hands together. He'd be fine... We'd ensured that he would be fine...

"How long before you believe that?" Steve asked me.

He glanced over at me and I smiled at him. He knew that I didn't want him in there. I just wanted him to be okay. I wanted him to become the super soldier without having to risk his safety in the chamber. It was dangerous. We all knew that. "Once you get out of there, safe and sound," I told him with a little smile.

While we had been talking, I realized that Peggy had been standing off to the side. I knew that she'd come to care for Steve's well-being lately. "Agent Carter, don't you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?" Abraham half-asked and half-ordered her.

She started, suddenly remembering that she wasn't supposed to be down here. "Oh yes, ah, sorry," Peggy said, turning to leave. Before she could, she turned back to me. "It's gonna be okay, yeah?"

I smiled at her. "Yeah. I'll be fine. He's going to be fine. See you in a few minutes," I said.

Peggy gave me a bright smile. "Good luck, love," she told me.

The two of us waved each other off before Peggy started to head upstairs. She stopped about halfway up and exchanged a small glance with Steve before turning and heading up into the booth. I smiled softly. Then I turned back to Abraham and motioned towards Howard. "I'll be back up here in a minute," I said.

"Okay," Abraham said. I walked over to Howard and stood down in his work station as Abraham grabbed a microphone and began flicking it. A piercing echo went through the speakers upstairs. They all turned to glare at him. "Can you hear me, is this on?" Everyone in the booth was staring at him as Abraham looked up. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we take not another step towards annihilation. But the first step towards the path to peace." The pads were closed over Steve's chest by a nurse as the serum was brought into the room. "We begin with a series of micro injections, into the subjects major muscles. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change." A nurse began loading the serum vials into the chamber. "Then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita Rays."

Abraham placed the microphone down and walked over to Steve. A nurse was giving him an injection. He cringed in pain until the nurse took the needle out. "That wasn't so bad," Steve said.

"That was penicillin," Abraham pointed out.

Steve looked over at Abraham in shock as Abraham shrugged his shoulders. My heart nearly stopped. "Oh my God, he's going to die," I moaned, shoving my head into Howard's shoulder.

Howard raised my head back up. "He'll be fine. Stop it," he told me.

My head snapped up quickly. I could hear the doubt echoing through his mind. "Don't you lie to me. I know when you're lying," I snapped. Howard merely coughed awkwardly and turned back. "Steve. You okay?" I called out.

"Remember when we were kids and I broke my leg and you told me to suck it up, because you didn't want those kids to see me crying?" Steve asked me.

"Yes," I said slowly.

We had been right on the edge of the basketball court in our apartment complex. He had taken a bad fall and had broken his leg. Bucky and I had been comforting him as the other kids had laughed, teasing Steve when they thought that he was going to cry. So I had snapped at Steve to suck it up and pretend that it wasn't bothering him that bad. Bucky had carried him all the way back to his house so that we could bring him to the hospital. I'd had to pretend to be shocked and scared for Steve, when I had known the whole time that he would be fine.

"Can you do that again?" Steve asked me.

I smiled at the thought and laughed. "Suck it up," I called across the room. I could hear a few people laughing. I even saw a little smile fall over Abraham and Peggy's faces.

"Serum infusion," Abraham called. Everyone suddenly moved into their places. "Beginning in, five... four... three..." Abraham continued counting as the spiked pads fell over Steve's biceps, "two..." Abraham laid a hand on Steve's shoulder, "one."

A man in the far corner of the room threw the switch at Abraham's nod. I watched as the serum that was plugged into the Vita-Ray Chamber immediately began to drain. It reminded me of the Adamantium procedure that I had gone through. I could see the muscles in Steve's arms already beginning to twitch. This was what we needed. An instant transfusion. Steve closed his eyes as the machine began to whir. I knew that he was in a lot of pain already. And once the radiation began, it would only become even more painful. His eyes shot open and his neck began to strain with a suppressed scream.

Abraham glanced over to where Howard and I were standing. "Now, Mr. Stark," he said calmly.

"You'll be okay, Steve," I called, knowing that it would be the last thing that I could say to him until the end of the procedure.

Giving me one last glance, I nodded at Howard, letting him know that I was ready for all of this to happen. We needed to do it now, before things got too late. Howard threw the switch and I watched as it closed. The chamber began to rise, Steve being strapped down so that he couldn't move, as the front of the chamber walls closed, effectively blocking off our view of Steve. There was a window at the very top of it, but Steve was too short to be seen through it. Once the chamber had gotten into position a man walked forward and locked the tubes that powered the chamber in place.

Howard glanced over at me. "Still ready to go through with it?" he asked.

I would never be ready for this to happen, but we had come too far to stop. "He'd be beside himself if I stopped the process. He wants to do this. I want him to do it too," I told Howard softly.

Abraham walked up to stand on the platform where the chamber was raised. He knocked on the wall of the chamber to get Steve's attention. "Steven. Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" Steve called out.

Everyone laughed at that. The man that was standing behind the chamber nodded to Abraham to let him know that the chamber was ready. Abraham nodded back and turned to us. "We will proceed," he said.

"It's gonna be alright," Howard told me.

"I know. Hit it," I said.

Howard nodded and turned back. He grabbed the dial and cranked it all the way up. I glanced up and watched the Vita-Ray Chamber. Howard walked back over to the crank and placed a pair of big goggles over his head. He slowly began to turn it. We had to get up to one hundred percent. The light from the Vita Rays began shining out of the chamber brightly, so much that to a normal person it was nearly blinding. "That's ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent," Howard read out as he continued to turn.

"All signs are normal," a man that was watching Steve's vitals read out.

Howard continued to turn the crank. "That's fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy," Howard continued to read.

People began to look away as the lights brightened. I was the only one that watched normally. But it was at that moment that Steve began to scream in pain, echoing throughout the room. That was all that it took. I launched myself forward, grabbed the rail that separated the raised platform that the Vita-Ray Chamber was on from the lowered portion where Howard was standing, and launched myself over it. I was glad that everyone was too busy staring at the Chamber to notice the lift that should have been nearly impossible without taking a few steps over the railing. Abraham had run forward, too.

"Steven, Steven," Abraham yelled as he began to pound on the Chamber.

"Shut it down!" Peggy yelled, standing on the edge of the overhang.

"Don't!" I shouted.

We had worked so hard for this. I wasn't going to call it off until I was sure that Steve couldn't handle it. "Steven!" Abraham yelled again.

There was still no response from Steve. "Shut it down," Peggy repeated.

Abraham glanced back at me. We had to make a choice soon, we couldn't leave him in there for an extended period of time. It would kill him. The two of us exchanged a sad look before I shook my head. "We can't risk him. Stop the procedure," I said sadly.

Abraham nodded at me before jumping back off of the platform. "Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark!" Abraham yelled, pointing at Howard. Howard released his grip on the crank and ran back to the dial. "Turn it off kill it, kill the reactor!"

"No!" Steve yelled, halting everyone's movements. "Don't! I can do this."

Howard, Abraham, and I exchanged a long look with each other. Abraham looked at me and I nodded. Howard walked back towards the crank, but kept his hands off as he looked at me. I nodded to him. "Proceed," I said.

"Eighty... Ninety. That's one hundred percent!" Howard yelled as he finally stopped cranking.

It had hit as far as he could possibly go. The machine was to the point that the light was blinding. Everyone was looking away from it, except for me. I took a deep breath and slipped into Steve's mind. He was in a lot of pain and his systems were going into overdrive, but his body wasn't rejecting the reaction yet. The Chamber started making a loud whirring noise at the strain being placed on it. Fuses began to blow and I turned back, using a force field to shove Howard away from the panel and out of danger. It was very sudden that the Chamber stopped whirring and the light died. A few fuses were still shorting around room. Everyone came to a stand to see what had happened.

The room had gone deathly quiet, as everyone leaned forward to see whether or not we had been successful. I didn't even turn back to speak. "Howard. Open it," I ordered.

"Mr. Stark!" Abraham added, turning back.

That seemed to shock him into order. He pressed a button and the Chamber opened on command. It gave a soft hiss as some smoke billowed out. My horrified expression quickly turned into a mad grin as I began to laugh. Bucky's never gonna believe this. Steve was huge. He now came up to the very top of the Chamber. As I had been expecting, he was almost too tall to fit into the Chamber. Every muscle on his body was now built to perfection. And the pants that had almost been too short for him before, now came down to just below his knees. I smiled at the sight of him. He was our super soldier.

Everyone started moving around to come downstairs and see how Steve was doing. He was panting very heavily and looked extremely dazed. We had been expecting that. It would take a lot out of him, going through all of that. It would also take him a while to learn how to move with the new body. I ran over to him as Abraham grabbed one arm and helped Steve out of the Chamber. Howard was also helping Steve out of the Chamber, their hands resting on his abdomen to help keep him upright. His arms were laid over their shoulders as he awkwardly took one step at a time. He hadn't seem to realize what had just happened.

"Son of a bitch did it," I heard Chester say from the viewing booth.

I told you, I hissed into his mind.

"I did it," Steve said, still staring at the ground.

"Yes, yes. I think we did it," Abraham said, smirking up at Steve, very proud of his work.

"You actually did it," Howard breathed out, staring at Steve curiously, and definitely shocked.

Gently nudging the two men out of the way, I smiled up at Steve. Holy shit he's tall now. That was going to take a lot of getting used to. "Looking good, Steve," I said, giving him a once-over.

Steve smiled at me. "Thanks, Vic." He was trying to look for me. He didn't seem to have realized that he'd grown quite a bit over the past few minutes. He finally glanced all the way down to me - nearly thirteen inches - before raising his eyebrows. "Have you always been that short?" he asked me curiously.

My gaze narrowed. Now I was very tempted to show him that just because he was bigger than me now did not mean that he was stronger. "Watch what you say to me. I'll still kill you," I snapped at him.

Steve gave me a teasing grin as Peggy ran up in between us. She was looking Steve over quite a bit and I smirked. Steve was certainly a looker now. "How do you feel?" she finally managed to ask him.

Now Steve was looking around. He was still breathing heavily as everyone began to chat back and forth excitedly about the project. "Taller," Steve answered her. Pathetic answer. Peggy reached out to touch him but retracted her hand from his chest at the last second. I snorted loudly at the sight.

Not bad now, huh?

Shut up.

Oh no, it's payback time.

Peggy turned to glare at me quickly. She awkwardly smiled at Steve as she grabbed a white shirt and handed it to him. "You look taller," she finally managed to spit out.

Of course someone had to interrupt all of the celebrations. "How do we know that it actually worked?" Brandt called. I turned back and saw that he was motioning to Steve. "Sure, he's bigger."

Deciding that I could finally hit Steve without worrying about hurting him, I stepped past Peggy. "I'll show you," I said.

He watched curiously as I reared back and punched Steve straight in the stomach. It wasn't as hard as I could - that would have sent him flying back into the wall and probably through it - but he did stumble back and lean over, gasping for air. He was definitely shocked, but otherwise unharmed. People were genuinely curious about the hit. I could hear what they were thinking. It looked painful, but was it really? I was just a woman, after all. But I didn't care.

That would have put a normal man out of fighting for weeks. Steve just needed a second to recover. "That should have broken his third and fourth true ribs. But he remains intact," I explained.

"Thanks, Vic," Steve said, struggling for breath.

"Anytime."

August moved forward through the throng of people with a wide smile on his face. I could feel the excitement oozing out of him. "Victoria, I think that we can have a chat about that degree," he told me.

Steve and I exchanged an excited smile. "Thank you, August," I told him.

In the background I could see Chester walking by a very stunned Brandt. It was obvious that Chester was now impressed. "How do we look now, Senator?" he asked sarcastically.

"I guess the folks in Berlin are about to get very nervous," Brandt said excitedly.

On the other end of the room a man was shaking hands with Abraham. "Congratulations," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Abraham said.

That was when I realized that Abraham was not looking at the people that were congratulating him. Instead he was looking towards the overhang near the viewing booth. I followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at Gregg Clemson. The man in question was holding a lighter open. I saw the whole thing a second too late. He flicked the lighter and the viewing booth exploded, going up into flames. People were thrown back from the force as everyone ducked down. Reminding myself to act like a normal person, I faked a scream and ducked down as well. Screams were echoing all around the large room as everyone crowded together, glass showering everyone.

Abraham and I were the first ones to stand. I spotted Clemson leaning over to grab the last remaining super soldier serum vial and I brought up my hands to stop him. But Howard grabbed me around the waist and pulled me backwards. "Don't!" he told me.

"What are you doing?" I asked hysterically.

We had to stop him. He couldn't get away with this. "Stop him like a normal person would do. You'll thank me for this later," Howard whispered into my ear before releasing me.

In the meantime, Clemson ran over and grabbed the last serum. "Stop him!" Abraham yelled. To my horror, Clemson used his spare hand to wrench out a gun and shoot Abraham twice in the chest, turning and running off a second later.

As everyone dropped down, screaming at the sound of the gunshots, Steve and I jumped up. "No! No!" I shouted.

That didn't' have to happen. If Howard hadn't stopped me, I could have saved his life. I would have given away what I was, but I could have saved him. If I had been paying attention when I'd met Clemson, if I'd read his mind, I could have stopped this. Steve and I sprinted over to Abraham and leaned over him as he lay dying. I could hear more gunshots going off, but my focus was on Abraham. My friend... He tapped Steve in the chest, unable to speak. I leaned over him and brushed the hair back off of his forehead. I was desperate to do something. Anything. But I was powerless. I could bring myself back, but not someone else.

In his last moments, Abraham's thoughts called out to me. Do not let them make you something that you aren't. Be proud of yourself. Take care of each other, he told me.

I'd take care of Steve forever. "I'm so sorry," I whispered to him.

And he knew why. Because I felt that this was my fault. I should have known what would happen. Abraham's eyes drooped closed and I felt the blood stop flowing and his heart still. He was dead. And that was when it hit me. I was not letting his death go uncalled for. My legs acted faster than my brain and I stood upright, furious with what had just happened. That was my friend. He was one of the few people that had ever genuinely understood me. And now he had been taken from me. Just like everything else.

As I turned to run, Steve stepped in front of me and pushed me back. "Stay here," he told me.

"Over my dead body," I snapped.

"He'll shoot you."

It was very hard to not tell Steve that shooting me would do nothing other than irritate me. Just as Chester had once said. "I'll shoot you if you don't move out of my way!" I shouted. Not that I had a gun on me.

"Please, Vic, stay here and take care of everyone," Steve begged.

The desperation was obvious in his voice. He didn't want to risk me. But he wouldn't. He never would. "Absolutely not. You're wasting time. Go!" I shouted, shoving him.

Steve knew that this was a losing fight, so he nodded and pushed me behind him. "Stay back," he warned.

It didn't take Steve and I long to stand and sprint back up the stairs. There was a little splatter of blood on the wall. Peggy must have managed to hit him. As we dashed through the halls I brought my mind out to Clemson. I could see him shoot the woman that was guarding the shop, stealing the gun, and leave. He dashed outside of the store and shove a man out of the way as he got towards his getaway driver. Two agents managed to gun down one of the men, but Clemson and the other driver managed to get away. Clemson jumped into the car and shot down the two agents that were trying to stop him.

As they drove off, Peggy jumped out into the street. She was shooting at the car as Clemson grabbed his arm. She had managed to clip him, after all. As Peggy aimed to shoot at Clemson, he blew up a car behind her that she was standing dangerously close to. It didn't matter. She turned back and aimed. Let go of your arm. I'll do it. Peggy loosened her grip on her arm as I aimed it towards the driver. Fire. She squeezed the trigger and it went straight through his forehead, killing him. Clemson's car swerved and smashed into another one. A taxi driver that had been roaring by had jumped out to see what was going on. Clemson climbed out of his own getaway car, leaving his partner, got into the taxi, and sped off towards Peggy.

My mind slammed back into my own body. She was not going to die, too. We sprinted through the store, spotting the dead woman, out into the street where the two cars were blown to hell, and dashed over the two bodies. Peggy was still out in the street, shooting at Clemson. She was coming close but not catching him. I wasn't sure if I wanted him dead or not. I could use him alive. The only thing that I knew was that I wanted her alive. So I brought up a force field that Steve couldn't see and slammed it down on the brakes in Clemson's car, just as Steve tackled her out of the way. I immediately let up on the brakes and sprinted over to Peggy and Steve.

"I had him!" Peggy shouted at Steve.

She might have managed, but I didn't want her to be killed just to stop him. "Stay back!" I shouted at Peggy as we sprinted off.

"Sorry," Steve called back to her.

Steve stumbled back to his feet and sprinted off with me. I knew that it would be wise to slow down to the speed of an average person, but I couldn't. Not with Abraham's death lingering on my mind. I'd kill Clemson for what he did. Steve looked stunned that I was managing to keep up with him, but said nothing. Clemson must have spotted us coming after him because he took a wide turn at the end of the street. Steve and I cut through a back alleyway to see if we could cut Clemson off up the road somewhere.

As we continued to run through the back alleyway I could see the taxi that Clemson had stolen driving off the other way. My heart skipped a beat. We had to stop him before he got away. And I had to act like somewhat of a human being. I couldn't destroy the car and force Clemson to choke on his own blood in front of the public eye. Steve and I dashed back out into the main street that Clemson was driving on and I shoved him through traffic, forcing a few of the brakes down on some of the cars. Getting hit by a car was not something that I wanted to happen. Thankfully all of the cars managed to miss us.

Just as we were running, though, Steve was unable to right himself. He wasn't used to being able to run so fast. And his body was heavier, so that meant that it was harder to straighten up when running at an angle. He went running so quickly back into the sidewalk that he went flying through the window of a wedding dress shop. The glass shattered all around him and I rolled my eyes as people began to scream at the sight of him. A man ducked into the store to check and see if Steve was alright.

"Steve get up!" I shouted at him, continuing to run.

Steve bounced up quickly as he jumped from the store window. "I'm sorry," he called back to them as he managed to knock over yet another mannequin on the way out.

Thankfully he was able to catch up with me quickly. Mostly because I wasn't running as fast as I could. Or flying. We bounded down another back alleyway and I saw that there was a fence. I was about to stop and tell Steve to turn back, but our serum had worked better than I thought that it had. He continued sprinting towards it making a bounding leap over the nine-foot-tall fence. I grinned, genuinely impressed at his actions. I made it to the fence a second later, jumping, catching the top of the fence, and throwing myself over, dropping into a tuck and roll on the other side. Just ahead of me, Steve was very nearly getting hit by cars as he tried to cross to the other side.

Slamming the force fields down on their brakes, I saw Steve holding up his hand as we chased through the street. "Whoa, whoa," Steve yelled, panicked.

"Watch out, you idiot!" I shouted at him.

We continued to give chase to Clemson and I saw that his car was just about thirty feet ahead of us. We could catch him. I knew that we would be able to catch him. Steve and I were running through the lanes of traffic as Clemson swerved the taxi back and forth. I saw Steve go too far to the side and barely manage to jump up onto the hood of a car speeding towards him, startling the man that was driving it. He continued to hop from one car to the next as I sprinted towards the sidewalk, running alongside Clemson's taxi. Steve hopped onto a large truck before finally managing to land on Clemson's taxi. He was very awkwardly hanging on.

Even as Clemson swerved back and forth, Steve was managing to hang on. I followed them down through one alleyway and another, shoving everyone out of the way. It didn't take me long before starting to yell to everyone else that was in the area to get out of the way. Of course, that only made them more curious. Clemson raised his gun to the roof, attempting to shoot Steve through it, but I was faster. Desperate to keep my friend out of harm's way, I forced Clemson to rip the wheel to the side. He did, and the car made a massive lurch. As Steve was thrown onto the side of the car, the taxi began to roll, unable to keep itself steady.

My heart skipped a beat as I prayed that Steve would manage to keep himself safe. The taxi went into a roll almost immediately as it hit the truck that Clemson was driving past. To my absolute pleasure, Steve had been thrown off. He slid across the rough ground and I ran after Steve, leaning down to check that he was alright. He was fine. Clemson might not be. As one of the doors was torn off of the taxi, the taxi itself began to roll again and again before coming to land on the wheels once more. Clemson - somehow still alive - threw his door open and weakly fell out of the car, the gun still in his hand.

He was staggering around as he turned back to Steve and I, standing right behind where the door had landed. Clemson attempted to shoot at Steve and me, but Steve threw me behind him. I shoved Steve away from me as I caught sight of Clemson showing the pistol to a large group of onlookers. They began to scream and try to run off. Steve ran forward and I watched as he grabbed the door to use as a shield. He grabbed me and pulled me along with him, keeping us out of sight as we advanced on Clemson, who was still firing at us, the door protecting us from the free-flying bullets.

He only fired two shots before stopping. I gasped as I leaned around the door and saw that Clemson had turned away from us, gun still in hand, and now wrestling a small child away from his mother. My heart was pounding in my chest as Steve and I advanced on Clemson. He had already killed Abraham, I didn't need a little kid on my conscience, too.

"No! No, darling no! Tommy no! Don't hurt him," the mother yelled, trying to grab her son.

Steve dropped the door, the two of us sprinting towards Clemson. A man was keeping the mother still as Clemson grabbed the kid and raised his body in front of his own. "Go on," Clemson ordered.

"Let me go," the kid barked.

"No, don't hurt him!" the mother yelled again.

As Steve and I advanced, watching Clemson disappear around the corner, I looked over to Steve. "Get Clemson, I got the kid," I told him.

He nodded at me. Clemson was still carrying the kid as we rounded the corner. But we had barely made it to the corner when Clemson spotted us. He let off a shot, very narrowly missing Steve and I. We ducked back around the corner as Clemson turned and ran off with the kid. Steve and I slowly advanced on him, hiding behind a large metal container. Just as Clemson rounded another corner, he let off a shot towards Steve and I, as we barely managed to avoid it. We quickly followed him down the alley and very slowly peeked around the corner. As I had been expecting, Clemson was waiting for us. He immediately put the gun up to the kid's head.

Steve reacted before I could say that the gun was out of bullets. I'd been keeping count. "Wait don't. Don't," Steve said. I stepped out at the same time and watched as Clemson moved the gun towards Steve and pulled the trigger. Everyone cringed, even me, at the fear that maybe I'd counted wrong. But I hadn't. The gun clicked at the empty chamber. "No, don't," Steve tried again as Clemson shifted to the side and threw the kid into the water below.

He ran off a second later as both Steve and I dashed to the water. "Get him! I got the boy!" I shouted at Steve.

He didn't need any more warning than that before turning to chase down Clemson. As I leaned over the edge of the path to grab the kid, I realized that he was floating. "Go get him, I can swim," the boy called up to me.

Giving the boy a thankful smile, I dashed after Steve and Clemson. Steve was just a bit behind him as I saw Clemson pull out the lighter once more. My brain was whirring as I tried to figure out where he had hidden another explosive, but it wasn't an explosion. Instead, a huge black submarine surfaced from the water. The top raised as Clemson began to climb in. I sped up to try and reach the submarine before Clemson could get off. I was about to dive into the water when Steve held out a hand to stop me. I was about ready to rip his hand off. He couldn't keep protecting me.

"Stay up here. I'll throw him to you. Just stay. Please!" Steve yelled.

Knowing that we were wasting time, I nodded my consent. But I was extremely antsy as Steve dove into the water to get him. What if he failed? I should have been the one to go in. I brought up my Hydrokinesis and pushed back against the submarine, slowing it down as much as I possibly could. It was enough to do the trick. Steve caught the periscope on the back and leaned towards Clemson's window, smashing it and yanking him out of the seat. A second later Clemson had been thrown up onto the rock, panicking to get away.

But I was not letting him get away from me. I ran over to him and leaned over his torso, grabbing the lapels on his jacket and bringing his face close to mine. "Clemson, huh?" I snarled at him.

"Victoria Davies," he said.

My eyebrows knitted. Who the hell was this guy? There were so few people that genuinely knew who I was. "Who are you?" I snapped at him.

His eyes twinkled, despite knowing that he was caught. "You know how to find out," he said.

That was when I realized that he knew exactly who I was. My breath caught in my throat and Steve climbed back up the ladder. My grip loosened on Clemson just long enough for Clemson to get away from me. He backed up and aimed a punch at my head. I backed away, just barely missing his hit. In the meantime, Steve stepped forward, barely missing a punch to his abdomen, and kicked Clemson in the chest, knocking him backwards. Clemson fell to the ground once more, dropping the last vial of super soldier serum, which shattered against the ground. I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment.

Steve leaned over Clemson just the way that I had done before and grabbed him by the jacket. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled.

"The first of many," Clemson said. He had now adopted a very thick German accent. He was a Hydra member. "Cut off its head. Two more shall take its place." He popped out one of his teeth and chomped down on it. "Hail Hydra."

Gasping softly, I didn't care. I knew what he was doing. "No! Spit it out! Now!" I shouted.

Unable to control his own actions, Clemson did. He leaned over and began coughing it up. Steve was watching on, completely confused. It was a cyanide capsule, disguised as a tooth, designed to kill him so that he couldn't be interrogated if caught. Knowing that Clemson had already swallowed some of it, I reared back and sent a roundhouse kick into his back, cracking two vertebrae. He coughed in pain and leaned over, vomiting up everything in his system. I saw some foam get coughed up, too; the remnants of the cyanide pill. We watched him for a moment, until he had cleared everything in his system, before I reared back and punched him in the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Both Steve and I stared at his unconscious form for a few moments. "Just knocked out, he's not dead. I'll hook him up to an IV, just to be sure," I told Steve. I had questions that only he could answer. "Can you grab him?" I asked.

I had a feeling that seeing me carrying a man twice my size would be a little bit too much for people in one day. "Yeah." Steve picked Clemson up and threw him over his shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Better than Abraham. Come on," I said.

Now was not the time to talk about anything. "Vic?" Steve asked me.

"We'll talk later. Not now."

It ended the conversation. This was the wrong time to talk about anything like that. Together we carried Gregg Clemson back to the headquarters that were still tucked underground. I knew that it wasn't his name, but I hadn't bothered to read his mind yet. We made our way back into the Army shelter and I saw a few bodies being taken away; they were of the two agents, Clemson's getaway men, the woman that fronted the store, and Abraham. I motioned for the men to take care with his body. Many of the remaining people froze in fear when they saw that Steve and I were returning with Gregg Clemson on Steve's shoulders.

The first person to come back to me was Chester. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"Fine. We chased him down," I said, motioning back to Clemson's limp body.

Chester glanced at Clemson for a moment before looking back at me. "Let me take a guess and say that he had a cyanide capsule disguised as a tooth?" he asked. I nodded. "He broke it and said 'Hail Hydra' right?" I nodded again. "He's dead?"

"No."

"What happened?" Chester asked.

"I stopped him," I answered.

"Stopped him?"

Slowly I nodded at him. I didn't need to say it out loud. I saw a dew men take Clemson's limp body from Steve. "Yes. You know how. Got him to spit it out. He cracked it and swallowed some. I kicked him in the back, forcing him to throw it up. He should live but I'd hook him up to an IV, just to be sure," I told the men that were standing around us.

Chester nodded at me. "Take him to a cell! Get an IV in him until he wakes up," Chester ordered.

That was all that it took. The men saluted Chester before turning to get Clemson locked up. Then I turned back to Steve and Chester. "Get Steve somewhere safe," I told him. He nodded at me. I turned back to Steve. "Go. I'll see you soon. There are things to be done."

"Are you okay?" Steve asked me, as two men motioned for him.

I nodded at him and gently motioned Steve to go with them. "I'll be fine. Go with them. We meant to keep you a secret. Now you're sort of in the public eye. Head back there and just... wait it out, alright?" I said, feeling the exhaustion hit. How could we have missed all of this? We had missed Hydra inside of our building. "I'll be back there soon."

Steve placed a hand on my shoulder. "Take it easy," he told me.

"You, too." I turned back to Chester, who was watching me with a close gaze. "That vial of the super-soldier serum that he stole... We broke it. I'm sorry. It's all gone," I admitted guiltily.

Chester shook his head and placed a hand on the side of my face. I smiled weakly at him. "Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you're safe," he told me. I smiled at Chester and nodded. I should have been able to save it. "I'm sorry about Erskine, I know that the two of you were close."

"Yes. We were," I said. As I had been trained to do, when I was hurting, I forced myself to shut down. Abraham is dead. There's nothing that you can do for him. Fix this mess. "How is everyone back here?" I asked, looking around me.

"Trying to understand what happened," Chester said.

I nodded numbly. Get working, Victoria. You messed up. Fix this. "Get him awake and talking. I'd like to have a chat with him," I said, a cold blankness settling over my voice.

Chester looked concerned for me, but said nothing. He was smart enough to know that I didn't want the pity. "They're getting him taken care of as we speak," Chester told me, motioning back to where Clemson had been taken.

"How the hell did a Hydra agent manage to infiltrate an office of the government?" I asked.

It was the burning question that we all wanted to know the answer to. "Hydra must be wider spread than anyone initially thought. There's damage control to do. There's no way that we're keeping this out of the press now. Not with Rogers running around or Clemson getting out..." Chester groaned.

I knew that I wasn't the only person that had damage control to work on. "We'll figure something out with damage control. Go speak to the press. Try to reassure them and get them calmed down. Make sure that everyone is taking care of the women," I told him.

"Rogers is waiting to speak with you," Chester pointed out.

I could see the men trying to take Steve away, but he was refusing, still trying to speak with me. "I know," I said.

Turning away, I made to leave the small area and check on Clemson. But before I could get too far, Howard stepped in front of me, looking very concerned. "Victoria, are you alright?" he asked me.

"I'm fine. Are you?" I asked.

"Yes. Startled, but I'm alright."

Glancing around me, I could see that many of the women were crying and panicking. My jaws ground together. Weak. Pathetic. He should have shot one of you. I tried very hard to push those thoughts away. "Good. Can you take care of the women? Get them out of here, reassure them that they're safe?" I asked Howard.

He gave me a long look, nodding at me. "Anything to help. What are you going to do?" he asked concernedly.

Shrugging my shoulder, I motioned back to where Clemson was being held. "Wait for Gregg Clemson - or whatever the hell his name is - to wake up so I can go and speak to him. In the meantime, try to make sense of everything that happened," I said.

"Where's Rogers?" Howard asked.

"Safe. He's over there," I said, motioning back to where Steve was standing. "We lost all of the super-soldier serum. Everyone only knew bits and pieces of it. Abraham was the only person that knew the entire thing. And now..." I trailed off, shoving the emotion that was threatening to bubble to the surface back down. "He's gone."

Howard moved forward, probably debating on hugging me, but thinking better of it. He merely backed off and gave me a guilty look. "I'm sorry. I know that you were close to him," Howard said simply.

It was better to hear something like that rather than letting someone sob and cry over me. I hadn't lost anything. It was all Abraham. "He'd want us to move on and figure out who did this. He'd want Steve to prove Chester wrong. So that's what we're going to do. Our jobs," I told Howard. He nodded and I glanced over his head, spotting August moving to leave. Howard still looked very much spaced out. "I need to go. Be careful, please," I told Howard, squeezing his arm as I moved past.

"You, too," he called after me.

I dashed over towards August and cut him off just steps before he reached the hallway. "August. May I speak with you for a moment?" I asked him. He looked beside himself. "I'd like to formally -"

"I don't know what you all think that you're playing at," he cut me off angrily.

I was stunned. I took a step backwards and raised my brows. Very few people ever dared say anything like that to me. Not for a long time. "Come again?" I asked him dumbly.

August was waving to the room around us. "This... This Scientific Strategic Reserve, whatever you call yourselves!" he snapped at me. Once more I raised a brow at him. Where was he going with this? "This is dangerous. You've let a German assassin into your midst and allowed him to murder one of the brightest scientific minds in existence."

My jaws set. Was he really daring to say something like that? We hadn't done a damn thing. "I'll have you know that Gregg Clemson was under the State Department. He was brought here by Senator Brandt. Not by the Strategic Scientific Reserve," I hissed at him. He still looked unimpressed. "And Abraham Erskine did not die in vain. It will be avenged. By destroying Hydra. And we will do that in time. This man - Gregg Clemson - was captured. I intend to gain some knowledge," I continued.

This hadn't all happened for naught. There was a reason that I hadn't allowed Gregg Clemson to kill himself. If anyone was going to kill him, it would be me. "What could a woman possibly do?" August asked haughtily.

"More than you think," I snarled at him.

Dismember you, force you to kill your entire family, burn your house to the ground; the list goes on and on. "I am not interested in this. Harvard University is not interested in giving its name in accordance with a science experiment gone wrong!" August howled. No. He couldn't be backing out of the Harvard deal. He couldn't... "What you've done here is unnatural."

"You knew what we were planning to do. This shouldn't have been a surprise," I argued.

August shook his head at me. "It wasn't. But Hydra, the Red Skull, Johann Schmidt - it's all a fairy tale and not something that I'd like to be involved with, Victoria. Neither would Harvard. This is not what we signed up for," he pointed out.

"In case it escaped your notice, this is presumably not what Abraham Erskine signed up for either," I said.

August did not appreciate my comment. He merely glared at me and took a step towards me, probably thinking that I was going to back off. I didn't. "You are in over your head Miss Phillips. This is no place for a woman," August told me.

My eyes narrowed into little slits. It was thinking like that that was exactly the reason that women had only been allowed to vote for twenty years. "My place is with the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Wherever they go is where I belong. My position is not because I'm a woman, it's because I was qualified," I told him, a snarl threatening to surface.

Out of either one of us, I was the one that knew much more than he did. "You are no more qualified than a child," August told me. I ought to stop your heart. "I do hope that this works out for you."

"Pardon?" I asked him. "The deal was -"

"My deal - Harvard's - was made to Abraham Erskine. And, with his unfortunate demise, the deal does not need to be honored. Harvard appreciates men of science. Not women of dreams," August told me. My heart sank. It was dreams that got people to where they were right now. "Think smaller, Miss Phillips. Perhaps you'll get somewhere."

With that, August strode off, up the staircase. "It's Sergeant Phillips," I called after him, forcing the electricity to stay under my skin.

My brain was pounding in my skull. I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. People were moving all around me as I thought about where to go now. But it wasn't that long that I was standing by myself. "Oh, Victoria, thank God you're alright!" Peggy called. She ran forward and hugged me. I didn't make a move to hug her back. I merely stood still. She seemed to know that my heart wasn't in it, so she backed away from me, giving me a weak smile. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I answered shortly. After a moment, I glanced back at Peggy. My eyes narrowed as I remembered what she had done earlier. "Don't stand in front of a car, you idiot."

Peggy rolled her eyes. "I had him," she argued.

Glaring at him, I shook my head. "Considering that I went after him, it was no big deal. I had him just fine," I argued with her. She smiled weakly at me. We stood together for a moment and I glanced back towards the area that they had taken Clemson. "They're trying to wake him up right now. I want to know who he is and why he came to kill Abraham."

Peggy nodded at me. "The serum?" she asked.

There was no doubt in my mind that he had been sent here to get the serum, but I wanted to know how he had managed it. "Oh I know that's why he was here. But how did he manage to infiltrate a government office?" I asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I wish that I knew," she told me.

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face once more. "This isn't how I wanted today to go," I said.

She nodded at me. I knew that as close as I was to Abraham, Peggy was close to him, too. And so was Steve. We had all lost someone. "I know, it isn't how I wanted things to go either. How's Steve?" Peggy asked me after a moment.

Once more, I shrugged my shoulders at her. He would be fine. He just needed a little while to recover from everything that had happened. He hadn't had time to adjust to super soldier life. He had been thrown in. "Probably a little shaken up. He came here to become the world's first super soldier, and instead he became part of an assassination plot. He'll be alright though," I told her.

"What happened with August?" Peggy asked.

I assumed that she had spotted him storming off a few moments ago. "Backed out of the Harvard deal. Says that he only made the deal to Abraham Erskine, and with him dead, no deal to honor," I told her.

Peggy's face turned downwards. "Oh, Victoria, I'm so sorry," she said softly.

Shrugging my shoulders at her, I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm alive, so I've got nothing to be sad about. I saw it coming, Peggy. Men still think that women are worthless. They might always think that way. I don't know. I intend to change that one day. But as for now... One step forward, two steps back," I told her.

Peggy placed a hand on my shoulder. "It'll all work out," she told me.

Things had to work out. I believed that they would. But that didn't mean that I wasn't upset about everything that had happened. "Yeah. Look, I'm going to go see to it that Steve's alright. I'll see you soon," I told her.

"Be careful," Peggy called out to me.

Nodding at her, I turned back and walked over to Steve. He was standing in the corner and looking all around, probably trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. "You look very out of place," I said to him.

Steve whipped back around to look at me. His face was stressed. "What do we do, Vic?" he asked me.

Staring him down, I shook my head. "We do nothing. You are going to keep yourself out of trouble for the time being. Any chance of replicating the formula is in your blood. But my priority is not the super soldier serum. My priority is keeping you safe, like I promised Bucky," I told him fiercely.

Steve gave me a sad smile. "I don't think that you need to protect me anymore," he said, motioning to himself.

"You're still an idiot, that trip into the Vita-Ray Chamber didn't change that," I snapped at him. Steve seemed very confused as to why I was calling him an idiot this time. "People will find out about this, Steve, and they will come after you. We intended for you to be kept a secret as we made an army of super soldiers. You were supposed to be a secret weapon. Hydra will know about you within the hour. We keep you protected. That's my priority," I told him.

Steve continued to smile. He grabbed my arm and pulled me a little bit closer to him. It was almost like he was a completely different person. "Bucky would be proud of you. He will be proud of you when he gets back home," Steve said.

Shaking my head, I nudged against his abdomen. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. His entire body was rock hard. "I didn't do anything. It was all you. You're the one that went into that chamber. You're the one that caught him," I told him.

But that was clearly the wrong thing to say. His eyebrows knitted together and he gave me a very stern look. "We need to talk," he said sharply.

"About?" I asked.

"You."

"Me?"

But I knew what he wanted to talk about. He wanted to know how I had managed to do all of this. I had done things that were now nothing to Steve, but they were still a huge feat for someone that should have been normal. "Yes. Vic, I've known you for almost all of my life. You've always been strange," he told me. My eyebrows narrowed at him. He knew that he had made a mistake. "And that's a good thing. I love how different you are. So does Bucky."

The comment that would have normally made me blush now just made my eyebrows narrow a little more. I wanted him to say whatever he wanted to say. "Where are you going with this?" I hissed at him.

Steve sighed and motioned towards the door. "What happened out there?" I shrugged my shoulders at him. "You kept pace with me without a problem. I've got the super soldier serum in my blood. That man was about to swallow the cyanide pill. You just told him to stop and he stopped. You hit him so hard that he threw up the cyanide pill. You hit me so hard that you would have broken my ribs before."

"So?"

"How did you do all of that?" Steve asked me.

This was the wrong time to have this discussion. I would tell him and Bucky together. And not in a public area. "I didn't do anything that I've never been able to do before. Drop it, Steve," I told him sharply.

Steve moved towards me. I could hear his thoughts flitting through his head. He was wondering what would be the right thing to say. "Vic. Just talk to me. If something is wrong with you -"

"If something is wrong with me?" I asked, speaking over Steve. His eyes widened. I was very good with manipulating emotions and conversations. I knew how to get him to drop the conversation. "Go on. Do you think the same things that everyone else always thought? There's Victoria. There's Yellow Eyes. The little freak that walked around the school," I continued.

Despite the fact that I hadn't wanted to hurt Steve or make him feel guilty, I knew that this was the one way to get him to stop asking me about myself. "You know that I've never thought anything like that about you," Steve said softly.

"Yes. I do," I said sharply.

"But the things that happened out there -"

"Drop it!" I shouted, unwilling to talk about it anymore. Steve cringed and backed away from me slightly. I forced myself to calm down. Steve was concerned. "Abraham is dead. This is the wrong time to be questioning me," I said, softer this time.

"I'm sorry."

Shaking my head at him, I moved forward and grabbed his hand. "It's alright. You sit here and you wait for me. Without Abraham around, you're my responsibility now. Understand?" I asked.

Steve nodded at me. "Of course. You've always been in charge," he teased.

Despite knowing that I should have smiled, I couldn't bring myself to do that. I merely shook my head and motioned around us. "I never wanted to be in charge of this," I told him.

It looked like Steve was about to say something, but before he could, another man walked up to our sides. "Sergeant Phillips?" a uniformed soldier called to me. I turned back and nodded. "Gregg Clemson is awake and responding. He's in a holding cell. Would you care to speak to him?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Yes. Come with me," I told Steve. He nodded at me. "Is he bound?" I asked the man.

"Yes, Sergeant."

"Untie him," I ordered.

"Yes, Sergeant."

The three of us walked back through one of the halls in the area. There were very few people back here. Only Chester, Howard, and Peggy were here that I knew. There were a few other high-ranking officials that were looking in. We were using one of the rooms that was normally a medical bay. The door was closed and bolted. Gregg Clemson was sitting at a chair. The man that had grabbed me walked inside of the little medical bay and untied Clemson. He merely stayed where he was, an even look on his face.

Motioning for Steve to walk with me, I motioned for him to stay with the others. "Wait out here. I'm going to speak to him," I told Steve. A moment later I turned to Chester. "Do you still have the gun?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me," I told him.

Chester reached onto a table that was sitting behind him and grabbed the gun. The same gun that had killed Abraham Erskine a mere hour ago. Motioning for the other high-ranking officials to walk away, they glared at me for a moment, before a sharp nod from Chester chased them away. It left only Chester, Peggy, Howard, and Steve watching me. It didn't matter. I wasn't planning on speaking English and the only other person that could speak German was dead. I walked into the room and stared at Gregg Clemson. He was grinning up at me, not saying a word. His hands were folded on the desk.

There was a chair across from him, on the other side of the table. "May I sit?" I asked him in perfect German.

Through the window, I could see the strange looks that the others were giving me. Clemson gave me a slightly surprised stare. "You speak German just as well as you do English," he said.

Leaning back in the chair, I crossed my legs and forced a bored look on my face. "You seem to know enough about me. I'd be surprised if you didn't know that I could speak fluent German," I told him simply.

This time he smiled at me and leaned forward. "Will you play good cop or bad?" he asked me.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he wanted me to play the bad cop. I slipped into his mind and found his name. "Heinz Kruger. That's your name, isn't it?" I asked him.

Kruger nodded at me. "You already know." He gave me a once-over that I recoiled at. I merely stared at him. He was a terrible man that acted on blind faith. I did not want him looking at me the way that he was. "Pretty woman you are. Shame that God had to make you the way that he did," he said, clicking his tongue reproachfully.

My eyebrows knitted. That wasn't what I had been expecting. "A man that works for Johann Schmidt that believes in God?" I asked him curiously.

He seemed to appreciate that I had asked him that. "The God that is here is only one of many that existed before him. They exist in times," he told me. I nodded at him. I knew that there were other gods. There would never be one all-powerful one. "There is a great power in the Earth. One that no man should know how to use. It was placed here by an earlier God."

"Yet you work for a man that wants to control it?" I asked him.

"He is no normal man."

I couldn't help myself. I snorted softly at that comment. We all knew that Johann Schmidt was not a normal man. "Yes, I've gathered that." We sat in silence for a moment before I asked, "What is this power?"

"I know not. No one does," Kruger told me.

Despite the fact that I had a feeling that he was being honest, and really didn't know, I wanted to know everything. "Schmidt does?" I asked him.

"He has men that will tell him what it is. We are not worthy to know. We merely follow," Kruger said.

My gaze narrowed at him once more. Schmidt treated his men like they were dogs, and that wasn't fair. They honestly believed in him. "Follow him right up to the moment that you commit suicide in his name? Sounds like a raw deal to me," I said.

"There is no cause that means you would give your life for?"

"Sure there is. But if you know me, you know that giving my life isn't really an option," I said.

Kruger smiled at me. "Smart girl," he said.

This wasn't working. I needed to do something else. I needed to get him to admit everything that he knew out loud. Not just because I read his mind. "I'm not the only one who's smart. Take some credit where credit is due. Cyanide pill. Clever. Nearly untraceable and unnoticeable," I said, motioning to the spot where he was now missing a tooth.

That comment caught Kruger's attention. "Some of it should have seeped into my bloodstream. Enough to kill me. What happened?" he asked me.

"An answer for an answer," I offered. To my genuine surprise, he nodded. "You've been hooked up to an IV. Washing all remnants out of your system. Might feel weak and sluggish for a while. You're the first Hydra agent that we've been able to capture before taking one of those pills," I explained to him.

"If you weren't what you are, I would have swallowed it first."

So somehow Schmidt did know about me. But how? And what did I mean to him? Probably nothing. There was no reason that he would have anything to do with me. "Then I saved your life. You're welcome," I told him.

It seemed that Kruger wanted to get down to business. He leaned forward towards me. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. "What do you plan to do to me, Miss Davies? You have to get me to admit it out loud. You can't use your little oddities. And I intend to tell you nothing," Kruger said, not surprising me in the slightest.

"I highly doubt that you know much of importance to me," I said nonchalantly.

To my genuine pleasure, that threw Kruger off. "Come again?" he asked me.

"You're a grunt. Correct?" I asked him.

Kruger's eyes narrowed into little slits. I had found his weakness. He wanted to be more than he was. But he would never tell Kruger that. He just wanted others to believe it. "You think you're clever," he sneered at me.

"I do," I said honestly.

"I'll tell you nothing," he hissed.

Like I had said before, there was nothing that he knew that was of any importance to me. I just wanted my revenge. "You forget who I am. I can see it. You don't know anything. Not that really matters to me. You're useless. The only reason that I took you in here was because if your life is anyone's to take, it is not your own," I said lowly, my eyes flashing dangerously.

Kruger smiled, pleased. He glanced down to the gun that was on the table. "Will you do it?" he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. "I care not what you are. You are still a woman. And you have the weak heart of one."

No matter who the man was, he always thought that because I was a woman, I was weak. No matter everything that I could do. "I could take a guess on who you are. Would you like to hear my conclusion of you?" I asked him.

Kruger merely motioned to me, leaning back in his own chair. "Go ahead," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. He was bothered, but he didn't want to show me. It didn't matter. I knew it.

"You're clearly a top assassin of Hydra. I couldn't imagine that Schmidt would send someone that might screw up the mission. Clearly they somehow found out that Abraham Erskine was here and nearing completion of the super-soldier serum. Now he sent you here to assassinate him. Perhaps it was just to carry out a vendetta. Perhaps it was because he didn't want anyone else coming near getting the serum correct. I don't care. But you were to destroy the serum and take one - only one. Schmidt could use it, destroy it, or duplicate it. You blindly follow him and you take that pill if you're caught. How am I doing?"

His heart rate and blood pressure had spiked. He was furious with me. He was furious that I knew everything about him, without ever even having to ask a question. "As smart as they say that you are," he finally managed.

"Smarter," I said.

If he wanted to get a rise out of me, he wouldn't get it. "I repeat my question to you, Miss Davies, what do you intend to do with me?" he asked me.

"Do you know what this is?" I asked, turning the gun over in my hand. I didn't give him a chance to answer. "It's the gun that you used to kill Abraham Erskine."

"An intimidation tactic. There are no bullets in that gun."

"Would you be willing to risk your life?"

He didn't want to risk his life. He wanted to die on his own terms. I knew that. So he went for another tactic, trying to dig in the knife that had always affected me in childhood. "They call you a monster," Kruger said.

"Words are just words," I said.

"But they aren't for you. They aren't. They mean the entire truth," he told me. Once more, I shrugged. Maybe they were the entire truth about me, but there were people that had known the truth and still loved me. I had faith that Steve and Bucky would still love me when I told them the truth. "The Red Skull believes that. He searches for you. He will find you," Kruger added.

It was very hard to pretend that I wasn't desperately curious to know why Schmidt wanted me. "Why does he want me?" I asked.

"I don't know," Kruger said. A quick search of his mind told me that he was telling me the truth. "But he orders you to come to him."

"I've never taken orders well," I pointed out.

"Then he'll find something to draw you in."

"Like what?"

That was when I realized that he'd been so desperate to get to this point. He'd led me right into the trap that he had been setting since the beginning. "You are a woman, aren't you?" I scoffed at him. I was the last time that I had checked. "Creature that you are, or not, you have someone out there that you love. A man. He must be out there. I overheard you speaking about him. Bucky, was it?"

My heart gave a loud thump. But I managed to keep myself calm. The one thing that I needed to do was keep calm and not let him know that saying Bucky's name had affected me. "A friend. And if Schmidt wants me, he can come get me himself," I said, trying to change the course of the conversation.

But Kruger knew that he had gotten to me. And now he wasn't going to let go of one of the last straws that he could grasp at. "He'll search for that man until he finds him. And he'll kill him," Kruger said, leaning into me and smiling.

"And you will be alive to see none of it," I snapped at him.

It was too late to fix my moment of weakness. As I had said before, there were very few people that made me weak. Bucky happened to be one of them. "Your justice system is weak. You'll put me through a trial and I'll get to see your fall," Kruger told me.

The grin fell back over my face. That was the moment that I realized that I actually was going to win this. "Funny thing about this. There is no record of Gregg Clemson. No record of Heinz Kruger either. No one to put through the justice system. Trust me what I say that the State Department doesn't care about you. Your life is ours," I told him.

Kruger's eyes had flashed when he realized that he wasn't going to beat me. But he wasn't just going to give it to me. "Will you watch?" he asked me, leaning forward. Now I slipped into Chester's mind for my confirmation.

Can I kill him?

Has he told you anything?

No. And he knows nothing.

Do it.

It was obvious that Kruger didn't understand that my silence was not because I couldn't bring myself to do it. My silence was because I was just waiting for my moment. "Trouble?" Kruger asked.

A sharp pang of remembrance shot through me. That was the same thing that Joshua had asked me when I'd stayed silent for too long, trying to read his mind. "No. I'll do it myself," I said, grabbing the gun and laying my finger on the trigger. "Any last words?"

"Hail Hydra."

His gaze was challenging, as if he still didn't believe that I was going to force myself to do it. But it wasn't an option. I was not going to let him live. Not for what he did for Abraham Erskine and not for the moment that he had threatened Bucky. If Schmidt wanted me to come to him, he would have to get me himself. Not bring someone to do it. I grabbed the gun and raised it to, snapping the trigger and shooting Kruger in the forehead. His eyes immediately deadened and he slumped back into the chair, dead. And it was all for Abraham. He deserved everything that had come to him. I just wished that I could have prolonged the suffering.

I placed the gun down on the table and stared at his corpse. "The weak heart of a woman, indeed. For Abraham Erskine," I told him. Maybe he'd hear me in Hell.

Ensuring that I had taken care of him, I checked his pulse before nodding to the others. He was dead. Turning back, I left the room and saw that Chester was nodding at me. He ordered two other men to take the body away. There were men standing at the end of the room that were clearly waiting to speak with him. Peggy was watching with dead eyes, as was Howard. They had both been rather fond of Abraham. Steve was the only one that looked concerned. Of course. He had just watched me murder someone. If only he knew the half of it.

Before Chester could walk away, I grabbed his arm and pulled him with me. "Where is the 107th deployed right now?" I asked him softly, so that the others couldn't hear.

Chester's brows furrowed. "Somewhere in England. Why?" he asked me.

The only thing that mattered was that Bucky stayed out of Italy and Germany. Those were the places that the Red Skull had been known to frequent. "Because the Red Skull is looking for me. And he'll use any means necessary to draw me in," I said, a sick feeling settling over me.

He didn't even have to ask. He knew what I meant. "He doesn't know what Sergeant Barnes even looks like. Kruger was just saying that to try and get to you," he told me.

"It worked," I muttered.

It was obvious that Chester didn't want to leave me, but he was called away by the men that were trying to do damage control. I nodded him off, letting him leave. Peggy and Howard both smiled at me as they moved off. I thought that I might be left alone, but Steve almost immediately came up to my side.

His hand was very softly laid on my shoulder. "Can we talk?" he asked me.

"They need to take some blood samples," I said tonelessly.

"I need to talk to you," Steve said.

Shaking my head softly, I went to move, but I found myself unable to move. "We'll talk afterwards. They need you for the blood samples. Please. Later. We can talk about everything later. Just not now," I told him softly.

Steve sighed, giving me a scrutinizing look. "Come here," Steve told me.

There was nothing that I could say. There wasn't really anything to say. Not after everything that had happened today. Not after everything that we wouldn't be able to change. Steve walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a nearly bone-crushing hug. I managed to stifle a sob into his chest, glad that no one was around. I didn't want anyone to see me being as weak as I was. It was strange being in a hug with Steve where he was the stronger one. At least the way that he felt. His arms felt so strange. They were so much bigger. He was so different. I tightened my arms around his large waist.

Without actually letting him go, I leaned backwards and smiled up at him. "You're so much bigger," I said, laughing softly.

Steve smiled down softly at me. "Thanks to you," he said, gently tucking the underside of my chin.

"And Abraham," I added softly.

Steve nodded at me. We both had Abraham to thank for quite a few things. "Of course. And Abraham. I'll always be grateful to him," Steve told me, his voice sounding exhausted.

Smiling at him, I let go of his waist, but stayed close to him. "Just remember what he said. He always wants you to be a good man. Not a great soldier. Just remember that. He was already so proud of you. I imagine that you're going to make him even more so, soon," I told him honestly.

There was no better man in the world than Steve. There never would be. Steve sighed and glanced over where everyone was chattering away with each other. "They're going to want you to go with them, and they're going to want to keep me in the labs," he said.

"Presumably."

"Victoria! Rogers! With me," Chester called out.

Steve looked back down to me. "So I guess this is another goodbye?" he asked sadly.

Not this time... I'd said goodbye to him once before. Not again. "We don't know that yet. And I said goodbye to you once. Actually, I didn't even say goodbye. I'm not going to walk away from you, Steve. We're in this together. Abraham made sure of that," I said.

Despite the fact that Steve looked so proud of me, he was still shaking his head. "I don't think that I need you babysitting me anymore," he said.

Laughing softly, I shook my head at him. "You'll always need me to babysit you," I told him. He smiled at me and nodded. I placed my hand on his back and gently nudged him with me. "Come on. There's work to be done." Together, the two of us set off towards the labs. The plan had just changed, but we would manage. We always did.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

It turned out that Steve and I weren't able to go very far. We had spent so long chasing down Kruger and speaking to him that it was already the middle of the night by the time that we were ready to start speaking about what happened now. Most people were sent home. The majority of the nurses and visitors. It left the scientists, nurses, and a few government officials. It left Chester dealing with the press, and everyone else trying to take care of the dead and frightened.

A few hours ago the Army men had begun ordering everyone to go to bed and come back in the morning. Things had been too tense over the past few hours. So most people had gone off and gone to bed. It didn't really mean going to bed. It mostly just meant for everyone to get out of the crowded experiment area so that people could start figuring everything out. Currently they were trying to bring in Kruger's submarine that had been left in the marina. It was extremely heavy and that meant that cranes had to come and bring it in. That also meant that no one was going to be able to keep this out of the papers.

Some people were actually asleep, but for the most part everyone was still awake and trying to figure things out. The medical rooms were being utilized as places for some of the people to sleep. I sighed and dropped back onto the wall. I knew that I should have gone to my own medical room - or at least the one that Kruger had been in to help clean up the blood - but I couldn't bring myself to move. I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I really wanted to go on a run, just to try and get things off of my mind, but currently no one else was allowed out of the area as questioning had begun.

My thoughts were encompassed with Abraham. He was one of my closest friends. He was one of the few people that knew so much about me. He had known what I was and had never once flinched at the sight of me. I could have stopped it. I could have stopped Kruger. There were so many things that I could have done. I could have read his mind and stopped him. I could have known what he was going to do. Or I could have just used my damn powers. Why the hell had I listened to Howard? Sure, I might have ruined my own life. But at least Abraham would have been alive. I slumped against the stone wall and closed my eyes.

It was the room that had been assigned to Peggy and me for the night. She was nowhere to be found. Abraham had been her friend so I knew that she was having a hard time with this, too. She had been close to tears earlier. I had a feeling that she was off, crying somewhere, hoping that no one would see her. I'd only come into the room to get some peace and quiet for a little while. I really didn't want to have to continue explaining that Kruger had known nothing of importance and that I was fine after killing him. They didn't seem to understand that Kruger was not the first person that I had killed, and he was certainly not the bloodiest death that I'd ever seen.

As expected, I wasn't left in peace for very long. Steve knocked on the door frame and I looked up at him. I motioned him into the room, onto the table across from me. "Go on. Sit," I said softly.

"Thanks," Steve told me, walking into the room. He sat on the table across from me. I could see that he was holding something in his hands. It was a breakfast bar. But it wasn't for him. "Here. It's not a lot, but you should eat something," Steve said, trying to hand it over to me.

Shaking my head at him, I pulled my knees up against my chest. "No, thanks, I'm not hungry," I said honestly.

"When's the last time you ate?" Steve asked me.

Raising my brows at myself, I shrugged my shoulders. I really didn't know when the last time was that I had eaten. Probably around thirty-six hours ago. "I don't know," I finally said.

Steve smiled and shifted so that he was now sitting on the same table that I was propped up on. I laid my head gently on his shoulder as he wound his arm over my shoulders. "Then I think that it's time for you to eat," he said, holding the bar up once more.

"I've gone longer," I answered.

Steve's shoulder gently rolled. I backed away and looked up at him. I could hear his thoughts, thinking that I had done it to myself just so that I could stay thin. "Vic, that's not -"

"Healthy?" I asked. Steve looked surprised that I had already known what he was going to say. "I know. It wasn't by choice," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

That was when it finally occurred to me. This wasn't something that I could keep a secret anymore. I didn't want it to be a secret anymore. As terrified as I was to tell him the truth, I knew that Steve had to know about me. And maybe it was better this way. Maybe this was something that I wanted to tell Steve first. He was always the more level-headed of the two of them. As much as Bucky could calm down and ask questions, he was always the one that acted first. If I could explain all of this to Steve first and see how he reacted, I could go from there with Bucky. This was so important to me, and it was something that I had to do now, before I backed out.

Deciding to act, I hopped up from the table and gave Steve my hand. "Come on a walk with me," I told him.

Steve looked a little bit confused but nodded anyways. "Okay," he said, wrapping an arm over my shoulders.

He was very clearly upset about everything that had happened. But I could feel the emotions drain out of him as the concern seeped into his brain. I could hear him thinking about me. We headed out of the small medical room and I tried to calm myself down. I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want him to be terrified of me. It was one of the few things that I was afraid of in the world. But he needed to know. He needed to know the truth before something happened where I was forced to show him just how strange I was. My hands were shaking, the electrical currents shooting through my arms.

My nerves were fraying. This was not something that I had ever been looking forward to. We walked over to Chester and I nodded at him. "We're heading out for just a few minutes," I told Chester. He merely stared at me with a cruel snarl. I knew that he didn't want me to leave. "It's the middle of the night. No one will see him," I argued.

Chester shook his head at me. "Absolutely not. You stay here," he snapped.

For a moment I was about to open my mouth and concede. But this was important. "No. We're leaving. We'll be back. I have to tell him something. It's extremely important and I won't be saying it in here," I told Chester, leaving no room for argument.

A hint of emotion flashed through his eyes as he stared at me. "Think long and hard before you say that," Chester warned.

It was something that I'd been thinking about since I had met them. And the time had come for me to tell the truth. "I have," I told Chester. "This is something that Abraham wanted me to do. I'm going to tell him now. Not everything. He doesn't need to know everything and I'm not ready to say it. But he deserves to know something."

And it was the truth. Abraham had always believed that telling them the truth was for the best. So this would be my way of giving him a dying request. "You're sure that you want to do this?" Chester asked.

"Yes."

Chester nodded at me. I could tell that he didn't think that this was the right thing to do. "Things might change between the two of you," he told me.

It was a known fact that things would change once Steve knew the truth about me. Maybe he would finally realize that I didn't have to be protected. "I know that they will. But he's already suspicious. I might as well tell him something," I told Chester.

The two of us stared at each other before Chester nodded. "Take this," he said.

Curiously, I watched as he dug into his belt and pulled out the gun that he always wore, handing it to me. I shook my head at him. "I don't need that," I said. He nodded at me for a moment and tucked it back into his belt. That was when I realized that he did have a pocketknife in his belt. "Actually, give me the knife."

Chester reached down to his belt and pulled the knife off, hanging it over to me. "Here," he said.

I grabbed it from him and tucked it into my pocket. "Thank you. We'll be back as soon as possible," I promised.

But I had a feeling that if we were going to talk about this it would take all night. Before I could walk off, Chester called out to me. "If anyone is out there, don't speak to them. Newspapers are already crawling around this place," he said.

We didn't need this to be in the papers any more than it already would be. "We'll take the back door," I told him before turning back to Steve. He was watching curiously. "Come on. We're going out the back doors. There are news reporters all around the front of the building."

"Okay."

Together we moved through towards the back of the building. I had a feeling that a few people wanted to ask what we were doing or try to stop us, but with Steve the size that he was now, no one bothered to try. I was grateful for it. We moved out of the back door and into the alleyway. I could see reporters standing on the other side of the building and I rolled my eyes. What were they expecting to catch a photograph of? It didn't matter. The newspapers had gotten the pictures that they wanted. They would be everywhere in the morning.

There was nothing that we could do to stop them from printing the story in the papers in the morning. The only thing that we could do was move forward and try everything in our power to stop Hydra. I couldn't think of a way to get away from the building so I did the one thing that I could think to do. I motioned Steve over towards the staircase on the side of the building and motioned upwards. He nodded at me and followed me up to the top of the roof. It was the first time that I had ever seen Steve climb a staircase without getting winded. We walked towards the middle of the roof before I took a spot in the gravel.

Steve took a seat beside me a moment later. I was staring out at the slowly rising sun. It was still down on the horizon, barely letting some light shine over the city. "Why are we up here?" Steve asked me.

The wind was very gently blowing through my hair, whipping it in front of my eyes. I was almost glad. I wasn't sure that I wanted Steve to be able to see my face. "A few different reasons. I couldn't be in there anymore. It was driving me insane. Can't go for a walk right now. All of those men down there? They want pictures of you. So... this was the next best thing," I said.

We sat in silence for a while, facing each other, each of us with our knees pulled up to our chests. "What did you mean before?" Steve asked me. I raised a brow. "When you were saying that you've gone longer than just a day without eating?"

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to tell him the entire truth. "I've gone two weeks without eating before," I said.

Steve stared at me curiously. Our feet were pressed against each other's. "Why would you do that?" he asked.

"It wasn't by choice," I told him quickly. We sat in silence for a few seconds, Steve giving me a very scrutinizing stare, as I prepared to tell him the thing that scared me the most. "You and Bucky wondered where I went for all of those years. Right?" I asked weakly.

That definitely caught his attention. He glanced up at me and met my eyes. He very hesitantly nodded. "Of course," he said slowly. "Vic, if you don't want to tell me yet, don't," he added.

Why did Steve and Bucky have to be such good people? It only made me feel worse about myself. They would always be everything that I wished that I could be. "Abraham would have wanted me to tell you," I told him honestly. Abraham had always encouraged me to tell them, believing that they wouldn't care. "You just have to give it all a chance, alright? It's not easy to explain."

Steve nodded immediately. "Okay."

Take it slow, Victoria. Explain it all piece by piece. "There's a reason that Abraham wanted me on this project. It's a version of mutation, what we've done to you," I told him. He nodded at me. That was simple enough to understood. It only got worse and worse from here. "And that just so happens to be my specialty. Mutation."

It still didn't seem to have affected Steve. "You were always good with that kind of stuff," he said.

Once more I nodded at him. He must have been remembering all of those classes that I had taken back when we were kids. "Yes. Because I understand it better than anyone else. Because I've seen it up close," I said softly, unsure of how to just spit it out.

"Mutation?" he asked, unsure of what this had to do with anything.

Just spit it out, you idiot. "Yes. Mutation. Throughout all of history, it's been the key to our evolution. It's enabled human being to evolve into the dominant species on the planet. The process normally takes thousands and thousands of years. Our spines straightening out to allow us to become bipedal," I explained. I stopped for a moment, making sure that Steve knew what that meant. Once he nodded at me, I continued speaking. "The loss of the use of wisdom teeth, considering that we no longer need them to grind down bone. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."

Now I knew that I had lost him. His eyebrows knitted at me. Here we go. Maybe I'd hint at it first before actually telling him what I was. Just in case he didn't take it well. "What do you mean?" Steve asked.

Taking another deep breath, I motioned towards Steve's eyes. "Your eyes. Bucky's eyes," I added softly. He simply stared at me. "They're both blue. Originally everyone on the planet had brown eyes. But a mutation in the genetic code caused the blue eye mutation. Now everyone on the planet with blue eyes stems from that single ancestor," I continued to explain.

A small smile fell over Steve's face. He obviously didn't understand how this connected to me not eating, but he did seem fascinated with the idea of the blue eye theory. "That's cool," Steve said.

I nodded at him. "My yellow eyes are another," I continued softly.

Steve smiled and reached over, grabbing my hand. I smiled weakly at him. "Maybe one day lots of people will have them," he told me hopefully.

It was painful, how much faith he had in everyone. "Doubtful," I told him. I let go of his hand and motioned back to my eyes. "This is what I meant about mutation taking huge leaps. There are theories that certain people are born with special... powers," I muttered.

As expected, he lapsed into a tense silence. He was clearly trying to figure out what I was talking about. I smiled weakly. It would have been so much easier to just spit out what I meant. I just wanted to tell him everything that was different about me. But if I was going to tell him about mutation and mutants, I would have to explain everything. I had to tell him everything about me and everything that I had gone through. He deserved to know. After all, it was because of mutation that we had even been able to create him in the first place. It would have taken Abraham much longer without the Vita-Rays.

It was a long silence before Steve managed to gather his thoughts. "Excuse me?" he finally asked.

Laughing softly, I shook my head at him. "There are theories that people are born with all of these oddities about themselves. From things as simple to running faster than a train all the way to being able to manipulate metal or control minds," I explained.

Once more, Steve slipped into a dead silence. His mind was whirring at a thousand miles a minute. His thoughts couldn't lock onto something coherent for that long before it changed pace again. I could hear his thoughts and I smiled, knowing that he was very stunned at what I had just said. He didn't want to believe that all of this was real. But it was. It was real, and he was just about to find out. He didn't seem scared. He just seemed to be very confused.

Finally he began laughing at me. He stopped laughing when he saw just how serious I was. "Come on, Vic. That's science fiction. There's no way that all of that could be real," he told me, still smiling.

"Why not?" I asked him quickly.

The little smile that had still been on his face almost immediately dropped. He was staring at me like I had lost my mind. He didn't understand how it could be real. I understood where he was coming from. It sounded like something that came straight out of an H.G. Wells novel. It didn't sound like something that could ever happen in real life. Steve seemed to know that I was baiting him into saying something. But I had caught him off-guard. He didn't know what to say.

"B - Because -" he stuttered awkwardly.

"You don't understand it?" I asked.

Steve immediately shook his head. "Well... no. I don't," he said. He seemed very confused. But he didn't seem afraid. Not yet, at least. "Do you?" he finally asked me.

"Yes. They're called mutants," I said.

Now that I really thought about it, I couldn't believe that I'd never known that we were called mutants. It should have been so obvious. "Are - Are they real?" Steve asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yes."

"Where are they?" Steve asked.

It was easy to hear it in his voice. This unnerved him. He was nervous. Now or never, Victoria. Say it. "One is sitting about two feet away from the world's first super soldier," I told him with a guilty smile.

Steve's face fell. There was no fear. Just confusion. "V - Vic?" he asked.

Smiling awkwardly, I went to back away from Steve. I didn't want to scare him. But he grabbed at my foot, forcing me to stay where I was. "The yellow eyes aren't just a weird thing that happened to me at birth. They're not even really yellow. I just force them to appear yellow," I admitted.

"Huh?" Steve asked dumbly.

Once more I smiled. He looked like a little kid that was being explained the birds and the bees. "Don't scream, alright?" I asked him.

Steve was very pale as he nodded at me. I blinked and opened them, staring right at Steve. They faded into their pitch black appearance. Steve gasped and backed off slightly, but remained otherwise unaffected. I let them linger that way for a few moments before blinking, allowing them to return to their normal yellow. He was still staring at me like I'd lost my mind. Confusion... A little apprehension... But still no fear... And it wasn't because of the super-solider serum. It was just because that was the way that he was. It was the way that he always would be. He would never fear me unless I gave him a real reason to.

Taking a deep breath, I risked a glance in Steve's eyes. He was trying to give me a reassuring smile. It came out more as a nervous grimace. "I promised you that I would tell you where I went all of those years. So let me tell you. Just don't interrupt until I'm done. And give me a chance to explain," I told him.

"Okay," Steve said, his voice barely above a whisper.

And so I dove into the entire story. As much as I cared to say for now, anyways. "That day - the last day that I was with you and Bucky - Johnathan met me down a back alley after school when I'd stormed off. He was furious that I'd made him look like a fool. He got three of his friends to try and attack me." Steve tensed. I could see the muscles bulging in his arm and his jaw set. "It would have worked had I been anyone else. But it didn't. It never would have. I was so sick of people talking about me like I was less than human. You heard all of the nicknames that they gave me. Everything terrible that they said. And it wasn't even the fact that it was just kids being cruel. It was that they were saying things that really did affect me. Because they didn't know.

"They didn't know that what they were saying was just the beginning. I was sick of them treating me the way that they did. I decided that there was going to be no more. So I fought back. I don't know what happened to those boys, but I assume that it was nothing good. It was the first time that I'd ever really attacked someone. I wanted to kill them, and that was when I realized what I had done. I knew that they were close to dead. I could see it in their faces. They were terrified. They were going to do anything in their power to get me into trouble with the law. And, at that point, I couldn't afford that. So I panicked and ran.

"Right into the man that would change my life. Colonel William Stryker." Steve raised his brows, unsure of who he was. I wished that I didn't even know who he was. "I should have known. But he told me that he knew what I was... He told me that he knew what I'd done. I was terrified of what I'd done, Steve. I'd assaulted someone. Nearly killed them. I was stupid for what I'd done. And to this day I still think that I was stupid for what I did. Stryker seemed to know about me. I wanted so much to know why I was the way that I was. He told me that they would hunt me down and kill me." Steve's heart rate was picking up slightly. "He told me that they would use you and Bucky against me." His heart was pounding now. "He begged me to trust him. So I did.

"To this day it was the biggest mistake that I've ever made. I went with him to his laboratory in Alberta, Canada. I didn't want to trust him, but I had to. He was the only person that had ever given me an indication that he knew what I was. He kept his promise for a while. He told me what I was. A mutant." Steve's eyebrows knitted. He was shaking his head, trying to process everything that I was telling him. It was a lot to take it at one time. But we'd increased his brain power. He would managed to understand this. "He told me all about them. I was scared of him, but I trusted him. We finally got the place that he had promised me.

"At first it was everything that I could have wanted. He introduced me to people just like me. Other mutants. They had all sorts of powers. But they were so friendly, telling me that I was no different than anyone else. I thought that I might finally have found my place. But that was when I learned that there were two parts of Stryker. He had the Chi Protocol, where he would train and use mutants to eliminate threats all around the world. Sort of like a special operations division that worked under the law. It was incredible. I thought that I would really get the chance to change the world and show them that I wasn't a monster. I had everything.

"Then Stryker showed me his true colors. It wasn't just the Chi Protocol that he had. He also had the Weapon X Program. He would torture the mutants there until he could kill them." Steve gasped and stared at me with sad eyes. I tried to force a smile, but I couldn't. Not while I was remembering Stryker. "He utilized their powers, combining them, making a mutant more dangerous than any other. He lied to me the entire time. He hated mutants. He lied to them, made them trust him, just so that he could draw them in. A mutant had killed his family. So he took out his anger on every other one that he could find. This was where he put me.

"Seven years, Steve... Seven years that I spent there," I told him, my voice breaking. Steve moved forward and grabbed my hand. "Stryker would work as hard as he possibly could to kill the mutants. He tried with me, too. But it never worked." My voice cracked again. It was hard to remember just how much I'd wanted to die. For a while it had been the only thing that I'd wanted. Even more than freedom. "You saw how careless I was when I went after Kruger. There was a reason. I can't die." Steve started to shake his head. "Trust me, Stryker tried everything that he possibly could to kill me. He tried to starve me, beat me, anything that he possibly could." Steve cringed. "But it never worked.

"So he went for another option. To train me. It would end up being a mistake on their part. He wasn't nice and he never trained me himself. It was the other guards. And they would use any means necessary. They would train me to use all of my powers. They would see if I was starving would make any difference." Once more, Steve cringed. "Every single day I would wake up and train, all day long. No food, no water, and no sleep. I wasn't allowed to bathe. The food that I did get was barely once a week and dogs would deny it. The water was out of the sewer drainage. They wouldn't give me any clothes when I slept. I'd sleep completely bare on the stone floor. Ice cold water would be thrown on me to wake me up in the morning.

"I wanted to die. I tried to get them to kill me." His heart was thumping loudly in his chest as his eyes became misty. "It was torture. And you know the worst thing about torture? When you're human and you get caught or captured, there's the hope that you can at least die. If you die... it all ends. But that didn't happen with me. When I was there I couldn't die. It's part of what makes me, me. He could do the worst things imaginable, things that made me less than human, but I never had the hope that maybe I could die and it would end.

"It wasn't like I just stayed there because I was too afraid to leave." The first tear fell and Steve moved towards me, pulling me into a hug. "I tried to escape, too. It never worked. I'd try to do anything in my power to get away, but eventually I had to stop. I used to be able to feel pain. And God... It hurt. Everything that they did hurt. But that wasn't the worst. I could deal with the physical. I had before. No... It was the fact that they used to hold you and Bucky over my head, threatening to kill you if I didn't comply. So I did what they wanted. And every single day I hated myself more and more. I hated myself for leaving you both and I hated myself for putting either one of you in that position. You never knew how much danger you were in.

"I'm sorry." Steve sighed and shook his head, brushing my hair back over my head. "The day came that I was finally ready to leave. It all happened because when I was training, another mutant was brought in. Purple skin. Red eyes. Cold-blooded. He couldn't blend in like so many of us can. They ordered me to drown him and I refused. I couldn't kill someone that was just like me. He was a kid. Sixteen, maybe. They kept ordering me to do it and I kept refusing. They shot me, beat me, and threatened you both. But I couldn't just kill him. No matter what they said. He didn't deserve what they were doing to him. He was terrified. He looked so grateful that I wasn't going to hurt him.

"Turned out that it didn't matter that I was willing to save him. They shot him instead. And they shot me for disobeying." Steve's hands clenched in fury. "Stryker laughed at me later that day. He told me that he just wanted to see if I could learn to take orders. He claimed that the minute that I agreed, they would have let him go. But it was a lie and I knew it. Still, I was so angry that I walked away. Without the guards. Something that they never let me do. They always followed me to make sure that I was never doing something that I shouldn't have been doing. Even at night, they would leave guards outside my room. But they let me walk that day. Right into a room that wasn't mine.

"It was a man that was standing in there. Logan. That was his name. He asked me what had happened to me. It was the first time that I'd seen myself in seven years. I didn't even look human anymore. I begged him to leave, before they could do to him what they'd done to me. But he didn't. Not without me." There was a heavy weight on Steve's chest. "I told him that I would try and give him a chance to escape. So the next day we were brought to a hydro-chamber as test subjects. There they implanted both Logan and I with an Adamantium skeleton. Strongest metal on the planet, comparable with only Vibranium," I explained when I saw that he was confused. "It's toxic. It should kill us. But it doesn't. An advanced healing factor keeps us alive.

"That was the day that we escaped together. Stryker found out that we could survive the experiment. He was going to keep me to torture but he was going to erase Logan's memory to extract the mutant DNA in him and creature a stronger mutant. Unbeatable. I tried to stop him, and Logan overheard the conversation. Together we were able to attack the others in the room. We escaped. Through their mistake of training me, they'd ensured that I wouldn't lose the fight. So we got away. We killed almost everyone in the building. With Logan's help, we got away from the building, where he swore that he would leave a trail so that Stryker would follow him.

"We couldn't go together. He had his brother to kill. His brother had murdered his wife. Just because she was a human." Steve cringed at the thought. "Some of us are cruel because of the things that humanity have done to us. Anyways, I had you and Bucky to find. So we separated, with the promise that we would see each other again one day. You need to know..." I continued, my voice breaking again. He had to know that I had tried to find them. "I came for you both.

"Four days after I left Stryker's lab, I made my way back to New York. I went to the old apartments, but you and Bucky were gone. I was heartbroken. It felt like I really had lost everything. And there was no one that I could blame but myself." Steve's face was heartbreaking. "So I left, to try and find you both. That was when I crossed into Chester's land. He held up a shotgun to me, warning me to get off of his land. But when I turned back to him, he knew. He knew who I was automatically. There were wanted posters of me when I had disappeared at a child. He took me in and gave me a real chance at a life. He became my father." Steve's face settled slightly. "When we went to Camp Lehigh a few months ago, that was when I met up with Bucky again. You know the rest."

And so, my story ended. I wiped a tear away as we sat in silence. As much as I wanted to know what Steve was feeling right about now, I knew that it was the wrong time to rush him. So I merely sat and waited as he processed everything. It took a long time. My story itself had taken a quarter of an hour. And we must have sat for at least twenty minutes as he processed everything. I was desperate to know what he was thinking about me and everything that I had told him, but I had enough respect to not read his mind. So I sat, twiddling my fingers, waiting with shaking hands. I couldn't lose him. Not after just getting him back.

It was approaching the half an hour mark before Steve finally spoke. "Does Bucky know?" he asked me. His voice was weak and shaky. I could hear that he was horrified. Not at me. But at everything that had happened to me.

"No."

A strange look crossed over Steve's face. "Does Phillips?" he asked.

"Yes."

Steve took a deep breath and moved his hand over his face. Maybe this was the wrong time to spring all of this on him. "How long have you known... about being a mutant?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Always," I answered, knowing that this was going to lead to a single question. "I didn't have a name for what I was until I met Stryker. He told me what I was."

"So you knew about all of this when you met Bucky and me?" Steve asked.

And there was the question that I had been waiting for. "Yes," I answered bashfully.

Steve shifted uncomfortably. We both knew the question that was coming, but no one wanted to be the first one to say it. "Why didn't you tell us?" he finally asked me.

A harsh desperation for him to understand that I had done it because I was terrified fell over me. "Because I was too afraid. Steve, mutants are hunted down and killed because of what we are. People are terrified of us. The few that know who we are. You and Bucky were the first people that I ever really cared about. You were the first people to ever care about me," I told him. There was a defeated look in Steve's eyes, knowing that I had always been as terrified of something as mundane as losing a friend. "I couldn't handle losing you. I couldn't handle you being afraid of me."

Steve smiled at me. "We've always been afraid of you, Vic," he said.

We couldn't help it. Despite the tense air with everything that I had explained, we both laughed. But he had every right to honestly be afraid of me. "You'd be terrified if you knew what I could do," I said softly.

Steve shook his head determinedly. "No I wouldn't. I love you, Vic. Bucky loves you," he said. I smiled weakly at him. I loved them, too. I always would. "Why didn't you tell him?"

That was a question that I'd been hoping to avoid. I wanted him to know. Now more than ever. I'd have to tell him when he came back home. First thing I did. "I wanted to tell him. I really did. But I couldn't do it right before he deployed. So I made him the promise that when he came back home, I'd tell him everything. I meant to tell you both together," I told him.

Steve's chest rose and fell rapidly. I knew that he was trying to figure out what to say to me. I knew that he was trying to figure out how to explain that it would be okay to tell Bucky. "Look, Vic, maybe you're a little odd -"

"I'm not human, Steve," I snapped, harsher than I'd meant to. "Not really," I added, mumbling lowly.

Steve shook his head at me and grabbed my hand. I gently pulled it away. He could touch me when he knew everything about me. "I've never seen you do anything that makes me think that you're dangerous," he said.

"Because I've hidden it," I told him.

It was easy to tell that he couldn't believe that there was anything different about him. "What can you do? You said that there were... powers... What does that mean?" he asked me.

Suddenly I found myself afraid to answer. I found myself afraid to tell him just how strange I was. "It's a long story," I muttered bashfully.

Steve smiled at me encouragingly. "We have time," he goaded gently.

"Telepathy," I spit out, before I could stop myself.

Steve's brows furrowed. "What is that?" he asked.

Smiling bashfully, I tucked my hair back behind my ears. "I can - uh - read your mind," I said softly. His thoughts automatically started to wonder whether or not I could really hear what he was thinking. "Yes. I really can hear your thoughts. And I can control your mind."

Steve didn't look terrified. He only gave a disbelieving laugh. He hadn't heard nearly everything that I could do yet, but he didn't look afraid of me yet. "That's how you got Kruger to spit out the cyanide pill," he said softly.

"Yes."

"You can read my mind?"

There was a little hint of a disturbed feeling seeping into him. "I don't. I don't read friend's minds out of respect for them," I corrected him quickly. I didn't want to make him think that I knew everything about him. That meant that we couldn't even try to be equal. I switched into speaking to his mind. But I can speak to you without anyone else hearing.

It did not go over very well with Steve. Not that I had been expecting it to. It made people feel like they were actually losing their minds. "How did you do that?" Steve asked breathlessly.

I still didn't speak out loud. It's the mutation, Steve. Telepathy. I can hear your thoughts and speak to you like this. And if I ever felt the need, I could control your mind. You'd never even know.

Steve laughed once more, pushing his hair off of his forehead. "That's incredible," he told me.

"It's horrible," I immediately snapped. He stared at me confusedly. Obviously he didn't understand just how terrible this mutation was. "I could force you to shoot yourself and you'd be powerless to stop it."

Steve's eyebrows knitted. He moved towards me and gently grabbed my hand. I smiled weakly at him. "But you wouldn't," he told me.

That was true. I would never do that to Steve. But there was a good chance that it would do that to someone else. I had done it to someone else. "Not to you," I said, accentuating the fact that I would do it to someone else. I reached into my pocket and slipped out the knife. I could hear Steve's thoughts, thinking that there was no way that I would stab him. "Relax, I'm not going to stab you," I reassured him.

"I didn't -"

"Yes you did."

Steve gave me a scrutinizing stare. I already knew what he was thinking, but it wasn't because I was reading his mind. "I thought that you wouldn't read my mind," he told me.

His voice was holding a teasing lilt to it. He wasn't angry with me. He thought that it was very. "I don't. But sometimes your thoughts are so loud that I can't help but to hear them. It can be very hard to tune out thoughts sometimes," I told him. "When I was a kid I didn't know how to stop the voices. They were so loud that I would cry. Even when the others were asleep, I could still hear their voices."

My hands were shaking slightly. It had been so long since I'd thought about that. My parents had already refused to take me out in public because of how different I was. But it didn't matter. I could still hear the other voices. It had used to drive me insane. I would cry all night long and try to place my hands over my ears to get it to stop. But it was in my brain. It had taken me years to figure out how to stop the voices. Trying to get those thoughts away from me, I opened the knife and placed it on the back of my hand. Steve was watching me with wide eyes, looking about ready to stop me. I started the slice on my hand, and that was when Steve jumped forward.

Steve launched himself forward to grab my hand. "Vic, stop!" Steve shouted at me.

I waved him off of me. "It doesn't hurt. I don't have pain receptors," I told him blankly.

Gently slicing down the middle of my hand, I pulled back the skin. Steve's hand was still on my arm as I gently pulled the skin back, showing him the silver bone underneath. It glinted in the light. "Is your bone silver?" Steve asked me.

At least he was smart enough to know that a normal bone was off-white. "They're plated with Adamantium," I told him, gently pressing against the bone. Steve cringed as the bone made a small tinging noise. "It makes them nearly indestructible. They won't break."

Not wanting to continue grossing Steve out, I let go of the skin. It immediately began to seal itself, leaving no scar or indicating that anything had ever happened. "What - What's happening?" Steve asked me.

The two of us were staring at my hand. I gave it to him to let him run his finger over where the wound had just been. "The skin is sealing itself. It's a regenerative healing factor. You've been given it, too," I told Steve. But I knew that I should explain a little bit more about that. I didn't trust him not to walk straight into the line of fire. "Not nearly to the point that I have it. So I wouldn't recommend running around and getting shot at. Won't work out well for you."

Steve smiled softly, letting my hand drop back into my lap. "Wow..." Steve muttered. He still wasn't afraid. Just trying to process everything. "So you can heal from injuries?"

I nodded at him. "Anything. I've had my hand cut off before," I told him. Steve gasped and glanced down at my hand. I realized too late that I probably shouldn't have told him that. "It takes longer to regrow limbs, but it works."

"What happened to your hand?" Steve asked weakly.

"I was training with a gun and I missed the center of the target by a millimeter. I got my hand cut off for it," I explained. Steve cringed and moved towards me. I ripped my hand away. Pity was seeping off of him. But I didn't deserve the pity. Not for something that had been my own fault. "Don't pity me, it was my own mistake that landed me there."

We sat in silence for a long while. I knew that Steve was trying to figure out what to say without making it seem like he was pitying him. "Was your blood green?" Steve finally asked me.

A small smile fell over my face. "Of the many mutations that I have, that's the one that no one understands. What you just saw is the million dollar question. There isn't a drop of blood in me," I explained. Steve was staring at me blankly. I wished that I could explain more to him, but I really couldn't. There was only so much that I knew about it. "It's all an element called Chronicle. There's almost none of it on Earth. The largest known source is in me. Unpolluted. Nothing to disturb its natural process. Makes me a very desirable target." Steve's brow raised. "It's one of the most expensive things that someone can buy, because it's so rare. And with it just sitting here...

"There's a reason that it's so special. You see, Chronicle isn't found on Earth. It's extra-terrestrial. It's found in the far reaches of the solar system, nearly impossible to cultivate. No one knows how it got in me, and no one knows why. Chronicle has healing powers. It's what gives me my healing factor. It is immune to all poisons and toxins, as I am. But the problem is that Chronicle is so strong that it's too much to bear for living organisms. The purity and regeneration is too fast. It kills them. People have been trying for years to figure out how to dilute it enough to make it tolerable to the human immune system. Six seconds. That's all it takes to kill something," I explained.

It was a long time that Steve was silent. "So why doesn't it kill you?" he finally asked.

I smiled weakly at him. "There aren't many things that I don't know, but that's one of them. I don't know. Stryker didn't know. No one knows. That's just some of the reasons that I'm so strong. Chronicle essentially protects itself, forming a protective barrier around me. The Chronicle powers all of my internal systems, making them operate at top performance," I said.

"So... You're basically the healthiest person on the planet?" Steve asked.

As far as disease went, that was true. But not others. "Not necessarily. Chronicle allows me to perform past typically peak performances. Think of it putting all of the systems into overdrive, without the negative drawbacks. The brain, for example. The 'fact' that we only use ten percent of our brain is, in fact, a myth. We use very close to one hundred percent of our brain power. However, to compensate, the brain doesn't use all of its potential at one time. It may only use ten percent at one time. Hence where that myth stemmed from."

"Isn't that a fact in medical journals?" Steve asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure. But it's not right," I told him.

He laughed at me. "Always were the smartest person that I knew," Steve told me.

"In the average person, some areas of the brain work harder than others. It's always been that way. At certain times, certain portions of the brain work harder than others. You can use up to thirty-five percent of the brain at one time while performing a complicated task. That doesn't happen to me. I use one hundred percent at any given time. It allows me to process everything. I don't miss anything. But, at some points, things become overwhelming and I can't focus," I said, my voice dropping off at the end.

Steve knew automatically what I was getting at. "What happened to Abraham was not your fault. You shouldn't have had to stop him. Abraham loved you. He wasn't upset with you in the end," Steve told me.

"I know. I heard his thoughts," I told Steve, making him smile.

"Bucky and I always wondered how you never missed anything. You were like Sherlock Holmes. You could make these grand assumptions out of nothing. You always knew everything," he told me.

They were right about that. I could catch a change in the air and know that a car was speeding around the corner, and know that it would hit us if we didn't move. "There are drawbacks. To be so analytical and so observant... sometimes I forget to be human. It makes emotion less effective," I told Steve softly.

The two of us stared at each other. "I don't think that's so true. So maybe you don't care for a lot of people. But I know that you care for some of us. You love Peggy and Colonel Phillips. I've seen you all together. She's like your sister, and he's become like your father. Howard Stark, obviously the two of you are close, too. And there's me... I know that you care about me. Can't forget about Bucky, either. I don't think that I've ever seen you care about someone more than him," Steve said.

"You always did believe the best in everyone," I said.

"I've always believed the best in you. I still do. I always will." I smiled at him and reached over, grabbing his hand tightly. My heart was still thumping in my chest nervously. "Was there anything else?" he asked after a beat.

Let's hope that he doesn't get freaked out with everything else. "There are the simpler mutations. My brain performs perfectly. Like I said. It's like a searching system. I can find anything that I don't know and learn it within seconds. I can speak every language on Earth. For reference, there are over six thousand," I said. Steve laughed loudly. "I can run faster than anyone else, I can hold up a collapsing building, my hearing is supersonic, and my vision is well beyond perfect."

Steve just stared at me. "Those are common?" he asked blandly.

Smiling softly, I nodded at him. "Yes. And you have them now, too," I said. He raised a brow, looking rather impressed with himself. But I wanted to correct him before he did something stupid. "Although I'd recommend you bench press a train before trying a building."

Steve laughed at me. "I'll keep that in mind," he said.

I assumed that this was my indication to keep telling him about the other mutations. "I'm practically indestructible," I continued.

"So you can't die?" Steve asked me.

Obviously he meant to ask me if I couldn't die from unnatural causes. A gunshot wound or fall. Taking a deep breath, I admitted the one mutation that bothered me the most. "I'll never die," I said softly.

"Never?" Steve asked, not understanding what I meant.

Nodding at him weakly, I began to let the force field glow around my fingers. Steve wasn't paying attention so he didn't see it. "One of the things that happened to me during my trip into the hydro-chamber. It fried my pain receptors. I don't feel pain anymore." Steve gave a quick look down to my hand and I nodded. I hadn't even felt it. "And it mixed with the Chronicle and Adamantium. It halted my aging process. I'll be twenty-one forever."

My voice gave a little crack. Steve obviously knew why. He moved towards me and grabbed my hand. I let the force field drop to squeeze his hand gently. "Can you reverse it?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. You see why I," my voice cracked, "why I can't be with Bucky?" Steve pulled me in a little closer to him, the two of us attached at the hip. "I love him, Steve. I love you both. But you're going to have families. You deserve to grow up and grow old. Both of you. You don't get that with me," I said softly.

It wasn't that I didn't love them. I loved them both. But they would never get to have a real life with me. I wasn't built for a normal life. "He won't care. I don't care," Steve told me sharply.

"You should. I would have lived longer than the average person anyways. Two, maybe three, hundred years. Now you will, too," I told him. He seemed a little uncomfortable with the thought, but he nodded at me anyways. There wasn't a way to reverse it. What we had done, was done. "But one day you'll be gone, too, and I'll be alone again."

Steve shook his head at me, brushing his hand over my shoulders. "You're never going to be alone, Vic. Never," he told me.

"I know when you're lying to me," I told Steve.

We sat in silence for a long while after that. Because we both knew that it was true. Maybe Steve would be around for a long time, but the day would come that he, too, would die. Everyone would leave me. Maybe I would make new friends in the future. But that didn't even matter. Because I would always meet someone and make friends with them, and then they would die. It would be a constant process. And it wasn't something that I wanted to deal with. I didn't want to have to pretend that I was okay with constantly losing the people that I cared about.

Finally Steve spoke again, calling me out of my thoughts. "Is that everything that you can do?" he asked.

Obviously he was trying to get my mind off of the impending truth. "Not even close," I said with a small smile. Putting my hands out in front of me, I allowed the purple light to spread over my torso. Steve was staring at it, fascinated. "This is called a force field. You throw something at it, it will rebound," I told him.

"Can I touch it?" Steve asked.

"Sure. It won't hurt."

Gently, Steve raised his hands towards it. I nodded at him, letting him know that I wasn't going to do anything to him. His hand gently pressed against the force field. He glanced up at me and laughed. I smiled weakly at him. He pulled back his hand and pressed against it a little harder. I could feel him trying to increase the force, but my shield held strong.

Finally I let the force field drop. "That's useful," he told me.

Both of us laughed. I brought the force field back up and manipulated it into a small circle. "Lately I've learned how to manipulate it. I can encircle and object and force it to move somewhere," I told him.

Steve gave me a blank stare. "What?" he asked dumbly.

Smiling softly, I allowed the force field to drop once more. "Remember those cars that nearly hit you?" I asked him. He nodded at me. "Who do you think slammed down on the brakes?"

His face slowly turned upwards. "You did it..." he breathed out.

I nodded at him. "I did. I wasn't about to let you get hit by the car," I said.

"Thanks for that."

Laughing softly, I nodded. This was going better than I had thought that it would. "You're welcome," I said. I could hear his thoughts, wondering if there was anything else that I could do. "Other than that, I have advanced combat and weaponry skills. Partially from being naturally inclined to fighting, and partially because when I was in Stryker's lab, I would fight someone. Every single day. A win would earn me maybe a nod. A loss would earn me a bullet to the back of the head." Steve's face fell into a thin line, his hands shaking with fury. "It ensured that I didn't lose.

"You wondered how I could beat those recruits. I can read a person's stance and tell you what they're going to do before they even know. It's easy. It's why I never lose fights," I told him. He nodded at me as I gave him a close look. "Even now..." He smiled at me, realizing that I was looking over him. "If you were to run you'd go with your left foot first. You're imbalanced. A swipe underneath the knee would take you down. Your stance - it's the way that someone untrained would stand. You're top-heavy now. A hit to the head would take you down," I explained.

Even as I spoke, I could see the little changes in Steve's stance. His eyes were wide. He hadn't even had to make a move. I already knew how to beat him. "Remind me not to get into a fight with you," he told me, laughing softly.

"Super soldier or not, I'd still win," I told him.

Steve smiled at me. "I believe you." The two of us glanced at each other before letting out a small laugh. "So you didn't hit me as hard as you could before?" he asked after a beat.

"If I hit you as hard as I could, we'd be looking for another super-soldier," I said.

"Thanks for not hitting me as hard as you can."

"You're welcome." Once more, we both laughed. We had always known that I was stronger than Steve. But now that he was a super-soldier it was almost funny that I was still stronger than him. "I also possess Atmoskinesis," I said after a few beats of silence.

Steve stared at me without a trace of emotion on his face. There might as well have been a question mark floating over his head. "That sounds incredibly impressive," he finally said.

"It is. It's control of the elements," I told him. He still didn't understand. "Earth."

Curling my fingers together, Steve and I watched as some of the gravel and rocks on the rooftop began to linger in the air. Steve was watching with wide eyes. As I twirled my fingers, the rocks began to spin in the air. Steve laughed as I pulled up some dirt from the road below and waved my hand, making the dirt spell his name. After a few moments, I let the rocks drop back to the ground.

"Water."

Whipping my hands around me, I watched with Steve as some water from the drainage pipes below began to rise in a steady current. Steve was staring at it with wide eyes as I formed the little bit of water that I could find into a ball. I let it float in the air for a while, manipulating it slowly, before finally letting the water drop to the ground, splashing us slightly.

"Air."

Deciding that there was only one way to show him, I took a deep breath and stood. I wouldn't be able to go up into the air too high with all of the reporters down on the main level, but I would be careful. Bringing the air whipping around me, Steve's eyes widened. His hair was mussed within seconds as the wind columns spun up around me. It didn't take long before I began to hover. If I thought that Steve had looked surprised before, he definitely looked surprised now. I flew from one end of the rooftop to another before letting the wind columns drop. I tucked into a roll as I sprawled back into a sitting position in front of Steve.

Despite the rather impressive landing, it looked like the only thing that Steve could understand right now was the fact that I could fly. "You can fly..." Steve muttered.

Smiling softly at him, I shook my head. "Technically. I can manipulate air columns. When I was in Stryker's lab, he taught me how to manipulate the columns so that I could pick myself up. With time I learned how to carry myself. So, yes, technically I can fly. There are people that can actually fly though," I explained.

"Wow..."

"And fire, of course," I added.

That definitely caught Steve off guard. "Fire?" he asked, a hint of fear seeping into his voice.

I nodded at him. It was too dark though. The sun wasn't up yet and I didn't want to startle anyone down on the ground. One day I would get around to showing him, but today was the wrong day. "Best to leave that one to the imagination," I told him with a small smile. I'd freaked him out enough already. With time I'd show him everything else. "Lightning, too."

"Lightning?" Steve asked breathlessly.

Nodding at him once more, I spoke reasonably softly. "Electrokinesis. It's not light enough to show you. People would see. Trust me when I say that it's very close to blinding. Another day, maybe," I told him.

He seemed like he wanted to ask me to show him, but he stayed silent. I assumed that he didn't want to push me. "So... All things considered, are you a powerful mutant?" Steve asked me.

"I'll explain it to you the way that Stryker once explained it to me. Mutants are classified into ranks. There's Zeta Level. That's the lowest level. They're sort of like latent mutants; humans whose children or grandchildren might end up being mutants but do not themselves classify as such. They carry the X-Gene. It's the gene that makes me a mutant. They don't have technical 'mutant powers' although they may have some powers. Smarter than the average person, faster, or even stronger. Things like that."

"Would your parents have been Zeta Level?" Steve asked.

It really wasn't something that had occurred to me before. "Either one or both of them were likely Zeta Level. They were both scientists. Very smart. That could have been it," I told him. "Epsilon Level is next. These are... the most unlucky of us. They possess very little to no special abilities and a mutation that extremely negatively effects their day-to-day life. Some mutants of this level are killed by their mutations. They often cannot function in society without aid, and can even end up hunted down as monsters because of their appearances. Approximately twenty percent of all mutants fall into Epsilon Level," I told Steve.

His face was sad, thinking about what I had told him. "That's terrible," he told me.

"See why I never told you? We're monsters, Steve. That's what they think, anyways. We have to be so careful. Anyways, Delta Level is next. Originally Stryker thought that might be what I was. While their mutations bear no detrimental qualities, they also aren't all that powerful, but Delta Level mutants appear, for the large part, to be ordinary humans. That's where they get lucky. Individuals with highly specific powers are placed there, along with passive abilities. Those are powers that look more like traits than abilities. Think like good luck or - like me - an ability to speak all languages. They're the most common. They make up about fifty percent of us. The problem is that they can't really hold their own against more powerful mutants. They do have the widest range of potential powers," I explained.

"But that's not what you are?" Steve asked.

Slowly I shook my head. "It took seven years to find out what I was. Gamma Level is next. They possess a harmful mutation coupled with superhuman abilities that are above average. Often these mutants are unable to pass as human, making it difficult for them to lead ordinary lives. They can appear as humans, but their mutations are either dangerous to themselves or others," I said.

"What do you mean by dangerous?" Steve asked.

"Touching someone and killing them," I answered.

Steve's face paled. "That can happen?" he asked.

"Anything that you can think of, Steve, it can happen. Beta Level are next. They are pretty powerful beings, but they are hampered slightly by an aspect of their mutation in a fairly minor fashion. These drawbacks can be anything from slightly abnormal physical features to the inability to turn their powers on or off at will," I told him.

Just as I had been expecting, Steve's eyes flashed to mine. I knew what he was thinking. The same thing that I was. My eyes and my hair. "Is that what you are?" Steve asked me.

"For a long time, we did think so. But, no, I'm not. Alpha Level is next. They're some of the most powerful mutants in the world. They make up only about ten percent of us. Their mutation features no significant drawbacks. Think Beta Level without the drawbacks," I said.

"Is that what you are?" Steve asked.

"Omega Level is the top ranking. They're the most powerful and are extremely rare. There was only one in recorded history before me. I'm only the second." Steve stared at me with wide eyes. "Many are telepaths but there's one thing that they have to be able to do to classify themselves into the Omega category. They must be able to completely transform themselves into another physical state. And I can. I can embody high levels of radiation. Abraham managed to harness them. They're now called Vita-Rays. They can only be controlled in that Chamber. If it happens out in public... it resembles a nuclear blast."

The two of us sat in silence for a little while. "Has it ever happened in public before?" Steve asked me softly.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. "No. Never in public. When we made the escape from Stryker's lab we were cornered. I was terrified that we wouldn't be able to escape. But my skin started to glow. I didn't know what was happening. And then the blast came. Internal organs rupture and explode, skin melts off in droves, and all life dies... Do you not see the danger there?" I asked him.

His jaw set. "It's not like those men are innocent," he snarled.

It was the angriest that I'd ever seen him. I laid a hand on his arm before immediately retracting it. Steve glanced up at me with a strange look on his face. "Do you see how dangerous I am?" I asked Steve.

He shook his head at me. "You're not dangerous. We lived with you for years, Vic. Nothing ever happened to us. I trust you. Bucky trusts you. We love you. So you're different. We've always loved you. I still love you. I always will. You're not chasing me off that easily," he told me.

"Thank you, Steve," I told him.

We leaned against each other and my head tucked into his shoulder. His arm fell over my shoulders. His heart was pounding in his chest. I knew that he was nervous about all of this. "This... all of this... it makes you the perfect soldier," Steve said.

I nodded at him. "Yes it does. But I'm a woman," I said irritably.

"You're the strongest person I've ever met," he said.

Grinning up at him, I nodded. We sat in silence for a little while before I glanced back at up him. Might as well get everything out in the open. "My eyes do change colors with extreme fluctuations of emotions," I added.

That clearly registered something with him. He glanced down at me quickly and nodded. "Johnathan and his friends swore that your eyes went red before you vanished," he said slowly.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I nodded. Steve seemed to be mildly amused at my exasperation. "They do. When I'm angry," I said, referring to the red in them. "Other colors are there, too. It's one of the mutations that I'm less fond of."

"Who knows about all of this?" Steve asked me.

"Howard, Chester, Peggy, Abraham..." I said slowly. He nodded at me, looking unsurprised that they were the ones that knew. "Now you. My parents knew, too," I added.

Steve was looking at me for a long while. I nodded at him, knowing what he wanted to ask me. He might as well ask me. "Can I ask what happened to your parents?" he asked me. My stomach tightened. I didn't want to admit everything that had happened. But he deserved to know. "Vic, I don't care what you've done. I don't. I just want to know."

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to tell him what had happened. "My parents were terrified of me from the moment that my mother gave birth to me. They were going to have another child. But they didn't... Not after they realized what I was. They didn't even know what I was. They just thought that I was a monster and they weren't willing to bring in another thing like me. They were terrible to me as I grew up. They called me 'it', kept me out of school, told me that no one would ever love me, experimented on me, never spoke to me other than to scream at me, and made me feel like I was less than human. All of the time.

"When I was eight my parents had scientists come to the house. They had come before. They would come in the dead of night to work on me. My parents would tell them to make it fast so that my screaming didn't alert anyone that something was wrong." Steve cringed as he stared at me sadly. "That day, they woke me up in the middle of the night and brought me downstairs. They had their laboratory in the basement. They strapped me to a table and started speaking with the scientist. I was watching them, terrified of what was going to happen to me. He offered them money to take my body away to study me.

"So I reacted. I thought that maybe they were lying to me. I thought that maybe they had no other choice. The only thing that I knew was that I didn't want to die. I wasn't ready to die. I was only eight years old and I'd had no chance at a real life at that point. So I panicked. I ripped off the restraints and burned him. Everything started to burn. I couldn't control it. I got off of the table to run. I tried to bring my parents with me, I couldn't believe that they didn't love me, but my mother shot at me.

"I didn't mean for it to happen but I burned them. I held up my hands in front of my face and that was when it happened. I lit them on fire. The entire house was on fire. They were dead. I watched them die. I'd done it. So I panicked and ran. I broke through the house and ran for my life. I heard the engines coming. They were coming to arrest me. And I knew that if they ever got their hands on me, they would never let me go. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I was terrified of what would happen. My plans were just to head to someone's home, take some food, rest, and then leave. But plans change," I said, giving him a small smile.

Steve grabbed my hand. "You ran right into us," he said, his voice soft.

"I did."

"So that was where you had come from?"

"Yes."

This was the most that I had ever told someone at one moment. It was so hard to tell him, but it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest. "You smelled like smoke and looked terrified. That explains why you were in pajamas and all of those green stains that were all over the clothes that you were wearing," Steve told me.

"Yes. I knew that when I got to your house, I had to pretend to be someone else. So I fed you all a lie and disguised myself. You see, they give the mutants nicknames to protect identities. My friend Logan called himself Wolverine. It was the name that his late wife gave him. He called me Savage," I admitted.

Steve gave me a fond smile. "Fitting," he said.

We sat in silence for a long while. I wanted to know what he thought about me, and I didn't want to have to go into his mind to find out. "So?" I asked him weakly.

Steve shook his head at me and reached over. His hands caught mine and he pulled me into him. We both stared at each other sadly. "I'm not afraid of you, if that's what you're asking," he told me.

Gently I pulled my hands away from him. As much as I loved him, I was terrified of hurting him. He had to understand just how terrible this could be. "This is so dangerous, Steve. I'm dangerous. To you and to Bucky. You're strong but you're just a man. So is he. I couldn't bear hurting either one of you," I said, sniffing softly.

"You lived with us for six years, Vic. We were never once hurt by you," Steve told me.

"It could be an accident -"

"Stop," Steve snapped loudly at me. I jumped back, surprised at him. He never spoke to me like that. He took a deep breath and looked at me. "I've known you for years. So has Bucky. It was always a joke that we were afraid of you, but no matter what you are - human or mutant - I don't care. He wouldn't either. You are my best friend. Bucky loves you. I wondered how you'd become so hard over the years. It's because of everything that happened to you," he said sadly.

My lack of emotional response wasn't something that I could help. "I couldn't care. If I cared, if I showed any hint of weakness, I'd be shot. Stabbed. Starved. Beaten," I said. Each time, Steve twitched a little more. "Something that would make me wish that I could die. Caring isn't in my nature."

Steve shook his head. "You care about us," he told me.

"Yes," I said blankly. "I would do anything to keep you both safe." And I meant that. I would do anything to anyone to keep them safe. "I wish that I could have gone with Bucky. I could keep him safe."

"You have to tell him when he comes back," Steve told me.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded at him. "I will," I promised.

The minute that he came back, I would have to tell them everything. And I meant everything. I was still keeping a few things from Steve. And that wasn't something that he deserved. "He'll love this," Steve laughed.

"No he won't."

"I do," Steve told me.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

Steve smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because I've always known that there was something special about you," he told me. I opened my mouth to tell him that it wasn't special, but he spoke over me. "Shut up! This is special, Vic. I'm not afraid of you. Bucky won't be afraid of you. He'll be terrified to ever say something that will make you mad." Despite the tense moment, both Steve and I laughed softly. "You're my best friend. I don't care what you are. You are Sergeant Victoria Phillips. You're the smartest person that I've ever met. You've got a damn good taste in friends."

Smiling at him, I looked into his eyes. The sun was starting to rise slowly. It was shining light into them, making them appear lighter than they really were. "This really doesn't bother you?" I asked.

"You tell me," he teased.

He had reacted much in the same way that Peggy had. Maybe it was just because they both knew me. "Thank you, Steve. One day I'll show you everything," I told him truthfully.

"Show me?" Steve asked curiously.

Nodding at him, I glanced down at my hands. "If I touch you, I can link our minds. I can show you memories." Steve nodded at me, looking very interested. "I'd like to show both you and Bucky. It will work a lot better than just trying to explain it. But I'm not ready to show you when I was at my lowest... Not yet," I corrected.

Steve nodded at me. "When you're ready, Vic. Not before," he said.

"So you're okay with all of this?" I asked, motioning around myself.

There was a happy look on Steve's face. He was clearly very pleased that I had admitted everything that had happened to me. "Of course. I wish that I could do half of what you can," Steve said.

An irrational anger fell over me. "No you don't," I snapped at him. Steve straightened up to look at me. "I have to hide all of this, Steve. I need you to swear to me that you will never repeat this. To anyone." He nodded at me. "Peggy, Chester, and Howard. They're the only ones that know. Abraham knew, too. One day Bucky will know, too. When he comes back."

"This doesn't go past us, Vic," Steve promised.

"Thank you." I could hear his thoughts getting ready to tell me that he was sorry. "Don't say you're sorry for what happened to me," I said. Steve narrowed his eyes at me. I knew that he was letting me know that he knew that I had read his mind. "Sorry. Like I said, sometimes it's hard not to hear your thoughts."

Steve smiled at shook his head. "That's alright. Thank you for telling me," he said.

"Thanks for not screaming," I teased.

He laughed at me. The two of us smiled for a few moments, curling ourselves together. "You're the coolest person that I've ever met. I'll never scream because of you," he said.

That was when a little grin spread over my face. I didn't have to hide anything anymore. Now it didn't matter what I told him. I didn't have to pretend to be weak and thoughtless anymore. Not that I'd ever been very good at those kind of things. "Well... Now that you know that I can hear your thoughts... Peggy's pretty cute, right?" I teased.

Steve shoved me off to the side. "Stop it," he told me.

There was a little red tinge falling over his face. I smiled brightly. "Oh no! They all harassed me for the months that Bucky was in training with me, so now I'm going to harass her. She's cute, and look at you!" I said, giving him a gentle punch to the chest. It was weird feeling all of the muscle there. "Ask her on a date."

"No!"

"I could force you to do it."

Steve glanced at me and narrowed his eyes. "I'll write to Bucky and tell him what you are," he warned me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned back slightly. There was nothing that he could do to stop me from doing anything that I wanted. "I'd force you to stop before you could. Go on, anything that you can say or do to me, I'll have a retort to it," I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me but smiled anyways. "See? If nothing else, I don't have to pretend to be weak anymore."

Steve laughed at me. "I never thought that you were weak, to be fair," he said.

We smiled and sat together as the sun peaked over the horizon. I smiled, leaning onto Steve's shoulder. The sun was beginning to heat the city but it was nice. Despite the fact that Hydra was more wide-spread than we'd ever thought before, and despite the fact that Abraham was dead, things felt right for the first time in a long time. Steve wasn't afraid of me and Bucky wouldn't be afraid of me either. I had faith that we were all going to be okay. The three of us had been friends for so long. Would something like this really change things between us? Maybe a little bit, but Bucky loved me. He swore that he would never leave me.

Perhaps it was high time that I believed him. Letting the wind columns whip around me to lift me back to my feet, I noticed Steve smile. I gave him my hand. "Come on. Sun's coming up and they're going to want to figure out what we should do with you," I told him.

Before I could turn back to the staircase, Steve moved towards me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I smiled and leaned into his strong body. "I love you, Vic," he said softly.

"I love you, too, Steve," I told him, my face pressed into his chest.

It was a long time that the two of us stood together. Once we pulled apart, Steve placed a small kiss on my cheek. It would take me a long time to get used to him like this. Or maybe it wouldn't. In some ways it felt like he was always supposed to be like this. The two of us walked back down the staircase in the back of the building. We slipped into the alleyway and I shoved Steve back into the building before anyone could stop us or try to take a picture. People were spread out everywhere. Nurses were speaking with Peggy, who looked very exasperated. Chester was speaking with a thousand different people in the meantime.

Steve and I exchanged a look. I sighed softly and motioned towards the nurses. "Go on with them. They're going to take some blood, okay?" I told him.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked me.

"I'll be back. You don't have to worry about me. Go on," I teased him. Steve smiled at me and went over towards the nurses. I whistled for Peggy to come and join me. "Hey, Peggy, come here."

She glanced back at me and nodded. The two of us made our way towards the corner of the building. "Where were you?" Peggy asked worriedly.

"Took Steve up to the roof. I told him everything, Peggy," I told her.

Even through the makeup on her face, she paled. She probably hadn't been expecting me to tell him everything. Or, at least, she hadn't been expecting me to do it right now. "You did?" she asked.

"I did."

Peggy smiled at me. It was the first time that I had seen her smile since Abraham had died. "Oh, Vicky... I'm proud of you. He looks just fine. He took it well?" she asked me.

Tilting my head to the side slightly, I nodded at her. "He took it alright. I think that he's a little surprised, but he thought that it was cool. He'll get used to it with time," I told her confidently.

He already seemed to think of it more as a joke than anything else. "So that just leaves Barnes," she said.

"I'm going to tell him when he comes back."

"And he'll take it just fine, too."

"I hope so."

"He will."

The two of us both glanced back at the medical bay where Steve was. He looked very distracted as a nurse took blood. She was taking a lot of blood. "Keep Steve company, alright? I'm going to go write Bucky a letter," I told her.

"Okay."

At my request, Peggy went to go keep Steve company. In the meantime, I headed into one of the spare medical bays that no one was using. There were a few Army men, but with the wave of a hand, they cleared out. I walked over to the small desk in the corner of the room and sighed. I grabbed a piece of paper that was from an empty file and a pen. My hand sat at the top of the paper for a long time as I tried to figure out what to write. I wished that he was here. I would have rather just been speaking to him. It took me a long time before I finally managed to put together something that I wanted to say.

Dear Bucky,

Well... Today wasn't a good day.

Here in New York we just tested out the project. It happened yesterday. Project Rebirth, it's called. You know Doctor Abraham Erskine. He was the head of the project. There were people everywhere. The ones that were working on the project and the ones that had just come to watch. On one hand, it was successful. It's a huge deal. You'll hear about it soon enough, I'm sure. We meant for it to be kept a secret, but it got out.

The biggest problem was that there was a Hydra agent in disguise. I really shouldn't be telling you this. You're going to be panicked. But things are okay. I'm fine. Abraham - he's not. The man that was sent to the project was there to steal the serum that we've been working on. He grabbed the last remaining one and murdered Abraham. There was nothing that we could do. The man that shot him was caught and killed. If nothing else, at least we got repentance for it.

I spoke to him. I tried to figure out why he had done it. It was under the order of Johann Schmidt. But there was nothing more that happened that was useful to me. So... We're not sure what happens now. We'll figure it out. My Harvard degree is currently on hold. One of the men from Harvard was here during the murder. He told me that Harvard appreciates men of science, not women of dreams. Oh, and to make things even better, he told me to think smaller and maybe I'd get somewhere.

Here's hoping that you're having a better day than I am.

I think that we're going to be leaving soon. New York isn't where we need to be anymore. The problem is Hydra. There so much more widespread than we thought. We need to go overseas. But my job right now is what Abraham's was. Protect our project. So I'm not sure where I'll be. I suppose that I'll let you know what's been happening.

How are things overseas? How is everyone in your unit? How are you?

God I miss you. It's like I said before. Not a day goes by that there isn't something that I wish that I could tell you. There's so much that I wish that I could tell you. Be safe out there, alright?

I love you.

Take care of yourself,  
Victoria.

Folding up the letter, I sealed it in an envelope and walked back outside of the office. I spotted one of the men and handed him the letter. "Take this to the post office. Have it delivered immediately, understood?" I asked him.

The man saluted me. "Yes, Sergeant," he told me.

He walked off in one direction and I went in the other. Steve was seated on a table as a nurse continued to take blood from him. They must have taken quite a bit already. "You alright?" I asked him, coming to stand at his side.

Steve nodded at me. "Fine. Needles don't hurt as much anymore," he told me.

I nodded at him. I could tell that now that he was back inside he was back onto thinking about Abraham. It was consuming his thoughts. "Nothing will hurt as much anymore. The muscles are stronger," I said.

As we stood together, Peggy walked up. "Think you got enough?" he asked her.

She was carrying some files in her arms, watching him. She let out a soft sigh. "Any hope of reproducing the program is locked in your genetic code. But without Erskine it would take years," she said.

Steve glanced over at me as the nurse cleaned up the small wound and turned away, leaving only Steve, Peggy, and I. "I knew bits and pieces, but even I didn't know everything. And in his dying moments, I didn't think to go into his mind and check what was in the serum," I said, wishing that I had.

"It's not your fault," Peggy told me.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. No, I wasn't the one that had killed him, but I should have known that someone was planning on attacking him. I should have been able to hear the thoughts. "I should have known who Kruger was. I didn't even bother to read his thoughts. I could have heard. I could have stopped it," I said.

That time it wasn't Peggy that came to defend me. It was Steve. His large hand wrapped around my bicep. "It's not on you, Vic. Abraham deserved more than this," he told Peggy.

"If it could work only once. He'd be proud of you," she told him.

And she was right about that. Steve had always been Abraham's only choice. "You were always his only choice," I said. I glanced backwards and realized that there was now someone coming to speak with Chester. I rolled my eyes at them. Here they were, trying to harass each other. "Oh, for Christ's sake. Hang on," I snapped, leaving the other two.

"Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers," Brandt said.

Rumor had already spread over what had just happened. It was everywhere in the newspapers, something that we had tried so hard to avoid. "Great, why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" Chester said, turning back to the senator.

A grin fell over my face when I realized that his comment had stunned the man into silence. Chester motioned for me to follow him and I did so, walking over to where Howard was. They had managed to capture the submarine that Heinz Kruger had been trying to escape in. It looked like Howard was trying to figure out how the submarine worked. I walked towards him, allowing Howard to give me a hand up to platform that he was standing on. He was wearing gloves as he searched the front of the submarine, the area that the engine had been in once before. But it wasn't an engine. I wasn't sure what it was, actually.

The two of us glanced at each other. Chester was standing down on the floor, watching us. Brandt was standing and watching as well. "What do we got here?" Chester called up.

Howard turned back to him. "Speaking modestly I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don't know what's inside this thing. Or how it works. We're not even close to this technology," Howard called back to him.

I glanced down towards a blue light that was emanating from the corner of what I assumed was the engine. "This is the other worldly power that Kruger was talking about," I muttered.

"Did he know what it was?" Howard asked m.

I shook my head at him. "No. He was a grunt. Just took orders," I said.

"Then who is?" Chester asked, referring to the comment about us not being close to this kind of technology.

To my surprise, it was Brandt that had answered. "Hydra. I'm sure you've been reading our briefings. I'm on a number of committees, Colonel. Hydra is a Nazi Deep Science Division. It's led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions. Hydra's practically a cult, they worship Schmidt, they think he's invincible. So what are you going to do about it?" Brandt asked Chester.

As they spoke, I was in between watching Howard work and listening to them speak. "I spoke to the President this morning. As of today, the S.S.R. is being re-tasked," Chester said.

That time I whipped back around to him. So did Howard. "For?" I asked.

"Colonel?" Brandt called.

Everyone had turned to look at Chester. Most of us here worked for the S.S.R. And that meant that if it was being re-tasked, it meant that we would all be going wherever they needed us to go. "We are taking the fight to Hydra," Chester said. "Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, sir." Howard nodded his confirmation. "Victoria - that means you, too. We're flying to London tonight."

The only way that I was going to leave was if Steve was going too. Abraham wanted him to be protected. And that meant that I wanted to be there for him. That had been my promise to him. "Sir. If you're going after Schmidt, I want in," Steve said, running over to us.

Chester turned back to him with a nastier look on his face than I had seen in a long time. "You're an experiment, you're going to Alamogordo," he sneered.

There was no way that he was going to New Mexico. "Absolutely not," I snapped.

"The serum worked," Steve argued.

Chester had been about to say something to me, but he never got the chance. "I asked for an army, and all I got was you. You. You're not enough," he told Steve. My heart twisted. There was no way that they could do that. We couldn't just leave him here. "Victoria! Come on," Chester called me after him.

I turned back to a very defeated Steve. "Stay," I told him.

"I'm not a dog," he pointed out.

"Stay here," I groaned at him. He nodded at me, looking very upset about the whole thing. But it would be okay. We would manage. I would manage. "I'll be right back."

Not giving Chester a chance to get away from me, I dashed after him. We stood near the doors to the building. Chester waved off the others, leaving only Howard, Peggy, and Steve close enough to hear what we were saying. "Why do I get the feeling that this is about to turn into an argument?" Chester asked me.

"Because it will turn into an argument if you don't listen to me," I told him. This was everything that Steve had wanted. This was what he had signed up for. "You have to bring him."

"He's an experiment," Chester argued.

The others were watching closely as Chester and I snapped back and forth. "Abraham had faith in him," I hissed.

"Faith is not enough."

He was so hard-headed. Why couldn't he just listen to reason? "He's a super-soldier, Chester. He can work. We just need to give him time. The serum, it works. He'll have advanced combat knowledge. He's smarter, faster, and stronger than an average soldier," I argued.

"It's not enough. He's not enough."

"Yes he is. And this is what he wants."

"I don't care what he wants. I care about this Army," Chester told me.

It wasn't like I didn't care about the Army. I did care. But the only problem was that I also cared about Steve. It was impossible for me to be impartial at the moment. "Then bring in the one person that can lead it," I begged him.

Chester shook his head at me. The two of us had both picked our sides and it was nearly impossible for either one of us to change sides. "He's not trained," Chester told me.

And that was the truth. But there was a chance that I could fix that. He already had all of the skills. We just had to give him the knowledge on how to use them. "Then let me train him," I begged Chester, trying to make this work. "I told him the truth. He knows what's happening. If there's anyone that can train him, it's me."

But it was obvious that even my begging wasn't going to do anything. "He's not going to be running around my battlefield, untrained." Well, if there was ever a good reason to keep Steve at home, that was it. "He's staying here," Chester said, leaving no room for argument.

As stubborn as ever, I said, "Then so am I."

"Victoria -"

"No. You took me in and I will be grateful for that for the rest of my life. You are my father," I told him, giving Chester a small smile. "But my place is where Abraham Erskine wanted me to be. With the super-soldier. Training him to use everything that's been given to him."

Chester sighed, knowing that there would be no winning this fight. For either one of us. I wanted to stay and he wanted to go. We weren't going to budge either way. "There's no talking you into coming with us?" Chester asked me.

Smiling slightly, I shook my head. I could see the defeated looks on Peggy and Howard's faces. Even Steve looked upset at the turn of events. "I'll meet you out there when the time is right. In the meantime, I'll stay with Steve, training him. When the time is right, we'll come out there and join the war efforts," I promised him.

It was a promise. The moment that I was confident enough that Steve would be unbeatable, I would bring him to the war front. "I guess this is what a parent feels when they have to let the kids go," Chester told me.

These were the moments that I was sure that Chester was really my father. "I'm not leaving forever. I'll be right here," I said.

Chester nodded at me. We stood together for a moment. "I'll call when I can. Keep you informed of everything that's been happening," Chester promised me.

"And I'll let you know how he's coming along," I said.

"Don't stay away too long, alright?" Chester asked me.

"I'll be out there as soon as I feel that Steve is ready."

To my pleasure, Steve, Peggy, and Howard all turned away. They knew that this was a private moment. Chester was not my father, but he was the closest thing to a father that I had ever had before. He grabbed me in a small hug and I grinned, pressing my head into his shoulder. We would see each other again. We both knew that. This was not the last time that we were ever going to be together. I knew that. But we both had things that we needed to be doing, and we couldn't do those things together.

As Chester pulled away from me, he pressed a small kiss into my hair. Grabbing his hand, I took a deep breath. It wasn't goodbye. Just a see you soon. "I'll see you soon, old man," I said.

"Take care of yourself, kid," Chester said.

Our hands stayed linked together for a few moments before he turned and walked away, drawing the other Sergeants and Colonels with him. I watched him walk off before letting out a breath. Peggy and Howard stood by, waiting to say goodbye, seeing as they were both going. "So this is goodbye?" Peggy asked me.

Glancing over at her, I shook my head. "We'll see each other again. I know that," I told her. She smiled at me and nodded. We were sisters. We would be back together again. "Be safe out there, alright?"

"Of course. Watch out for Steve, okay?" she told me.

"Always."

"And yourself," Peggy added.

Once more, I nodded at her. Even though we wouldn't be around each other, I would call her as much as I possibly could. "I'll call you whenever I get the chance," I promised her.

We both knew that I didn't even need to use the phone. I could just slip into her mind and speak to her that way. Although, the phone would probably be easier. "I'll see you soon," Peggy said. She pressed a kiss to the side of my cheeks, and I did the same, smiling at her as she walked off. Once she had gone after Chester, Howard walked up to me.

The two of us smiled at each other. He needed to be out on the war front. He was the one person that could use all of the technology and observe Hydra's. "Watch out for Stark Industries, alright?" Howard asked me.

I nodded at him. "Of course. Watch out for yourself," I told him.

That position at Stark Industries would have to wait for a little while. But it would be okay. In a few years, when this was all over, we would pick up where we had left off. "Of course. I'll call you whenever I get the chance," he said.

I nodded at him. "Thanks. We'll talk soon, alright? Keep a close eye on Peggy and Chester. Keep them safe," I said.

Howard gave me a small smile. It was the most serious that I had ever seen him. "I will. Watch out for Rogers. Love you, Victoria," Howard said.

We hadn't known each other for very long. We had barely known each other for four months, but he had become a very important part of my life. "Love you too, Howard. Stay safe," I said, kissing his cheeks.

"You, too."

Howard pressed a kiss to my cheek before turning off to follow Peggy and Chester. A moment later, Steve walked up to my side. I turned back to him and saw that he was wearing a very guilty look. "You didn't have to do that. You should be out there, Vic. You can make a real difference," he said, watching their retreating figures.

"My place is with you. I put you in this position. I'll see it through," I told Steve.

Before he could say anything else, Senator Brandt walked back up to us. I glanced over at him. "With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I've seen you in action, Steve. More importantly. The country's seen it. Paper," he said. He handed us the morning paper with a large photograph of Steve holding up the taxi door, blocking us from the bullets.

Nazi's in New York: Mystery Man Saves Child and Woman

My eyebrows knitted together. He hadn't saved me. Had I wanted to, Kruger would have been dead before he'd even walked out of underground lab. "The hell? He didn't save me," I snapped.

Brandt looked at me like I was just a little fly buzzing around his head. "That's what the people saw. The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don't take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son. You want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?" Brandt asked.

My brows furrowed. He wasn't intended on making Steve a Soldier. I knew that he wasn't. He was planning on making him a showgirl. "Don't you work for the United Service Organization?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Sir, that's all I want," Steve said.

"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted."

Even though Steve didn't see it, I did. I knew that whatever Brandt wanted him doing, it wasn't what Steve wanted to be doing. "What are you going to have him doing?" I asked.

Now it seemed that I had caught Brandt's attention. "What are you? His manager?" he asked me with a haughty laugh.

"Something like that," I snarled.

Steve grabbed me and gently pushed me back, letting me know that this was the wrong time to start a fight. "Helping us sell War Bonds. Plane comes out tonight. We'll start training you immediately. We can organize a show. We start here in New York where everyone already knows you. Come along. We'll talk on the way," he said.

I knew it. They didn't want Steve to be a Soldier. They wanted to make some money. And they were going to make him a toy. As we walked after Senator Brandt, Steve leaned over to me. "It's better than doing nothing, Vic," he argued.

"We'll see."

"You don't have to stay with me. They need you out there," Steve told me.

Giving him a small smile, I shook my head. They had so many competent people out there. There was no need for me to be out there. "No one needs me," I told Steve softly.

"I do," Steve said.

Smiling up at him, I nodded. "Then I'm coming with you," I told him. The two of us merely smiled at each other as Steve wrapped his arm around me. Maybe this wasn't what we had wanted, but this was what was going to happen. And we would make the best of it.

Bucky's P.O.V.  
Two Weeks Later...

It had been almost a month that Bucky had been out of the front lines. Things were monotonous during the days. There was always something to be done, but that didn't mean that he didn't get bored. He was frequently bored. He had Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones to keep him company - and he did like having the two men around - but he missed Steve and Vika. They were his family. But they were who he was doing this for. He was currently leaned over a map, working on a plan to enact a strike on a known Nazi base. They'd been tasked to hunt down the Nazi Science Division, Hydra, and detain the leader, Johann Schmidt.

Bucky was trying to figure out the best place to enter the facility when Dugan came up to his side. He turned back to the man to see what he needed. "Barnes, man, you've got a letter," he said.

He nodded and took the letter, knowing that it was from Vika. He could tell by the handwriting. "I'll be right back," Bucky told Jones, who was looking over the map as well.

Jones grinned at him. "Go for it. Go see what your girl has to say," he said.

Bucky smiled and walked over to a segregated section of the camp. There was no one there and he figured that it would be the best place to read the letter so that no one would interrupt him. He scanned over her letter, only finding himself feeling worse and worse. As he finished the letter, he placed it off to the side and ran his hands through his hair. How had so many terrible things happened to her in such a short period of time? He was horrified that Abraham Erskine was killed. He knew that she had loved him. The only good thing was that at least she had walked away, just fine.

But she'd watched someone die. Was she really okay with that? It was terrible. Bucky knew well enough just how hard it was to watch someone die for the first time. He found his fingers digging into his palms. He was furious with Harvard. She had been working so hard towards getting that degree. It had meant everything to her. But, here she had been, so close to getting what she wanted, just to have her life ripped out from under her. He wished that he could be there to tell her that everything would be alright.

There were so many questions that he had for her. He wanted to know everything that she meant. He wanted to know what the project was that she had been working on. He wanted to know what she meant about how she would be traveling back and forth. Did that mean that she would be on the road? What would she be on the road for? He knew that she would be safe on the road. He just wished that he knew everything that was happening with her. Not for the first time, he wished that he hadn't come over here. He should have been there to tell her that things would manage to work themselves out.

It was easy enough to hear it in the letter. He couldn't hear her voice, but he had known her long enough to know when she was upset about something. And he knew that she was upset about everything right now. It was still a man's world, and she was trying so hard to break into it. It wasn't fair for her. She deserved to be part of the war effort. But, in his own way, he was glad that she wasn't. He didn't want her to be in danger. He wanted her to be as safe as she could possibly be. Bucky folded up the letter and put it in the pocket of his uniform. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

A few minutes passed before Dugan and Jones came to stand at his side. "Man, oh, man. You don't look too good, Barnes. You girl find someone else?" Dugan teased, coming to sit at his side.

"She's... having a tough time," Bucky said.

Even though Bucky was looking at the ground, he could see that Jones and Dugan were exchanging a worried look. No one wanted to see anything happen to a woman. They were supposed to be protected. Not in danger of any form. Bucky just wished that he could be there to tell her that things were going to be okay. He wanted to be there to protect her from everything. Not that she needed to be protected. That was half of the reason that he loved her in the first place.

"What happened?" Jones finally asked.

He wasn't really sure if he should say something, but he knew that he had to say it. It wouldn't make a difference. They were overseas. There was nothing that they could do for those back home. "She's a part of this project. Don't know what it is. Secret. But apparently it worked. Although it sounded like a Hydra agent broke into the lab where they tested it out. The leader of the project was killed," Bucky explained.

Both Dugan and Jones looked horrified at that revelation. "My God," Dugan muttered.

Murders were rare during the days of the war. Crime could happen out on the battlefield. This sounded like a well-planned out strike. Hydra had known Abraham Erskine. He knew that they did. "She's fine, but things took a big step backwards. She was going to get an honorary degree from Harvard. They backed out of the deal," he continued.

His heart broke for her. Everything that she had worked so hard for had been snatched out from underneath her. "Back to square one, then," Jones said, obviously feeling bad for her as well.

"Sounds like it," Bucky muttered.

She wasn't in danger, but things were spinning out of control for her. "We can handle the planning, Barnes. Why don't you go and write to your girl? Let her know that things are going to be alright," Jones offered.

"Thanks," Bucky said, standing to leave the two men.

Bucky knew that he needed to go to the tent and write something to her. They had exchanged reasonably short letters for the past few weeks. But he hadn't really told her that much about what had happened. He knew what they had been doing. Trying to reassure each other that everything was alright. But Bucky knew that he shouldn't have been that surprised. Neither one wanted the other to worry. So he sat down on his cot, brought out a few sheets of papers, and prepared to tell her all of the reasons that she shouldn't worry.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

April, 1942  
New York City, New York

Glancing down at my watch, I nodded. Another day had come and gone. But today was different. Today was the day that we would finally be putting Steve's acting to the test. It was the end of April and the weather had turned once more. It was horribly warm in the run-down theater that would putting on the show. Many of the people that were sitting out in the audience were fanning themselves from the heat. I kept the wind gently whipping around me, soft enough so that no one else could notice, but it made me a little more comfortable.

It didn't help that so many people were walking around in the backstage area. Many more than should have been able to come back here. There was the tour manager, whose name I hadn't bothered to learn, Brandt, who hadn't bothered to take his seat, and all of the dancers. The Star Spangled Singers, or whatever the hell their names were. All I knew was that there were a lot of them and not one of them was distinguishable from them others. They all seemed to have crushes on Steve. Not that they knew who he was. They just called him Captain. I really hadn't meant for the name that I'd given him to be used like this.

Approximately three weeks had passed since Abraham Erskine was murdered. It was something that still didn't sit well with me. I knew what everyone was saying. They were telling me that it wasn't really my fault. They were trying to convince me that there was nothing that could have been done without me revealing myself. But I knew that it would have been worth it to save Abraham. Maybe Steve would have been overseas right now. Maybe we would have been doing something that actually made a difference in the world. But I had done this to myself when I'd made the argument that I would stay with Steve.

In a way I was glad that we had stayed here in the States. We had been around so that we were able to stay for Abraham's funeral. He had been buried just a few days after the murder. It had been a reasonably small funeral. Abraham had no family and most of the friends that he had were through the S.S.R. With so many of them overseas, it had left only a few to stay and attend the funeral. Mostly the men that had been put out of work once he had been murdered. I did feel terribly for them. I wasn't the only one that had lost something when Operation Rebirth had died. So many of them no longer had jobs. But at least it was easy for them to get another job.

The story was different with me. There were only two choices that I had. I could either go with Chester and everyone else, which would mean leaving Steve, the one person that I had sworn that I would watch over, or I could stay here and watch over him. So I had picked to stay. I knew that Chester, Peggy, and Howard were not happy with my choice, but they had agreed. And Peggy seemed to think that staying to train Steve was a good idea. We had created him. There was no point in just letting him walk away.

But in the meantime, there was actually a way that we had to work. Steve had become an overnight sensation. Not really Steve. More like Captain America. They had been designing the shows for weeks now. This was the first time that we would actually be putting one of the shows on. Not that I really had anything to do with the shows. They mostly just thought that I was dating Steve so I traveled around with him. I'd learned to just stop arguing with them. I glanced out beyond the curtains and took in a deep breath. There was a large audience. The world had become so interested in Captain America with all of the press that Brandt had been doing for him.

We could just hope that he wouldn't mess up. And if he did, we could just hope that it wouldn't get out to Chester. I'd had a long conversation with him before he'd flown out to London that night. He had made a point to tell me that when the time came - if the time came - he would take Steve out onto the war front. But, in the meantime, our job was to take care of funding over here. I knew that Howard and Peggy were both upset to be so far away, even though Peggy was technically back home, but they both had things to keep themselves busy. Howard was working on the Hydra technology and helping to build more weaponry, while Peggy was working directly with Chester.

Much of my time was spent thinking about everyone back overseas. I wasn't angry that I had stayed back home, but I did wish that I was overseas, doing something that really mattered. I had been on the phone with Chester last week when he had told me that they were currently on the hunt for active Hydra bases. But they were well-hidden. It wasn't like the Nazi bases - which were known. Hydra was very good at staying underground and hidden. Apparently every time that they made some headway towards where one of the bases were, they seemed to move. I had a feeling that they weren't actually moving, they just had lots of decoy bases.

That had been my suggestion to Chester. In other news, I hadn't heard from Bucky since I had written him the letter about Abraham and the project. I wasn't shocked. It was only three weeks. But I normally got a letter every other week. Sometimes I got a letter once a week if I was lucky. His letters were coming through the USO so I had to continuously update them on where I was so that I could receive my letters from him properly. If I was going to get another letter... It made me sick to think about. He was fine. He had to be fine. He had promised me that he would be fine. But that didn't stop me from worrying about him.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Steve wiggling into the Captain America costume. He was wearing a pair of blue trousers that were tucked into slightly darker blue boots. He had on a long-sleeved white shirt that had white and red stripes over his abdomen. Bright red, rubber gloves, went about halfway over his arms. There was a blue piece of the shirt that went over his chest with a white star stamped in the middle. He wasn't yet wearing the stupid blue mask with the white A stamped in the middle and the white ears on the side.

He was tugging uncomfortably at the costume as I made my way back to where he was standing, looking nervously at himself in the mirror. "You look like an idiot," I told him, coming to stand in the doorway.

He glanced back at me and smiled. "Thank you, Vic," he told me. I walked behind him and started to help do up the back of the costume, that he had buttoned improperly. "Didn't you have a hand at designing this?" Steve asked me.

Over one of the nights that we had been staying in the hotel, as we were waiting to start the tour, I hadn't been able to sleep. I'd been so bored that I'd started doodling a joke to show Steve in the morning. It had really just been a joke that was supposed to be an overdone version of the costume that I had thought that they would make him. But I'd fallen asleep before I could give it to him and had left it in my bunk when I'd left. Apparently Brandt had found it and had thought that it was a riot. The costume had been designed within a matter of days, and I'd been left feeling terrible for having not hung onto it a little tighter.

Of course, I had lied to Steve and told him that someone else had done most of the design. "I sent it in as a joke," I lied, not wanting him to think that this was really all of my fault.

"Thanks for that!" Steve barked, tugging at the high neckline of the costume. "I should've asked them to make you wear the costume that the girls wear," he muttered to me.

My head snapped up as I checked over the costume to ensure that everything was correct. I would shoot myself - not that it would make any difference - over and over again before putting myself in one of those skimpy outfits. The girls were wearing a low-cut blue collared shirt that had white stars along the neckline. They had no sleeves and white gloves that went up to their elbows. The skirts were pathetically short and flouncy, with alternating white and red stripes. To complete the outfit they wore sheer tights, a blue hat, and silver heels. They also had their hair perfectly curled.

Someone would have to kill me - an impossible feat - to put me into one of those costumes. "If you ever tell someone to put me in one of those costumes, I'll electrocute you so badly that you'll never speak again," I snarled at him.

The threat didn't really seem to bother him. Although he did shift nervously away from me. I knew what he was thinking. "See, now that I know that you can do that, it makes you much scarier," he told me.

Grinning at him, I nodded brightly. "I should have told you and Bucky about this years ago. Maybe you boys would have been a little bit nicer to me," I said.

Steve raised his eyebrows at me. "We're talking about nice?" he asked me. I merely grinned and hopped up onto the vanity that he had been using. "You're the one that put me in this costume and gave me the name."

"Stop whining, you big baby," I said.

Steve smiled at me and stood off to the side, looking at himself in the mirror. He took a deep breath. Obviously he was trying to give himself a little pep-talk. "You can do this," he said, taking a few more deep breaths.

Staring sidelong at him, I watched as he continued to mouth to himself. I had a feeling that he had not remembered the lines. "Did you actually remember the lines?" I asked him.

Judging by the look that he was giving me, I assumed that he had not remembered them. "I have you to remind me of the lines if I forget," he told me guiltily.

Just like I thought. "Here," I said.

Hopping off of the vanity, I walked over to the edge of the room. The shield had been my idea. There was a blue stripe over the top of the shield that had three stars on it. The bottom half were red and white alternating stripes. Probably so that it would match the Star Spangled Singers. But that wasn't what I had designed it for. I had really designed it so that the lines could be written on the back of the shield. I handed Steve the shield and showed him the back. He smiled broadly at me.

"This was your idea?" he asked.

I nodded my head at him, hopping back up onto the vanity. "You and Bucky never did your homework," I pointed out. Steve grinned at me. They had always been too lazy to do the work. "I knew that you wouldn't remember the lines, even if I told you to remember them. Didn't think that you should make an ass out of yourself during the first show."

"Much appreciated," Steve said.

He pulled the shield onto his arm, moving it around so that he was going to be able to read the lines. "You know that you have to throw a punch out there," I told him as he began miming the lines.

That was part of the theatrically. He had to throw a fake punch to a man that was pretending to be Hitler. He had been traveling around with us for the past few weeks. They had been practicing the show for a few days and it made me laugh every time that I saw the fake punch that Steve had thrown. It was terrible. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever believe that it was real. But maybe that was the whole point. There were so many kids and women in the audience that they didn't want to scare.

Either way, Steve seemed careless with the worry of making the punch look real. "It's fake," Steve said carelessly.

"Try and make it look real," I told him.

Steve turned back to me. "I think I can manage to throw a fake punch," he said.

Actually I really didn't think that he could throw a fake punch. I had a bad feeling that he had no idea how to throw a fake punch. "We'll see," I said. A few seconds passed before the happy music started filtering through the building. The show would be starting in a few minutes. "Music is starting. That's your cue."

Holding my hand out, Steve nodded at me as we made our way towards the stage. At Steve's request, I would be backstage. I had a feeling that he didn't trust me not to make fun of him if I was out in the audience. He was probably right about that. The backstage area was starting to come alive with movement on everyone that was ready to start the show. The nerves had started to pour off of Steve. It was almost impossible not to feel them. He had never had so many people cheering for him.

As we stood backstage, the tour manager close to us, I noticed that Steve was now bouncing up and down. Grinning at myself, I watched him look over to me. "What if Bucky sees this?" Steve asked worriedly.

A monstrous grin fell over my face. Bucky would never let Steve live this down. I hoped that someone would take a video of this. I needed him to see this. "Absolutely nothing will make me happier," I told him.

Steve's head snapped over to me. He glared at me. "You're the worst person that I've ever met," he snapped. I grinned madly. I was not that bad. "You gave me this stupid name, stupid costume, and -"

"And you were the one that wanted this in the first place," I spoke over him. This wasn't my fault. I understood why he did it. Just training every day for over a year would feel like he was doing nothing. At least this was something. "My offer was to just spend time training you until you were ready to go overseas. You were the one that wanted to do this."

Steve sighed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. I would need to take another one of those pills soon. I could feel the tension building throughout my body. "I want to feel like I'm making a difference," Steve said.

I was unable to stop myself from saying something nasty. "Sure you are. You're making the rich, richer, and making the war look like a glorified action movie," I told him.

"That makes me feel better," Steve said.

The hurt shot through his body. Frowning at myself, I moved forward and laid a hand on Steve's shoulder, wishing that I hadn't said that. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for," I muttered softly.

Steve merely shook his head at me. He moved forward and grabbed me in a tight hug. I smiled into his chest. It was a vast difference from the days that when I would hug Steve, I would be able to rest my chin on his shoulder. These days, if I hugged Steve, the top of my head barely came up to his chest. When Steve finally moved away from me, I noticed that he had a sad look on his face, just like the one that I had been wearing only moments before.

"You miss him?" Steve asked me.

It didn't take a genius to know that he was talking about Bucky. I nodded at him. "Of course I do. It's not even that I need to speak to him. Plenty of days went by at Camp Lehigh that I never even spoke to him. But he was here. I could actually see him," I said, leaning back against the frame of the stage.

Steve nodded at me. I knew that as much as I missed Bucky, Steve missed him, too. "I know how you feel, Vic. But he's gonna come back. And you can both laugh about this," he said, motioning to himself.

The tour manager was staring at us and came up from the side of the stage. "Trust me. We will," I said teasingly. Bucky and I would have a field day with this. I patted Steve on the back and pulled him over to the entrance of the stage. "Come on. It's about time for you to go on," I said.

The tour manager handed him the mask that he was supposed to wear. He grabbed it and held it in his hand, ignoring me as I let out a barking laugh. "I don't know if I can do this," Steve said.

Before I could say anything, the tour manager walked up to Steve's side and spoke. I knew that he had a name, but I wasn't sure that I cared enough to learn it. "Nothing to it. Sell a few bonds - bonds buy bullets. Bullets kill Nazi's. Bing, bang, boom," he said. He patted Steve on the back, as per usual, ignoring me. "You're an American hero."

"It's just not how I pictured getting there," Steve said.

He hadn't even bothered to look at the tour manager. "The Senator's got a lot of pull up on the Hill," the tour manager said. I could see a dancer that was out on the stage checking to make sure that Steve was ready. "You play ball with us, you'll be leading your own platoon in no time," he said as Steve pulled on the hat.

My head turned to him and I narrowed my eyes. He was not a member of the Army. He couldn't make promises like that. I couldn't even make promises like that. That power laid with Chester. "You can't do that. You don't work for the Army. They're the ones that determine who creates the new platoons and the orders," I told him.

The tour manager glanced over at me. His eyes widened as if it was the first time that he was seeing me, not like he had been hitting on me just the other day. "Who are you, again?" he asked me.

"I'm in charge of him. Sergeant Victoria Phillips," I snapped.

He merely laughed at me. I could feel the fury seeping off of Steve. "Well, guess what? Out here, we're the ones that are in charge of this tour," the tour manager said. My jaws ground together as I walked towards him. I was going to kill him. He had no idea that I was actually going to kill him. "Why don't you go put on a costume and join him, honey?"

That made things no better. My eyes lit up a furious red, but with the darkness of the backstage area, he couldn't tell. "What did you just say to me?" I hissed, making my way towards him.

Steve stepped in, pushing me back behind him. "Hey. You stay away from her," he told the tour manager.

But there was no way that Steve's comment would go over very well. "Remember who you work for," the tour manager told Steve. The drum roll started out on the stage. "That's you. Go!" he said, shoving Steve.

"Good luck!" I called after him.

"Who's strong and brave, here to save the American Way?"

For all of the times that I had ever seen the lyrics, I had never actually been to one of the rehearsals. I had always been doing something else. The song was so upbeat and ridiculous that leaned over and immediately started laughing. The tour manager merely glared at me. As Steve walked towards the front of the stage, the girls pretended to be in an Army march. A few more girls crossed the stage behind Steve so that as he spoke, they were marching right behind him.

He raised the shield in front of him to read the lines and began speaking in a very stiff manner. "Not all of us can storm a beach. Or drive a tank. But there's still a way all of us can fight," he said.

"Who vows to fight like a man for what's right, night and day?"

My laughter only continued as the girls began to spread out over the stage. Steve looked very confused and uncomfortable. That didn't seem to affect the happiness of the audience. They all seemed to be having a grand time watching him. The audience was watching on the edge of their seats as Steve raised his shield and blandly began to speak once more.

"Series E Defense Bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun."

"Who will campaign door to door for America?  
Carry the flag shore to shore for America?  
From Hoboken to Spokane?  
The Star Spangled Man with a plan!  
We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win!  
Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goose from Berlin?  
Who will indeed lead the call for America?  
Who'll rise or fall, give his all, for America?  
Who's here to prove that we can?  
The Star Spangled Man with a plan!"

The girls went forward to do their little routine as Steve just awkwardly stood and stared out into the crowd. He moved off to the side so that the view was unobstructed to the girls. Steve glanced back at me and I made a retching movement, much to the annoyance of the tour manager. The girls continued their little dance before moving off of the stage, coming back to cross over each other, one of them was carrying what I assumed was supposed to be a very poor replica of a rifle. I particularly liked the baby American Flags routine. The girls danced back and forth as a track of men singing played over them. Of course for all of my laughter, the audience was eating it up.

It seemed like they were singing and dancing for hours before they stopped and stood in a long line. Steve came back to the front of the stage and began to speak, each of the girls saluting him as he walked by. As the music settled and the cheers died down, the man that was dressed as Hitler began to walk backwards, supposedly hiding behind the line of the girls. I snorted under my breath at the sight of the audience panicking at the sight of the fake Hitler with his plastic gun.

"We all know it's about trying to win the war. We can't do that without bullets and bandages. Tanks and casts. And that's where you come in. Every bond you buy will help protect someone you love," Steve recited.

A few kids that were out in the audience started to stand up and shout. "Look out there!" one of them yelled.

"He's there behind you!" a little girl yelled.

"Keep our boys armed and ready and the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us," Steve said. Very dramatically, the fake Hitler shoved through the line of girls. Steve turned back and threw a terribly fake punch. The audience began to madly cheer as the girls all pretended to swoon over his bravery.

In the meantime, I was laughing so hard that I was nearly crying. "That's the worst fake punch I've ever seen," I said.

Honestly I hadn't been expecting anyone to listen to me. The tour manager turned back to me and glared. "You're a woman. What could you know about fake punches?" he asked me.

My eyes narrowed at him as I turned back. "Nothing. I know about real ones," I told him with a small smile.

The tour manager rolled his eyes at me. "Never going to meet a man with an attitude like that," he said. I bit back a comment that I already had a man that would have punched him if he'd heard that comment.

"Stalwart and steady and true!  
(See how this guy can shoot! We tell you, there's no substitute!)  
Forceful and ready to defend the Red, White, and Blue!  
(The red, white and blue!)  
Who'll give the Axis the sack and is smart as a fox?  
(Sure as an Eagle will soar!)  
Who's makin' Adolph afraid to step out of his box?  
(He's knows what we're fighting for!)  
Who'll whip the giant attacking America?  
We know it's no one but Captain America!  
Who'll finish what they began?  
Who'll kick the Krauts to Japan?  
The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!  
(Who's strong and brave here to save the American way?)"

The show was much longer than I had thought that it would be. It was nearly fifteen minutes of a bunch of singing and dancing and stupid antics. It reminded me of those little cartoons that kids liked to read in the comic books that they had begun distributing not long ago. I particularly liked the drummers and line kicks. If only they could actually use their reasonably impressive flexibility to do something good in the world rather than just prance around. One of the best parts of the entire show was at the end when Steve lifted up three girls on a motorcycle as the fireworks began to go off.

The long note that the girls held at the end finally died out and Steve laid down the motorcycle. He made his way to the end of the stage and said, "How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolph on the jaw?"

As much as I thought that the show was absolutely ridiculous and stupid, it was obvious that everyone else really liked it. The crowd was cheering madly for Steve. It was so loud that the entire auditorium was starting to shake. The only good thing was that at least Steve did look a little happy. He was waving to them as the audience rose to their feet to cheer for him. He stood out there for a long time before he was finally brought back behind the stage as the audience demanded an encore.

Even as he came backstage I could hear them all shouting. The tour manager made his way out to announce that Steve would be signing autographs backstage and taking photographs. I made my way over to a very stunned-looking Steve. He smiled at me and made his way to say something. But he didn't get far. He was almost immediately taken away by Senator Brandt. I rolled my eyes and walked after him. Not that it was an easy feat. I kept getting shoved out of the way from people that wanted to meet Captain America. It was very hard to convince myself to not kill everyone that stood in my way.

By the time that I had finally made my way over to Steve, I could see that he was already overwhelmed with all of the attention that he was getting. He seemed very happy to see me. "How'd I do?" he asked me nervously.

"That's the stupidest thing that I've ever seen," I told him honestly.

A few people that were standing around were glaring at me. But Steve merely laughed and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. We were shoved apart as Brandt came running up in between us. "Wonderful! The audience loves you! You're going to be an overnight sensation! Think about it... Comic books, movies, and tours. Adoring fans everywhere," Brandt said, motioning off into the distance.

My jaws set together. I could see that Steve wasn't quite sure what to think about that. "You are aware that he is here to get overseas into the actual fight?" I asked Brandt.

He glanced back at me for a moment before waving off my comment dismissively. "Yeah. Of course," he told me before turning back to Steve. There might as well have been dollar signs in his eyes. "We're going to do a radio broadcast tomorrow so that the country can find out all about what's happening with Captain America and the tour."

"How many shows are we doing?" Steve asked.

Only pushing me further away from Steve, the tour manager, whose name I had learned was Martin Sherman, came up between the men. "As many as possible. The venue wants you back tomorrow. We're going to spend a few days here doing the shows and move on once we get an actual schedule together," he said.

"Alright. Sign some photos and then we're moving back to the hotel," Brandy ordered Steve.

The lineup to take photographs with Steve was comprised of almost everyone that had been in the audience. Before they could start moving forward, I came up on Steve's side. "You are the worst actor that I've ever seen," I told him.

Steve glanced over at me, trying to suppress a smile. "I'm not sure how, but somehow, this is your fault," he told me.

Snorting under my breath, I motioned around to the singers and dancers that were trying to make their way to take photographs with the families. "Oh, no. I'm not the one that wrote that song or found your little harlots," I snarled.

"That's rude," Steve said.

I raised my brow at him. "When have you ever known me to be nice?" I asked.

He gave me a little head tilt that told me that he realized that I was right. We stood together as the photographer snapped a photo, the light blinding me for a moment. "Excuse me, Miss!" the photographer called after me. I turned back and raised my brow. "How does it feel knowing that you're protected by Captain America?"

"I'm not a fan. I work on this tour," I told him.

The smile that he had plastered on his face fell. Martin shoved me out of the way at my words. "Get out of the way! There are people that want to see the great Captain America. Come on up everyone, say hello!" Martin yelled.

Gritting my teeth together, I deliberately brought up a force field around his feet, forcing them to walk over each other. He groaned as his feet caught together and he fell, smashing his chin on the ground. I grinned and turned back to where Steve was signing photographs of himself. He definitely looked uncomfortable with all of the attention. I merely stood off to the side, barking at least ten times that I was not one of the dancers and that I would not be a part of their pictures.

However my irritation was well worth it when someone handed Steve a crying baby. He very awkwardly held the baby at arm's length and pretended to be smiling. I snorted under my breath and watched as I leaned against the wall that was near the entrance of the stage. It was rather funny that they were looking at him like he was the light of their life. If nothing else, at least he was helping the morale back here at home. Sometimes it got hard to remember that one day the war would be over.

I'd never seen Steve as happy as he was when the baby was taken away by the mother. She looked a little sad to say goodbye to Steve. Her thoughts were certainly not something that a married woman should have been thinking about. I rolled my eyes as Steve turned to pick up the next baby. He was caught off-guard when it turned out to be Brandt. He smiled and shook Steve's hand, the two men standing very close together. Steve looked a little awkward as he gave a pathetic smile to the camera. I knew that this was all just Brandt's way of promoting himself. If nothing else, at least it was promoting Steve, too.

Despite what I'd thought, I wasn't by myself for too long. A man in a tweed suit walked up to me after a few minutes of watching Steve. I barely paid him a glance, but I already knew everything that I needed to know. Nice looking man, blonde hair, and green eyes. He was tall, about Bucky's height. He appeared to be in his late twenties. Obviously unmarried as he wore no ring. He was coming over to me to try and strike up a chat. It wouldn't go well for him if he thought that I'd reciprocate.

He leaned against the wall with me for a long time. It was about ten minutes before he finally looked over to me and spoke. "You look thrilled to be back here," he teased.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

He looked very surprised by the abrasiveness of my answer. But he wasn't deterred. He merely smiled at me and motioned over to where the girls were standing and taking pictures. "Shouldn't you be standing with the other dancers?" he asked me.

The smile on his face told me that he hadn't scented danger yet. He would soon enough. "I'm not one of the dancers. I'm a Sergeant in the United States Army. I'm here to look after Captain America," I snarled at him.

The idiot still didn't get that I was trying to be nice and tell him that I didn't want him anywhere near me. "Impressive," he said. I nodded with an emotionless look. "But I think that you'd look like quite the dame in one of those costumes. Might serve a little better that way, ma'am," he said, thinking that he was clever.

Turning towards him with a bright smile, I was very glad to find that he thought that he had cracked me. "Get away from me before I break your arm," I told him sweetly.

The man's eyes widened. "Just trying to be friendly," he muttered.

"Try elsewhere," I called after him.

He gave me a frightened look before moving off. I could hear him complaining to his friends about how there was probably something hidden in my trousers. I rolled my eyes at him and sank back into the darkness so that no one else bothered me. It was a long time that Steve signed the photographs and took pictures with the kids. We were there for hours before Brandt and Martin started to move Steve along, with the promise that he would be back tomorrow. Steve called for me and I moved from my spot, following behind them. I was the only person that didn't smile or wave to the cameras.

The hotel that we were staying at wasn't far from the stage that we were performing at. It was convenient enough so that we barely had to spend any time in the car. I knew that we would be here for a few days as Brandt and Martin tried to put together a plan and official touring schedule. As we arrived back to the hotel I was given a conjoining room with Steve at his request. I'd requested to be as far from the dancers as I possibly could. The moment that we were given the keys I'd gone up to my room, slammed the door, and collapsed onto the bed, with the order that no one other than Steve was to bother me.

As much as I knew that I should have been getting some rest, I knew that I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep. So I was pacing back and forth through the room. I knew that this tour was going to drive me insane. I couldn't believe that people really liked all of this crap. This was the type of stuff that kids should have liked. But no; men and women both liked it, too. For a moment I actually wished that I had taken up Chester's offer to come over to London with them. I knew that they would still take me overseas back with the rest of the S.S.R. but I had already promised Steve that I would stay with him through the tour.

That didn't mean that I didn't already miss them. It was a wonderful thing to have Steve back in my life, but he was so busy these days. The tour was going to keep him busy and I knew that in a matter of time there would be so much more that he would be doing. My only solace was that at least while we weren't outdoors I was locked away in the hotel rooms, with only my thoughts to keep me company. And Steve. But currently I had a feeling that he was trying to wash away the touch of all of the people that had been shaking his hand and hugging him at the autograph session earlier. He would have to get used to that.

It turned out that I wasn't allowed to be alone with my thoughts for long. A knock sounded at the door and I groaned, walking over to answer it. It was one of the men that worked for the hotel. "Yes?" I asked him.

"Miss Victoria Phillips?" the man asked.

I nodded at him. "That's me," I said.

The man unfolded his hands from behind his back and showed me a letter. My eyes darted down to it and I felt my breath catch in my throat. "Letter for you, Miss," the man said.

"Thank you."

Grabbing the letter from the man, I thanked him once more as he offered for me to call the concierge if there was anything more that I needed. Closing the door gently behind him, I walked back over to the desk. It was Bucky's handwriting. As I should have been expecting. He was the only person that wrote me letters. My hands were shaking as I took a seat and gently opened the letter. It was more like a miniature novel this time. There were three pages in the envelope.

Vika,

Where do I even begin? I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I never got the chance to speak to Abraham Erskine but I know that he had to be a wonderful man to have earned your affections. I'm glad that you were able to capture the Agent that killed him. I thank God every day that you were alright during the attack. I know Hydra. They're violent. They don't do anything with the intent of leaving survivors. Please be careful out there. I can't stand the thought of losing you.

Maybe you don't know it, but I can tell that you're heartbroken. It's just in the way that you write. You just have a normally happy way about yourself. Don't you worry about anything, you hear me? I love you. Things are going to work out. Harvard doesn't deserve you and it never will. Who cares about those stuck-up pricks? You deserve so much better than them. And you're going to get better. I really do believe that you're going to get better than that.

I wish I was there to make you smile. I know you better than you think that I know you. So that's my goal. I want to make you smile with every letter that I send. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to send you a letter every time that something happens that I think would make you smile. So here goes nothing...

Here are ten of the many reasons that I love you:

1) You have the prettiest eyes that I've ever seen. I don't care what anyone ever said about them. They're gorgeous. They make you different, and I like different.

2) You're the smartest girl that I've ever met. Actually, you are the smartest person that I've ever met. Like you said, I've always been an idiot. But I feel like even more of an idiot when you're around.

3) Don't hit me for saying this when I see you again, but you're beautiful. I know that you hate the yellow eyes and I know that you hate the white hair. But I don't. I think that they're perfect. You know the first time that I saw you down in my kitchen that night... As terrified as I was that someone had gotten into the house, I was enamored in the little girl. She was so different. And I liked that. I still like that. I'm just glad that the day came that I got to love her, and that she got to love me back.

4) You're the most independent person that I know. It's nice. There are so many girls that want a guy to do everything for them. But that's not you. It never was. You're the kind of person that's going to do everything for themselves. I just hope that one day you know that you don't have to do everything yourself. I'm here for you. Always.

5) You do everything with a passion that I wish that everyone else had. The world would be such a good place. There isn't a single thing that I've ever seen you do without passion. This secret project that you're working on, the friendships that you have, and I certainly hope that I fall under that category, too. It's the sweetest thing. You have such a huge heart.

6) You don't let anything get you down. Sure, you have your moments. Everyone does. Losing your friend and Harvard is going to hurt. But you know what? You didn't lose them. Abraham Erskine loved you very much. And he would have wanted you to respect his life and move on. I know that you know that. So you're going to move on. And Harvard? You didn't lose them. They lost you.

7) You're a lousy cook. And you can't sew worth a damn.I love that about you. It's funny. Those chocolate cupcakes that you made were the worst. But you know? I used to eat a chocolate cupcake on my birthday in the years that you were gone. Even though I hated them, they reminded me of you. But they were never bad enough. Maybe you can make one on my next birthday. And those pants that you tried to sew... You forgot the leg holes. Kind of an important part. But it made me laugh. And that's always meant the most to me.

8) You don't just befriend everyone. And that's a good thing. I've always thought that it was incredible the way that you were so selective about the people that you were close to. It shows that you don't care about being popular. The only thing that you cared about was the quality of the people that were around you, not the quantity. I can't tell you how much it means to me that I fall into your acceptable range.

9) You don't care what people think about you. If there was ever anything that I could say about you, it was the fact that it didn't matter to you what people thought about you. The only thing that mattered was what you thought of yourself. But it didn't make you careless. You always cared that Steve and I thought the best of you. And, trust me, we did. We still do.

10) Maybe this one isn't so much about you... It's more about me. Because you're everything that I've ever wanted in anyone. There isn't a thing about you that I don't love. From the way that you laugh at my misfortunes, to the way that you're always around when I need you, to the way that you smile. You are such a wonderful woman.

There are so many other things that I could put here. There isn't enough time in the world for me to tell you everything that I really think of you. I wish that there was.

And if that's not enough to make you laugh - or at least smile - here's something that will. We were doing a foot march the other day towards the enemy lines for a spying mission and I walked right into a pit of quicksand. Turned out that we had gone the wrong way. Remember telling me to pay more attention when we were reading the maps? I guess you were right... No one will let me lead anymore and I'm not allowed to look over the maps.

Everywhere we go, I keep hearing, 'Hey Barnes, watch out for this and watch out for that!' I guess I should have been paying a little more attention. If you think about it, it's really your fault. I was thinking about you when I walked into it. So, thanks for making me look like an idiot. I know, I know, I don't need you to make me look like an idiot. Like you and Steve said, I'm taking all of the stupid with me.

Oh, and even better, the other day I fell straight into a mud pit. Wish you were there. I would have hugged you. I think that European mud smells worse than American mud does. Maybe I'm just biased since I have to sleep in it.

I miss my damn bed. Do you have any idea how terrible it is to sleep in mud? Not even warm mud. Cold mud. Wherever I live after the war, I want it to be mud-free. You know what I really want? A bucket of fried chicken from KFC. Meals Ready to Eat are the worst things that I've ever had. They're literally worse than anything that you could possibly cook. And you're a pretty terrible cook. No offense. I'm a pretty awful cook, too. It's why we've got Steve. At least he can use a microwave. I wouldn't trust either one of us to use one.

There aren't enough hours in the day for me to write to you. They gave me a few minutes to write back to you but I can't stay any longer. There are things that I have to do. But I will write to you with every chance that I get. Take it easy and don't stress yourself out. Things are going to get better, Vika. They always do. And if I know you - which I do - you might get knocked down for a little while, but you'll get right back up again. And you'll be stronger this time.

Chin up, kid.

I love you. And I'll see you soon. Don't go finding someone better than me, alright?

Who am I kidding? You can't find someone better than me.

I hope that this made you smile. Also, I really hope that you don't think half of me of what I think of you. I'd never be able to live up to those expectations. I hope that you're sitting wherever you are, calling me an idiot. I can't wait to come back and hear you call me an idiot to my face. Never thought that I'd miss it, but I do.

Love you, Vika,  
Bucky.

My eyes were watering as I took a deep breath and placed the letter on the bedside table. That was definitely one of the sweetest letters that I had ever gotten from him. And I had gotten quite a few sweet ones. He sent me lots of little letters that were just a few sentences, something that had been written quickly before going out on a mission. I knew what they were for. They were so that he could share with me his last thoughts, in the event that he didn't make it back from wherever he was going.

The whole letter made me smile. There wasn't one part of it that didn't make me smile. I knew that he wouldn't be happy to hear that Abraham Erskine had been murdered. Even though he was a born German, he was a wonderful man. Bucky had never spoken to Abraham, but the scientist had certainly known enough about him because of what he meant to me. I cringed when I saw that he had written that he knew just how violent Hydra was. Had he gotten too close to them? I could only hope that he hadn't. I smiled at the comment that he was thankful that I was alright. I wished that he realized that I would always be alright. There was never a moment that I wouldn't be alright.

He was right. My letter had been written in a very sad manner. He could tell that my writing wasn't as happy and boisterous as they normally were. His comment about Harvard had definitely made me laugh. They were stuck-up. But they also could have gotten me a real job. But I kept trying to remind myself that it didn't matter. I had Steve to take care of for now, and when the war was over, I had a job at Stark Industries to work with. My life was already planned out for me. It was just not the way that I had anticipated this part of it to go. But things were good. Maybe not now, but they would be.

And the ten reasons that he loved me... Where did I even begin with that? That was the part that had really made me want to cry. Was there anyone that really deserved to have someone feel that way about them? Sighing softly, I realized that I wasn't the only one that was upset. Bucky was upset, too. He knew that I was upset and that there was nothing that he could do for me. He was upset enough about having to be overseas in the first place. He missed his friends and his family. Grabbing a few pieces of paper, I wrote back to him, hoping that I could at least make him smile even for just a second.

Bucky,

You know that your letter was the first time that I've really felt happy in the few weeks since Abraham has died. It really hurt to have him die. I went to his funeral. It was a small one. He really didn't have any family and most of his friends were sent overseas as the S.S.R. had been re-tasked. I chose to stay behind in the States and look after the project. If things get better - which I know that they will - I'll be out on the war front soon enough. Don't worry about me. We won't be on the front lines. I'll stay safe. I promise that.

So here's my way to try and remind you that things are going to get better. This is my way of trying to get you to smile. Here are my ten absolute favorite memories of you...

1) The first moment that I met you. When I saw you and Steve in the apartment I was terrified that you would throw me back out onto the street. I'd come from a terrible situation. You have no idea what it meant to me that you gave me things as simple as food and a place to stay. It was the first amount of kindness that someone had shown me in a long time.

2)The first time that you ever stood up for me in front of your friends. Do you remember it? I do. We were going into school for the first time. Steve's parents had signed me up over the summer because I'd really wanted to go to a normal school. The moment that we walked, in your friends started asking me if I was a charity case. You got suspended because you punched one of them in the face. Steve was suspended because he'd started cursing at them. It meant the world to me.

3)The moment that you showed me that it didn't matter that I had done some awful things to you. Even when I'd left and never even given you a reason as to where or why I had gone, you didn't care. The only thing that mattered to you was that I was back. You never pushed me to say something that I wasn't ready to say.I don't deserve someone like you. I'm glad that you don't feel the same.

4)The first time that you told me that you loved me. I wish that we could have had more time to talk about it. I wish that we could have had more time to tell it to each other more than once. I'm sorry that I didn't react well to it. But my parents had once told me that no one would ever love me. But now I know that it was a lie. And I know that I somehow got luckier than anyone else, to have you in love with me.

5)The first time that I knew that you were in love with me. Trust me when I tell you that I knew that you were in love with me for a long time before you said it for the first time. But I kept trying to pretend like you didn't. Because I thought that you would have had to be insane to fall in love with me. Maybe you are. I know that I am.

6) The moment that you made me fall in love with you. I'm not really sure when it happened. Maybe it happened when we were kids. Maybe it happened when I was gone. Maybe it happened when I saw you again. I don't know. I just know that the day came that I looked at you and I knew. I knew that you meant more to me than anyone else ever had.

7)Every single time that you stood up for Steve, no matter what everyone else thought about you. You and Steve couldn't be more different. And that's what makes your friendship so special. You two protect each other from everything. It takes a good man to stand up for a woman. It takes a great one to stand up for his friend, against everyone else.

8)The time that you tried to race me down the stairs at the apartment complex. Remember that? You broke your arm because you thought that I you were faster. You fell at the bottom of the stairs and broke your arm. I thought that it was my fault but you kept insisting that you were the idiot that had fallen. It was scary at the time. Now it just makes me smile.

9) The time that we tried to make pancakes for your parents' anniversary. We burned the pancakes, broke the pan, and scared your parents when we woke them up. The whole thing was a disaster, but it was one of the most that I'd ever laughed. It was the moment that I really felt like I was a part of a family.

10)The first kiss that we shared. And every one after it. It's a funny story. We only kissed because neither one of us understood what the other was talking about. I promise you that Howard Stark is one of my closest friends, but he means nothing even close to what you mean to me. But, for me, try and be friends? Just so that you know, each time that we kiss, it feels like the first time all over again.

I'm not good at this kind of stuff. Telling someone how I feel is not something that I'm very good at. But I'm willing to do it to show you how I feel about you. You're a pain in my ass, you make me worry about you every time that you do something stupid, and I've never met someone that drives me as nuts as you do. But I wouldn't trade you for the world. Hurry on back, alright? There's something that I can't wait to show you. I think that you'll love it. I sure do. Be safe out there.

Love always,  
Vika.

Folding up the letter, I slipped it into an envelope and ran it downstairs to the concierge, handing it to the men that were down at the desk and asking them to send it first class. They had already been given the orders that anything from Steve and I were to be sent straightaway. The moment that they had sent it, I headed back upstairs and walked back into my room. I thought about going to bed, but I couldn't. I was too wound up. So, instead, I knocked on Steve's door and slipped into his room. I knew that he was still awake.

He was obviously in deep thought as I walked in. He smiled at me and looked very happy to see me. It was nice, the night that we spent together. Maybe it wasn't the most appropriate thing in the world, but Steve and I were like brother and sister. It didn't really matter. And it just made me happy to be here with him. So the two of us perched on top of the bed and laughed long into the night. As we sat together - probably keeping up the neighbors on the other side of Steve - I found myself feeling lighter than I had in weeks. Steve was on the somewhat right track, Bucky was safe for the time being, and I could have been much worse off.

June, 1942  
Rochester, New York

The morning came and the alarm clock on the side of the bed began to chirp. I rolled my eyes and rolled over in the bed, smacking it to get it to turn off. I groaned the second that I realized that I had dented it. Somehow I was going to have to explain how I'd broken another one of the alarm clocks. Brandt had had to get a budget just for the clocks that I had broken. I kept blaming Steve as I changed the alarms out when he wasn't paying attention. He kept swearing that he wasn't the one that was breaking them.

It ended up working out for everyone in that way. Steve's shows were getting quite a bit more popular and so was Steve himself. Well, Captain America. That meant that it didn't matter that a few alarm clocks had been broken. The people that owned the hotels would normally just ask for a signed photograph and tickets to the show that night before letting it go. It was absolutely insane just how popular the shows had been getting. Kids, women, and men all loved the show. The audiences would demand encores almost every single night. And, on Brandt's orders, Steve would normally have to oblige, no matter how tired he was.

The whole Captain America sensation had almost been overnight. Newspaper articles had been written about the show and it had quickly demanded for more all over the state. I knew that in a matter of time we would be traveling all over the country. The shows were getting longer and more extravagant, always performing for more and more people. They were already starting to make Captain America a celebrity. There were talks of doing short movies, a radio show, and even a comic book with him as the star. On the bright side, it was encouraging people to join the war and the United States Army funding had gone through the roof.

But while Steve was becoming more and more popular, people were staring to forget about me. Not that it really bothered me. I had never been the type that liked being the center of attention, simply because it was next to impossible for me to be in the center of attention without hearing what people really thought about me. The only nice thing was that Steve spent most of his spare time with me. That was all that mattered to me. He was who I was here for. Everyone else seemed to think that I was just another one of the showgirls. Steve was always the only person that stuck up for me, telling the others to leave me alone.

Everything that I said was looked over. It had lately led me to think that I was only here to be a friend to Steve. But I knew that there were more reasons that I was here. I was here to train him to be a super-soldier. And I was going to start that training soon. In the meantime, I was going to get us coffee to wake him up. Steve had been forced to do two encores last night, followed by a three-hour photograph signing and meet-and-greet with the fans. He had barely made it upstairs before falling asleep last night.

Passing back through the lobby on the same floor that Steve and I's rooms were on, a man that was one of the promoters of the tour called out to me. "Doll, can you go get me another coffee?" he asked.

My head whipped back to him as I pushed back the red tinge in my eyes. "What?" I snarled at him, giving him a chance to rectify his mistake.

"You're one of the dancers, you've gotta go downstairs anyways to get some more," the man said.

That was when I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm not a damn waitress!" I howled, my voice echoing throughout the hall.

As soon as my shout had echoed through the halls, I could hear people in the rooms waking up. The man that had spoken to me had sunk back in his chair. He was obviously quite frightened of me. Sparks were flying at the tips of my fingers as I turned back and walked into Steve's room. His door was locked but I was easily able to unlock it with the force field. I opened up Steve's door - blackening a chunk of the handle from the electrical currents running through my hands - before slamming the door closed behind me. Steve was watching me closely as the door cracked up the middle from the impact.

"Damn it," I muttered.

Steve looked rather amused as I handed him one of the coffees. We both took a spot on the edge of his bed. "Good morning," he said teasingly, watching the sparks continue to shoot off of my fingertips.

Glancing back at the door, I realized that the door was quite a bit worse off than I had thought that it was. "I'm telling them that you did that," I said to Steve as I dropped back against the bed.

"I think that you might like this all even less than I do," Steve said.

Leaning back up onto the bed, I placed my coffee on the bedside table. "It's not your fault, Steve. I love you. But I warned you that it would turn into this," I said, motioning around us. There were posters about Captain America's appearances all over the room. "You're doing well. The world loves Captain America. The Army is getting funded and that's something that it desperately needed. You're making a name for yourself. That's what you always wanted."

This was what Steve had wanted. But I knew that this wasn't what he really wanted to be doing. He wanted to be saving lives, not starting a fundraiser. "I want to be on the war front," he told me.

"So do I," I told him sadly. But I didn't want him to feel bad. I knew that he felt like it was his fault that I had stayed here. I had stayed because of him, but I didn't blame him. "But this is where we're supposed to be right now. Chester refuses to have you over there. He's just angry because of everything that happened with Abraham."

Steve nodded, twisting the sheet on the bed. "Yeah. I am, too. What was going on out there?" he asked, referring to the shout.

"They think that I'm one of the dancers," I muttered.

Steve's eyebrows rose. We had been on this tour for over two months and they still didn't know who I was. "They don't understand that you're the one that's keeping me in line?" Steve asked disbelievingly.

I shook my head at him. My eyes narrowed a moment later. "You do something stupid - other than everything that you normally do that's stupid - and I'll be the first one to tell you," I said. Steve smiled at me. He knew that I would never let him do anything too stupid. "Whose idea was it to have you punch Hitler?" I asked after a few beats.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "Probably Brandt," he said.

That was the only person that I could think that would have done something that corny. I smiled at him and laughed shortly. "Those punches that you throw a terrible," I teased.

"Throwing a fake punch is hard!" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes at him. "No it's not," I said.

"Says the mutant," Steve muttered.

"What's really hard is throwing a real punch. You want to learn how to throw a fake punch?" I asked Steve. He looked a little cautious at my offer. "Come on. You're the one that wants to be a real soldier. And that means that you have to know how to fight like one. All of the chances that we get... I'll train you to be a real super-soldier," I offered.

We could train at night when everyone else was asleep. We could use one of the ballrooms. There was a lot of space in those rooms. "I'm not sure that I want to get in a fist fight with you," Steve said nervously.

"I'll take it easy on you," I promised.

There had been a reason that I'd said that. I knew that it would hurt his pride. He didn't want a little girl to be the one to beat him. "No - No. You are not going to take it easy on me," Steve said, straightening up from the edge of the bed. He took a deep breath. "Alright. Fine. When do we start?" he asked, obliging to the fight training.

"Right now. Get up," I told him. Steve stood slowly from the bed. "I'm going to show you how to punch someone."

"I know how to punch," Steve said indignantly.

"Alright. Fine. Hit my hand."

Standing back a few feet from Steve, I held up both of my hands, palms out towards him. He stared at me for a moment and I nodded at him. He used his right hand to throw the punch and I nodded. He was going to use the arm that he was stronger with. Even now, he would always have his dominant side. He threw the fist straight into my hand and I snorted. It hadn't even gotten me to budge. Steve straightened up and glared at me as I continued to laugh.

"That was pathetic," I told him.

Steve's face colored slightly. "No it wasn't!" he barked. I merely continued to laugh. Steve crossed his hands over his chest. "Alright, if you're so good. You hit me."

A grin spread over my face. "With pleasure," I said.

Steve held his hands up towards me. He had his palms faced out to me and I thought quickly about which one I wanted to hit. I'd hit the left one, since I knew that he was weaker with it. He was standing too rigidly. He was going to fall if I hit him too hard. I threw my fist into Steve's hand, obviously surprising him. The hit was so hard that Steve twisted to the side and went flying backwards, hitting the ground on all fours. He gasped in surprise as he rolled onto his stomach.

Smiling at my handiwork, I brushed my hands off and straightened up, crossing my arms over my chest. "That's how you punch," I told Steve brightly.

He was rolling over onto his back. He was looking up at me with surprise written plainly across his face. "What are you planning to do? Punch a building to the ground?" he asked me.

"Maybe," I said, shrugging my shoulders. Steve was groaning as he tried to get back to his feet. "You're such a baby, Steve, get up. Try again," I told him.

We spent a long time trying to fight each other. Steve didn't have to be up on that stage for hours, so we had a lot of time to show each other our moves. Steve was slowly getting better, only because I kept showing him the wrong things that he was doing. He'd eventually learned to bend his knees so that he wouldn't go flying, arch his back slightly so that he wasn't so tense, and bounce back and forth. I'd taught him to follow my eyes and try to grab my hand when I punched him.

He was definitely doing better about trying to stop my punches. But his own were still not that great. I knew that he wasn't hitting me nearly as hard as he could have. It was rather funny, the way that he was still trying to keep me safe. It drove me nuts, as much as I really did love him. He was a proper gentleman that didn't want to hit a woman. But it wouldn't affect me. He needed to know that he wasn't always going to get the chance to be polite during a fight. The day would come that he didn't get the chance to give someone a second chance during a fight. He would have to either take their life or have his own taken.

"Just hit me!" I shouted, frustrated with Steve.

"I am!" he yelled back.

Rolling my eyes at him, I stepped back and crossed my arms over my chest. There was no way that that was as hard as he could hit me. Not with how large he was. "Not as hard as you can," I pointed out.

Steve shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to hit you as hard as I can," he said guiltily.

Glaring at him darkly, I made a threat that I knew would encourage him to really hit me. "Hit me as hard as you can, or I'll hit you as hard as I can. And trust me when I tell you that you won't like that," I said.

That kicked him into gear. As much as I loved Steve, he was driving me nuts that he wasn't hitting me as hard as he could. I needed to see as strong as he was so that I knew how to teach him. We both stepped back and I held my hands up so that he could hit either one that he wanted. He stared at me for a moment before rearing back and hitting me as hard as he could. It wasn't painful, but I had a feeling that whoever he did hit like that would feel differently. My torso had shifted slightly at the impact and I grinned at Steve. Now I was impressed with him. He just had to keep it up.

At my order, we fought back and forth for quite a few hours. It didn't take us long to shove the bed, tables, and few stands out of the way so that we had as much room as possible. It wasn't much, but it was enough until we were able to head downstairs and use the ballroom. We had started with the simplest moves. I showed him how to hit anyone. We went through scenarios as I demonstrated hits that would kill someone, hits that would only momentarily knock them out, and the hits that only stun someone. It was very obvious that he didn't want to kill anyone that he didn't have to.

Once I was satisfied with the way that he was able to throw a punch, I showed him how to block hits. We demonstrated the blocking moves on me first. He would try and hit me and I would show him the way to block the hit. He was bigger, so he didn't really have to worry about taking impacts. It made my job quite a bit easier. We had then changed to having me lash out and hit him as he tried to block himself from the hits. He looked extremely panicked every time that I made a move to hit him. It was almost funny the way that we had had to spend an hour alone to keep him from cringing every time that I made a move to hit him.

He had to remember that he wasn't that little shrimp anymore. He was able to take hits that would have killed him before. We had moved to showing him how to get out of holds after that. He was still pathetic with them. He seemed very surprised to see just how constricting my grip was. They were all types of holds that someone would manage to get him into. It was definitely funny that he wasn't able to hold me. It was where it came in handy to be so small. It was something that Stryker had taught me. If I moved fast, it would be almost impossible for someone to keep a grip on me for an extended period of time.

We had spent a long time on the holds at Steve's request. I showed him how to get out of a front choke hold first. As his hands wrapped around my throat I ducked underneath, backed away, and threw my fist into his face. He hadn't been able to stand upright for a few minutes after that. As he had me in a hold on the ground, I straightened one leg out, catching him in between his leg and waist, using my other leg to kick him in the face. As he wrapped an arm around my throat, I leaned backwards, punched him in the gut, and shoved him down to the ground. I showed him how, when someone was running towards him, to grab them around the neck and raise up, cutting off the windpipe.

It didn't take long for him to become completely shocked with all of the ways that I could possibly attack him, and all of the ways that it was possible for him to get away from the attacks. I was mostly teaching him defensive moves for now. When I felt that he was ready, I'd move onto offensive moves. I'd even mentioned that we would eventually get to the point on showing him how gravity and falls would actually end up helping him. That was one of my first lessons. Using an opponent's weight against them.

Just a few hours after I had started teaching him fighting moves, I had shown him a move that an opponent could use against him, since he was so heavy. One of his arms was wrapped around my upper chest, just underneath my throat, as he grabbed my arms with the other hand. I could feel his confidence. He thought that he might win this fight. But he was not.

Using just my legs, I pushed back against Steve's torso, jumped up, and kicked my legs out as hard as I could. I could feel the surprise sink into Steve's mind as the downward momentum from myself pulled Steve with me. The two of us both went collapsing to the ground. But as I landed back on the floor, I rolled forward and landed, spinning backwards the face Steve. Had I had a gun or a knife, Steve would have been already dead. He hit the ground face-first and I rolled my eyes as he started holding his nose where he had hit the ground at full force. It didn't take me long to start laughing at the distraught look on his face. He looked like he was in between irritated with himself for not seeing that one coming, and simply in a lot of pain.

Still laughing at his misfortune, I crossed my arms over my chest. He was sweating from exertion and groaning at the pain. "When I told you to catch yourself, I meant to catch yourself with your arms, not with your nose," I told him.

Steve glanced up at me and glared. "Oh, really? I thought that using my nose would be a different tactic," he told me.

"It definitely was," I said brightly, shouting at him to get up and start again.

He looked very frustrated at me, but stood upright and launched into the fight again. It was rather funny, the way that he never managed to win any of the fights. Not that I had been expecting him to. As I'd told him, it would take time. He would learn how to win the fights in time. It was only day one. It was a problem when they came to get Steve later that night and realized that he now had bruises all over him. Nothing had made me happier than seeing the put-out look on his face when he had to have makeup put on to cover them up.

Five Days Later...  
Newark, New York

Steve's fist came at me faster than I had been expecting. But it didn't matter. I had seen it coming. Grabbing his hand, I leapt up and wrapped my legs around his arm, yanking him back to the floor. He hit the ground on all fours as I rolled backwards over myself. Steve groaned as I hopped back upright and nodded for him to continue. It took him a while to manage to get himself off of the ground. The moment that he had, he came to run after me. But it didn't make much of a difference. I slid underneath his legs and swept his legs out from underneath him. He hit the ground once more, groaning at the impact.

The two of us were down in the ballroom of the hotel that we were staying in for the week. It was what we normally did. We had agreed on training him three nights a week. He wanted to do more but I didn't want him to be hurt and I knew that he needed to be well rested for the shows that he was still doing. Brandt and Martin had noticed that Steve was slowing down so I knew that I would have to start taking it a little bit easier on him. The last thing that we needed was for them to manage to find a new Captain America. That would have set back the little bit of progress that we had managed to make.

We were stopping here in Newark to do a few shows before making our way to the next big city that we would be working in. Buffalo would be a few weeks from now. I knew that Steve was getting excited. It was nice to be traveling around a little more. It felt like we were actually doing something. Captain America was getting more popular and more desirable. It wasn't shocking. It was something happy in such a sad time. People liked the theatricality that they didn't normally see. Plus, even I had to admit, watching Hitler get punched in the face was funny. Just recently the tour had been expanded to other areas of the country.

As my thoughts were everywhere else, Steve was continuing to try and beat me. I knew that he was extremely frustrated with me. He knew that I wasn't paying attention fully and he still wasn't able to beat me. I did feel a little bit bad for him. He was trying so hard. But he was still new at this. I reared back and aimed a kick directly at his chest. As expected, Steve caught my leg. But the second that he was about to throw me onto my back, I twisted in midair and used my spare leg to kick him in the stomach. At the impact, he went flying across the ballroom, hitting the ground and groaning as he attempted to get back up.

Walking over to Steve, I leaned down and gave him my hand. He took it and pulled himself back to his feet, leaning over on his knees. "You alright?" I asked him, sensing the pain all over him.

Steve nodded at me with a forced smile. "I'm alive," he breathed out.

We stood together for a moment before the door to the ballroom opened. It was one of the workers at the hotel. We both glanced over at him and smiled awkwardly. People probably thought that something was happening between Steve and I because we were always together. At night and during the day. And the moments when we got caught doing something weird like this. Not that it bothered me. I'd actually think that it was funny if someone thought that we were together.

"Sergeant Victoria Phillips?" the hotel worker asked awkwardly.

"Yes?" I said.

The man cleared his throat and glanced at me. "You have a call," he said. My brows knitted together. Who was calling me at this hour? "We can forward it to your bedroom telephone if you'd like?" the man offered.

I nodded at him. "Thank you. Tell the caller that I will be with them in just a minute," I said.

"Yes, ma'am."

The man turned around and left the ballroom, letting the door closing softly behind him. I turned back to where Steve was standing and smiled. He was clearly in pain, but he was no longer winded. "You did pretty well tonight," I told him.

"You kicked me across the ballroom," Steve said bluntly.

Grinning at him, I shrugged my shoulders. It could have been worse. "But you didn't go through the wall," I said, making both Steve and I laughed. "So? See? That's an improvement!"

We had been staying at a hotel in Rochester while Steve was doing some of the shows for the people. While we were staying there, we had snuck down to the ballroom one night to start officially training Steve. I had thought that we would have more room down there to work. But it had been a mistake. We'd gotten into the fighting so much that I'd accidentally kicked Steve through the wall. We had been forced to lie and say that Steve wasn't used to his own strength so he had walked through the wall. The hotel had looked furious, even after Brandt had paid for the damage. Needless to say, we had been kicked out and asked to never return.

We were both smiling at the fond memory. That wasn't something that I wanted to forget about anytime soon. "That hotel is never going to let us back," Steve said, speaking through a laugh.

I shook my head at him. "No, they aren't." We walked towards the doors to the ballroom so that we could head back upstairs. I noticed Steve linger at the door to the ballroom. "I'm gonna head upstairs and get that call. Get some sleep. You've got a show soon," I told him. He still didn't make a move to leave. "That girl only liked you because she thinks that you're a superhero."

The night before when we'd been doing a show, a brunette girl had been flirting with Steve and offering to go out to dinner with him. It was obvious that he had appreciated that. Steve turned back to me with a little glare. "I thought that you didn't read my mind," he told me.

I really hadn't been reading his mind. "I don't. I just know that you were thinking about her," I said.

Steve narrowed his eyes at me. "What? So you're allowed to go on a date and I'm not?" he asked.

After staring at him for a moment, I began to nod. "Pretty much," I said.

As I walked out of the door, I heard Steve call after me. "How is that fair?" he asked loudly.

"Life's not fair! Go to bed!" I shouted at him.

The two of us both smiled at each other as I bid Steve a goodnight. I knew that he wasn't going to go to bed yet. He wanted to practice everything that I was showing him. Even with just five days of training I could already see a difference. He was thinking more and using a better strategy. So maybe he wouldn't be able to beat me in a fight, but he'd manage to beat just about anyone else. That was why we were training with me. If he could hold his own against me, he'd have no problem with fighting against anyone else. I walked up to my room and slipped inside. As per usual, we had a conjoining room.

Crossing over the bedroom, I sat down in the chair that was near the bedside table with the telephone on it, and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" I said.

"What the hell were you doing?"

My face turned up as I realized who the voice was. "Howard!" I chirped happily.

Even from here I could tell that he was smiling at me. I really had missed him messing with me. I curled up into the chair, knowing that this was not going to be a short conversation. "Ah, I knew that you would miss me," he said.

"Of course I've missed you, you twit," I snapped at him. I turned back to the clock and raised my brow. What was he doing awake. "Not that I'm not thrilled to hear from you, but it's one in the morning. What are you calling now for?" I asked.

"Forgetting about that time change, you know."

"You're awake at six in the morning?" I corrected.

Howard scoffed through the phone and I smiled, knowing that he was extremely frustrated with whatever he was doing. "These people don't let you sleep in. There are things that I should probably be doing, but I'm not really in the mood. So I figured that I'd give you a call and see how you were," he told me.

It figured that he wouldn't be doing the job that he had been sent there to do. "How'd you know where to find me?" I asked curiously.

"We have a schedule of the USO Tour. I've been following your movements," Howard said. It might have been a little bit creepy to anyone else, but it didn't bother me. It felt like we were closer together, even though we were extremely far away from each other. "Only so many hotels so it's pretty easy to find where you're staying."

Smiling at him, I nodded to myself, twirling the wire around my fingers. "Clever man," I said. I could hear Howard laughing on the other end. "How'd you know that I'd be awake?"

"You're a night owl," he said. I nodded at him. I'd always liked staying awake at night, when everyone else was asleep. It was quieter in the world. "How's the tour going?" Howard asked after a beat of silence.

Groaning softly, I dropped my head back against the chair. Howard laughed, obviously already knowing just how frustrated I was. "Driving me insane. Without you or Abraham or Chester around, I've just turned into another woman. They keep thinking that I'm one of the dancers. The other day I had someone ask me to get them coffee," I told Howard.

Even through the phone, I could hear him sigh. "You're far from any other girl," he said.

"Thanks."

"Don't let them get to you. You're stronger and smarter than them," he told me. I smiled softly. That was the one thing that was keeping me from losing my mind. "So you've had to take a little step backwards. You can always come out here and join the war efforts. Phillips still wants you out here," he continued.

There was a little pleading in his voice that was more like he was the one that was asking me to come out to join the war efforts. There was a little piece of me that almost said yes. But I held strong to my previous statement. "Tell him that I'll come out there the minute that Steve is allowed out there," I said, my heart giving a little quiver.

I really did want to be out there. But I had agreed to stay and keep an eye on Steve and help train him. "He's not budging on Rogers," Howard told me, just as I had figured.

Grinding my teeth together, I forced myself to say exactly what I hadn't wanted to say. "Then I'm not going. My duty is to be here with Steve. I swore to Bucky that I would protect him," I said. Howard let out a little sigh of defeat. "And in the meantime I've been training him to be a real super-soldier."

"How's that been going?" Howard asked, sounding genuinely interested.

Smiling at the fond memory of being kicked out of the hotel in the middle of the night, I grabbed a blanket and slipped it over myself. "I don't think that we're ever going to be allowed back to this hotel that we were staying at in Rochester. We've been practicing and we were using one of the ballrooms. I kicked Steve so hard that I kicked him through the wall," I told him.

Howard laughed at my words. I laughed again, wishing that we could have gotten the moment that I had kicked him through the wall on video. It was so funny. "I do miss you," Howard said.

Smiling softly, I let out a little sigh. I missed Howard, too. I missed all of them. "I miss you, too. I miss all of you. I'm just glad that I have Steve. These past few weeks have been good to catch up with each other. I've been happy to get to see him again," I said.

"And I'm sure that he's been happy to see you, too. Can't imagine anyone not missing you," Howard told me.

It was easy enough to see that it was his subtle way of asking how I was managing with Bucky being gone, but I didn't want to talk about that. So I asked him the one question that I'd been genuinely curious about since the beginning. "How have you been maintaining Stark Industries?" I asked.

Howard let out a little sigh. Obviously he missed being at home with his company. "I haven't." I raised a brow. "It's been working strictly as a weapons manufacturer for the United States Army. They don't need me to do that. With everything that's been happening all around the area, there's no room for inventing. Just winning the war."

It was one of the rare times that there was a hint of weakness in Howard. He was always so careless about everything. It was strange to hear him like this. So I steered the conversation away from Stark Industries. "Have you found anything on the Hydra weaponry?" I asked.

Now he just sounded irritated with everything. "Not anything conclusive. Those bastards are good." I smiled at Howard. "The minute that they think that we might be coming, they take any of that advanced mumbo jumbo technology and hide it away. Haven't gotten anything since Kruger's submarine. And I've picked that apart over the last few months. I don't know what runs it," he continued.

It was that blue light that I'd been seeing in Kruger's submarine. It was the thing that he had been talking about when I'd spoken to him. The other-worldly power. But what was it? That was the big question. "It's all so strange. It must be something special if Schmidt won't even let the people closest to him in on it," I told him.

Howard sighed. I could practically see him running his hands through his hair with frustration. "Best not to worry yourself with it right about now," he said. I nodded at him. We had time to figure that out. "How's the Star Spangled Man?" Howard asked after a beat.

Narrowing my eyes at him, even though I couldn't see Howard, I figured that he would know that I was glaring at him. "Why do I feel like you're the one that wrote that song?" I snarled through the receiver.

Howard scoffed at me. "I'd do better than that." I actually believed that he would have. It wouldn't have exactly been very hard. "Who designed that costume?" he asked, disgusted.

"Actually, I did." I could hear him sucking in a breath to berate me for it, so I spoke before he could. "But it was a joke. I didn't think that they would take it seriously," I added.

"Now, see, this is why I'm designing yours."

"It was a joke!"

The two of us both laughed softly. We both were silent for a few minutes before he started speaking again. "How have you been, Victoria?" he asked carefully, not wanting to irritate me.

Smiling to myself, I began to pick at my nails. "Counting down the days until I can join the war front. So is Steve. The day will come that we get out there," I told him. I could hear Howard sigh at me. Chester would learn to never put me in my place again. I was much more stubborn than he thought. "Until then, gaining funding for the Army will have to do."

"Don't worry, Victoria. You'll be out here sooner than you think."

"I hope so," I muttered.

"Colonel Phillips has been looking for you," I could hear a feminine voice calling in the background. They stopped speaking for a moment. "Howard - Who are you talking to?" she asked.

My heart skipped a beat. That sounded like Peggy. "No one," Howard said.

"Is that Victoria?" the woman's voice asked.

"Is that Peggy?" I asked.

"No," Howard said.

I wasn't sure whether he was talking to me or Peggy. "Put her on!" I barked at Howard.

"Give me the phone!" Peggy shouted.

"I'm not done talking to her!" Howard told Peggy.

"Give it here. I'll give it back to you later," Peggy said.

Rolling my eyes at their childish antics, I spoke up. "I'll be staying at a hotel in Buffalo for a while next month, okay? Steve is doing a few shows there that we have to stay for. So give me a call then. Love you, Howard," I told him, making a compromise. I could speak to him later. But I wasn't sure when the next time would be that I could speak to Peggy.

Howard scoffed at me. I knew that he wanted to talk to me, but I was desperately missing some form of girl talk. And Howard had more free time to call me. "Evidently not as much as you love Peggy," he muttered to me.

"Give her the phone," I told Howard.

"Love you, too, Victoria. I'll call you again in a few weeks," Howard said.

"Okay."

There was a little bit of clattering on the other end of the line, along with some not so nice comments, before Howard finally handed her the phone. "Vicky?" Peggy's voice finally called through the phone.

Smiling at the phone, I began to twist the line again. "Hey, Pegs, how are you?" I asked her.

Her voice immediately brightened. "Oh, much better now that I'm speaking to you! There is not one woman here. Not - one - single - woman," she said, enunciating each word, just driving the point home that she was going mad with no one to really speak to. "I'm driving myself insane being around the men all of the time. If nothing else, at least Colonel Phillips is keeping them under control. And I do have Howard. But still, I miss our girl talks," she said.

"I miss our girl talks, too," I admitted to her. As embarrassing as it was, considering that I'd never been much for girl talks before, I really did miss getting to speak with her. "There aren't any women here either. I mean, there are, but they're all the dancers for the Star Spangled Singers or whatever the hell they are," I growled mostly to myself.

Peggy snorted under her breath. "Who named them?" she asked.

"Sure as hell wasn't me."

"I can imagine that you love them," she teased me.

I laughed at her wording. "Oh, yes, they're my favorite."

"Maybe you should join them. Honestly, I would love to see you do something like that," she told me.

That was the absolute last thing that I wanted to do. I couldn't believe that someone would make such an idiot out of themselves by doing something like that. "Why don't you do it, if you think that it's so funny? I'd like to see you doing it," I told her.

She seemed just about as put off by the idea of being a dancer like that as I was. "Absolutely not," Peggy snapped at me. We were silent for a minute before she spoke again. "How's Steve?"

Her voice was careful and I smirked. She was trying not to give anything away to me. It didn't matter. I knew that she was curious how he was doing. "He's trying to get used to all of the attention from everyone. I think some part of him likes it but another part of him wants to be out there. I'm sure that he misses you," I added teasingly.

It didn't take a genius to know that she was going very red. "Shut up," she muttered.

"I'm serious."

"Have you heard from Sergeant Barnes?" Peggy said, trying to change the topic.

Smiling to myself, I nodded. "Yeah. I got a letter from him a few weeks ago. It was the cutest thing." Peggy made a little noise of excitement. "I've got to tell you all about it."

The two of us chatted back and forth for hours. We spoke about everything that I could have possibly imagined. We spent well over at hour just talking about the letter that Bucky had sent me. I could tell that Peggy was melting from the letter. So had I. It was everything that I had never thought that I would hear from someone. And it was everything that I had needed to hear. Peggy had told me all of her thoughts on the letter and had made me read each of the few letters that I had gotten to her. Some part of me thought that she might have wished that someone would send her a letter like that. I thought about harassing Steve to send her one.

It was well past six in the morning by the time that our conversation finally slowed down. We both missed seeing each other. As much as I loved Steve, I just couldn't gossip with him. And I wasn't sure how much he really wanted to talk about Bucky. We were mostly chatting about stupid girl stuff. I was sure that Peggy would get in trouble for spending so much time talking to me, but it didn't matter. I didn't want to hang up the phone and neither did she. But, finally, there was a knock at my door. And I wasn't Steve. He would have just come inside.

"Look, Peggy, someone is knocking at the door. I've got to go. Can you tell Chester that I said hello?" I asked her.

"Of course, love. I'll talk to you soon, Victoria."

"Talk to you soon, Pegs. Tell Howard and Chester that I love them. And you, too, of course," I added.

"Love you, too. Take care of yourself."

"Stay safe out there."

The two of us said goodbye once more and I called to the person on the other side of the door to give me a minute. I hung up the phone and got out of the chair, feeling very stiff from not moving from my position for a few hours. I walked over to the chair behind the desk and grabbed my robe off of it, slipping it over my shoulders and tightening it. Once it was on, I walked over to the door and opened it. One of the men that worked down at the front desk was standing there, nodding politely at me.

"May I help you?" I asked.

"Sergeant Victoria Phillips?" the man checked.

"Yes, Sir."

The man nodded at me and reached back for something. "Letter for you, ma'am," he said.

My heart skipped a beat. "Thank you," I said weakly.

The man gave me a little nod with the usual addition of coming down to the concierge or giving them a call if I needed something else. I waved them off and slammed the door the moment that he turned to walk away. I let the robe drop as I seated myself down in the chair. They had phones over at the S.S.R. base that they were at. They could call me. The only person that would be writing to me was Bucky. And, as per usual, the writing on the front was his. I slit open the letter and pulled out the paper.

Vika,

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get another letter to you in two weeks, so do me a favor and tell the little punk that I said happy birthday. I don't know how close you are to the apartment, but if you get the chance, let him know for me. And tell him that I'll try as hard as I can to make it home for his next one.

Please don't come over here, Vika. Please, please, please; do not come over here. I don't want you to see half of the things that happen over here. Things could be worse. They really could be. But I don't want you to have to see this. But I also know that you're going to do whatever you want, so, just be careful. I can't let something happen to you. Of course, you're also the toughest person that I've ever met. And I know that if Death ever came for you, you'd glare at Death, and he would leave you be.

Those are some interesting memories. Thanks for not picking too many stupid ones. Want to know what I thought about the first time that I saw you? Actually, I'm not going to tell you. That's something to save for the right moment. And that's something to save for a face-to-face conversation. You deserve kindness and so much more.

No one will ever say anything like those kids said to you with me around. Shows how pathetic people are. Having to knock down someone else just to make themselves feel better. I don't care that you left. The only thing that ever mattered to me was that you made your way back. You deserve all of the happiness in the world. And I deserve someone like you. I'll never want anyone else. I should have said that I loved you so much sooner than I did. I always knew it. So why didn't I say it? I have no damn clue. But I must have made it pretty obvious if you knew, huh? By the way, nothing made me happier than the moment that you said it back.

You mean the absolute world to me, Vika. You and Steve. You always will. The two of you are why I'm out here and fighting so hard. Steve's a little punk, but he's got a heart of gold. That's what I always thought was so great about him. Didn't matter what he looked like, and it didn't matter that the other kids thought that it was stupid that I hung out with him. He was the one person that I was always there for me. You, too, of course, but I won't kiss Steve when I see him again.

Thanks for bringing up the trip down the staircase in the apartment complex. You know that people thought that someone beat me up and that was how I broke my arm? I had to lie to them and tell them that I broke my arm at the fair. I didn't want people to know that I had broken my arm because you beat me in a race. Glad that my pain amuses you. Excuse you, those pancakes were your fault. Well, you had better like kissing me. Good luck prying me off of you when I get back. Actually, I'm not going to challenge you to that, considering that I know that you're stronger than me.

I don't care that you're not good at telling me how you feel. And, actually, I think that you've done a rather good job. I'm glad that I drive you nuts. Life would be boring if I didn't. I don't know... you wouldn't trade me for a dog? Just kidding, don't answer that. What do you want to show me? Come on, Vika. You can't just set it up and hold out of me! Horrible. Horrible thing to do to someone.

I'll be back home as soon as I can. I'm counting the days.

Love you to the moon and back,  
Bucky.

Smiling softly at the letter, I took a deep breath and placed it back in the envelope, adding it to my ever-growing collection of letters that Bucky had been sending me. I sighed and curled in on myself, reading over the letter over and over again. It felt like the more that I read it, the more that it felt like he was really here with me. Maybe soon enough he would be back. It didn't take long for the door to open and Steve to walk in. I smiled and handed him the letter, allowing him to read it. We both laughed, fondly remembering the disaster with Bucky's broken arm and the pancake debacle. As happy as I was just sitting with Steve and remembering the good old days, I wanted both of my boys back.

July 4th, 1942  
Buffalo, New York

It was taking me forever to get ready today. At Steve's request (technically Brandt's, but I didn't take orders from him so Steve had been forced to ask me nicely) I had dressed up for the day. As much as I really didn't want to dress up, it was the Fourth of July and that meant that there was going to be a large party. It was the biggest show that we had done since starting the tour two and a half months ago. So many people were coming out to watch the show so that we had been forced to find a bigger auditorium to do the performance in. Not that I cared. I could have cared less about the show.

The only thing that mattered to me was that today was Steve's twenty-fourth birthday. This was the first of Steve's birthdays that I would be around since I had disappeared all of those years ago. It was very special to me. I was thrilled to be able to share it with him. Particularly because Bucky wasn't around. I had bought him a chocolate cupcake from the bakery last night - an old joke between friends. I hoped that it would give him a laugh and make him feel a little bit better.

It wasn't the fact that Steve didn't like his birthdays. Actually, he had always liked his birthday. He was one of those people that always liked to do something small on his birthday, but it was usually enough to make him happy. There was the problem that - besides Bucky - I was really the only person that cared that it was his birthday. No one knew that it was Steve Rogers's birthday. They never saw him as anything more than Captain America. Steve was good about not letting it show that it bothered him, but I knew that it did. And that broke my heart. I wanted to show him that he was something more than a propaganda poster child.

We had done quite a few things for his birthday in the past. There was one year that we had gone to Coney Island. Because Bucky and I were as awful as we were, we had spent it trying to get him onto the larger rides. It hadn't taken long before he'd thrown up. We had gone to the movies a few times, too. But the only thing that he really liked were the cartoons. They were kind of cute. We had gone to the park a few times and there was even one year that he had gone out on a double-date with Bucky on his birthday. I hadn't spoken to either one of them for weeks after the incident. I'd been very hurt that they hadn't included me. They both clearly knew that they'd made a mistake as they had spent weeks trying to make it up to me.

Smiling at the fond memories - even of the birthday that I had not been included on - I opened Steve's door. He was sitting in his bed, doodling. He glanced up at me. "Happy birthday, Steve!" I chirped happily.

He laughed as I placed the cupcake down. Steve pulled me into a hug, effortlessly lifting me from the ground. Once he had let me back down, he glanced over at the cupcake. "Oh please tell me that you didn't make that cupcake yourself," he said.

Smacking him on the arm, the two of us plopped down from the bed. "Jerk. I bought it last night. It's from the cafe downstairs. You're safe," I told him.

So maybe it wasn't the birthday that either one of us had been expecting. We were stuffed together in a hotel room in an unfamiliar city with only a store-bought cupcake as a present. I had used my flames to light the candle for him to make a wish. I'd sworn that I wouldn't read his mind for the wish. We didn't have Bucky with us and we weren't where we really wanted to be... But that was all okay. Because at least we were together. And at the end of the day, that was what really mattered.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

August, 1942  
San Francisco, California

The speakers blared all around me and I grit my teeth together. I couldn't understand how the shows becoming more popular also meant that they had to be louder. Of course, as the auditoriums became larger, it meant that the speakers had to blast the music out to the back. It also didn't help that everyone would cheer throughout the entire show, so that meant that the music had to be loud enough to hear over it. We were now even including fireworks at the end of the show. At least during the outdoor ones. Since we were in California and the weather was so nice, we were at one of the outdoor stadiums.

As Steve had done more and more shows, he was starting to learn the lines. He now didn't even need the shield with the lines plastered on the back. But he kept it, probably because he was getting rather fond of it. It hadn't taken Steve long to become a national hero. Even though he hadn't done anything himself, it gave people hope. The shows were something nice to get the general public's mind off of everything that was happening overseas. And I knew that Steve was happy feeling like he was doing something. If nothing else, funding for the war went up drastically with every state that we visited.

But I knew that he wanted to be doing something more. As nice as this was, the public being in love with him and all of the newfound fame, I knew that he wanted to be out on the front lines. I really couldn't blame him. I wanted to be on the front lines, too. Not that they would have let me do anything. But it meant that I could have at least been looking over plans and helping work out attacks. And I did miss being able to speak to everyone whenever I got the chance.

Unfortunately it was a little tough to get a chance to speak to Howard, Peggy, and Chester. With the time change and everything that they had going on, and the long touring schedule, it was almost impossible for all of us to get the chance to speak. I had gotten a few chances to speak to Howard, Peggy, and Chester since the last time that I was on the phone with them a few months ago. They were never that long of conversations, considering that someone would almost always be pulled away. But it was nice to even get to say hello - if just for a few minutes. I just wished that I could call Bucky.

They all were continuing to do their jobs overseas. Howard was busy building and fixing any of the technology that was broken overseas. It meant that he spent a lot of time in the work yards. He was constantly fixing the planes and tanks that were being destroyed in the fight. When he wasn't doing something that was for our own Army, he was trying to decipher the technology that Hydra used. They had managed to pick up a few things that Hydra used as weapons, but Howard didn't understand what it was. And that meant that it had to be something terrible, if even Howard couldn't figure out what it was.

In the meantime, Peggy was doing everything in her power to help the war efforts between England and the United States. Despite the fact that the two countries were allies, it became hard when the war continued to get more and more vicious. She was doing anything in her power, but she was just one person. And a woman at that. She also had to follow anything and everything that Chester told her to do. As she said, he was getting less patient. She had a feeling that it was because he was sick of the war, and he missed me.

It did make me feel a little guilty for not coming with them overseas. But I couldn't. Not while Steve was here. My promise to Chester still held out. The moment that Chester would let Steve come out and fight on the front lines, I would be out there, too. Chester wasn't budging for the moment, not that I was really surprised. He still believed that Steve was better off back home, keeping the super-soldier serum safe and out of Hydra's hands. In the meantime, Chester let me know about their victories overseas and the basic plans. He was also keeping an eye on the 107th infantry, so that I could have a general idea where Bucky was.

It was something that I genuinely appreciated. Not that I ever told Bucky that I actually had a general idea of where he was. I didn't want him to think that I was babysitting him. I knew that he wouldn't really appreciate that. Bucky and I had been exchanging a few letters back and forth. He let me know about everything that he had been doing. I knew that things had happened overseas. I could tell. But he was trying very hard to keep all of the sadness in his life away from me. It didn't matter. He could have been writing me the routine of how he brushed his teeth. I didn't care. It just made me happier every time that I heard from him.

At the moment I was watching the show come to an end. The audience was cheering loudly as the Star Spangled Singers held their end note. Steve let down the motorcycle with the three girls on it as the fireworks went off in the background. He was waving happily out at the audience for nearly ten minutes before he was finally allowed to head backstage. He gave me a quick smile and I nodded at him. He had to go say hello to all of the adoring fans that were waiting to speak to him. So I backed off and waited. We would be here for at least another hour. It gave me enough time to grab a flute of champagne and watch bemusedly.

As much as Steve did like the attention, he would always be extremely awkward when someone came up to speak with him. Particularly when one of them had a baby with them. That was always one of my favorites. It was barely ten minutes before one of the dancers came up to me. I merely glared at the woman, trying to chase her off. I hadn't had a conversation with them before, and I wanted to keep it that way. She was typical-looking for a woman. She had curled, blonde hair that fell over his shoulders. It was pinned back. As like most women, she wore a corset to give her a shape. I merely glared at her once more.

She was giving me a sweet smile. My teeth only set together. Obviously she would need me to actually tell her to get away from me. "If you need to speak with someone, find Brandt or Martin. I'm not in charge of this," I hissed at her.

"Victoria? Victoria Rogers?" the dancer asked me.

My head snapped over to her. It had been a long time since I had heard someone call me that. "What?" I asked her, giving the dancer a scrutinizing stare.

The dancer merely smiled at me. "You don't remember me," she said.

"Don't take it personally. I don't remember lots of people," I snarled at her.

In all reality, I did remember her. Some part of me had recognized her the second that she had walked over to me. Her name was Christina and we had gone to school together. She had been everything that men loved. A cheerleader, someone that had wanted to stay at home and take care of the kids, and very popular. I could remember her laughing with all of the football players about me. I could remember her barely passing her classes because she thought that they weren't important. I could remember her only ever excelling in Home Education. She had purposefully made me look like a fool when I'd messed up the cooking lessons.

But obviously she remembered none of that. Because she was still smiling at me. "Victoria, it's Christina. Christina Winters. We went to school together when we were kids," she told me.

Forcing myself to look like I was trying to remember her, I was jarred back in time. She looks even worse this year than she did last year. Maybe she spent the summer in a mental asylum. Yeah. I remembered her just fine. She was one of the people that had liked to stand and watch as everyone would make me feel like a creature from the swamp, rather than an actual human being. I placed the champagne flute on the table near me so that I didn't snap the stem.

"Right..." I trailed off, unsure of what I should say. "No. I remember you."

Christina smiled at me and moved forward to hug me. I took a step back from her and forced her to keep still. She did so, obviously not even noticing that I had done it. "Oh it's so good to see you!" she chirped happily.

"Is it?" I asked her sharply.

Her smile faltered for a moment. "Pardon?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

There was a hint of fear seeping into her. There was no one to protect her now. "If I remember correctly - and I tend to have a very good memory - I do remember that you didn't like me that much. Something about the first time that I spotted you, I tried to smile at you, in high school. You thought that I looked even worse than I did the year before. You thought that I'd spent the summer in a mental asylum," I sneered at her, advancing slightly.

We stood barely two feet apart. Christina had always been a taller girl. She was nearly five and a half feet tall. And that meant that she towered over me, with the heels on her feet as well. But that didn't matter to me. If there was ever a fight in between us, she'd be dead before she even understood what was happening. She backed off of me slightly, trying to force a smile onto her face. I could feel her regret that she had ever walked over to me. She had no idea what regret felt like.

Christina sucked in a breath and gave me a small smile. "Oh... Well - Come on, Victoria. We were just kids," she attempted to justify.

My jaws set together. "I was never a kid," I sneered at her. Walk away, Victoria. Don't do something that you'll regret. "If you'll excuse me," I said, turning to leave and head over to where Steve was standing.

Before I could get too far from her, Christina's arm shot out and grabbed my own. "Wait!" I yanked it away from her, nearly ripping her off of her feet. "Look... I'm really sorry about everything. I was just jealous because Bucky always paid so much attention to you," she told me. I narrowed my eyes but nodded at her anyways. I'd known that she had a crush on him. They all did. "But of course he did. I mean, you were his best friend's little sister," she said through a laugh.

My eyes narrowed at her. Any hope that I'd had that she might have grown up a little bit went flying away. "Good apology," I sneered at her.

The moment that I turned to leave, Christina seemed to have realized that she'd made a mistake. "Come on, Victoria, you have to know that everyone had a crush on Bucky," she told me with a little laugh.

That was the truth. Every girl in the school did have a crush on Bucky when we were in school. I knew why. He had a wonderful sense of humor, he was certainly a good-looking man, and he was one of the friendliest people in the school. Girls had loved him. He was the person that everyone either wanted to be friends with, or be with. And to be one of the few people that he had really been close to... It hadn't gone over well with the people that had thought that I was nothing more than Yellow Eyes.

"Yes. I'm well-aware of that fact," I told her. There was never any doubt that people hated me because of how close I was to Bucky. "Did that justify attacking me because you were dissatisfied with your own commiserable life?" I asked her. Her eyes widened. She was clearly uncomfortable with my words. "Should I bring you a dictionary?"

Perhaps my last comment was not needed, but I couldn't stop myself. She was one of the worst person that I had ever met. And she deserved to know just how little I thought of her. "And you always thought that we were the bitches..." Christina snarled at me.

"You'll find that I've earned my attitude," I told her before turning to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

But I didn't make it many steps before Christina's voice called me back to her once more. "You broke their hearts, you know?" she asked me, her stance showing strong irritation.

"What?" I snarled at her.

Christina did not sense the danger of what she'd just said to me. "Bucky and Steve. You broke their hearts when you vanished." I twitched slightly. I knew that I'd broken their hearts. I felt bad enough for it. "They thought that you were dead. Maybe it would have been better if you were." I'd already thought about that before. But there was no chance for that to happen. "Steve was so distraught that his sister was gone. And Bucky... Oh man. He wouldn't speak to anyone for weeks." Once more I twitched with guilt. "He was in love with you, you know? No one could ever understand why," she told me.

I was well-aware that he was in love with me. It was why I intended to spend the rest of his life making up the mistake that I'd made by hurting him. "Thank you for letting me know," I told her, forcing myself to walk away so that I didn't kill her.

"You didn't even care. You just walked away," she continued.

My entire body was tensing. "You don't know why I left. I'd recommend that you walk away before you say something that you regret," I gave her a dark warning.

Christina merely scoffed at me. She was afraid, but she wouldn't let me see it. "You always did like to pretend that you were tougher than anyone else," she snapped at me. I rolled my eyes at her. I was much tougher than anyone else. "You're not. Come on, Victoria. You're just like every other woman."

"I'm far from it," I said through a laugh.

Christina nodded at me. "I suppose that you are," she told me lowly. I went to turn around and leave when Christina's voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "Don't worry. I kept Bucky company when you were gone."

Every bone in my body tensed. Despite the fact that I wasn't facing Christina, I could feel the victory seeping off of her. She thought that she had won. But she had not. The darkness in the backstage area kept her from seeing it, but the red tinge had flooded into my eyes. The electricity was running through my hands as I turned back to her. Was there really a chance that Bucky had gone for her? Staring at her, looking through her mind, I could actually see them together.

They were sitting together on one of the bleachers outside of the school. Bucky's aura screamed that he was incredibly depressed. The scene was from just a few weeks after I had vanished. I could see her leaning into him. She was pretending to be sorry for his loss. They sat together and chatted as Christina promised that she would be there for him. She wanted him to know that he would eventually move on from my loss. They were together for nearly an hour before she leaned in and pressed a small kiss to his mouth. My hands clenched together as he gently pushed her away from him, with the promise that he would take her out, just in time. It was the same day that I had been shot full of the nanite bombs, being forced to rebuild myself from scratch.

My mind slammed back into the present. He had been with her... Not that he'd known who she really was. "What did you just say?" I snarled at her, the electricity jumping off of my fingers.

They hadn't lasted long. He hadn't been in the right mindset to be with her. But that didn't change the fact that I was furious about the short-lived relationship. "Does that bother you?" Christina asked.

Before I got the chance to say anything back to her, a man that appeared to be just a few years older than us walked up to her. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, doll. Easy on the eyes, love," he told her. He must have been drinking. Christina looked repulsed at the sight of him. "You do a private performance?"

The fury settled into her. The man had yet to notice that I was here. Christina obviously wanted to hit him, but that was not appropriate. So she settled for the next best thing. "No, I don't. Please let go of me, sir," she said.

The man merely smiled at her. "Come on now. How about we go dancing?" he asked her, his hand slithering around her waist.

"No, thank you. Please let go," Christina said, trying to pull away from him.

His grip was obviously too tight on her. She was struggling to get away from him as the man began to pull her away. She wasn't screaming but she didn't look happy. My gaze followed her in her desperation. I took a step towards them but forced myself to stop. Don't do it, Victoria... She wouldn't do it for you... Remember all of the terrible things that she ever said about you...

Rolling my eyes at myself, I knew that I wouldn't be able to stop myself. As much as I really did hate her, and as much as she probably deserved something to happen to her, I knew that she didn't deserve this. No one deserved for a man to touch them when the touch was uninvited. So I walked over to the man that had his hands on her and grabbed his wrist. His head whipped back around to me and smiled when he realized that I was another woman. But it didn't last very long. I wrenched his arm off of her and began to constrict my grip on him. He cried out in pain and dropped down to his knees.

He was crying out in pain and Christina was watching in shock. I merely stared at him. "Two bones are grinding together. The ulna and radius. Pulling away from me will only crush the lunate and scaphoid together. Your hand will become stuck and cause a break that will take anywhere from two months to six to heal," I told him. He merely stared at me like I had lost my mind. "I'm going to let you go and you're going to leave."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the man asked me.

"A woman that will not tolerate violence to other women, no matter how much I may dislike them. Go find someone else to bother," I warned him.

Without giving him a chance to say anything more, I squeezed his arm. He cried out in pain as I yanked upwards, dragging him back to his feet. He stumbled and shouted in pain as I shoved him away from me. His arm wasn't broken, but it would definitely be sore for a few days. His hands went around the bones, rubbing at them gently.

"Freak!" he cried out.

Rolling my eyes at him, I stepped backwards. "I've been called worse. Keep your hands off of other women or I'll rip yours off."

He moved away from me, knowing that another move towards either one of us would not end well. I turned back and saw that Christina was watching the scene with close eyes. She was stunned. "T- Thank you," she said weakly.

"You're welcome."

I turned on my heels to head towards Steve, but she called out to me before I could get too far. "Victoria! Wait!" Christina called after me, running back up to my side. "Would you like to come to dinner with us?" she offered.

"No."

Christina knew that she had made a mistake with everything that she had said earlier. As I made my way to leave, she walked up to me once more, laying a hand gently on my arm. "Please. I mean it. I'm done fighting with you. Why don't you come with us? I want us to try and be friends," she said.

And I knew that she was being honest. But I didn't care. "I know that you do. But I don't have friends. And the ones that I do have, I trust with my life. I will never trust you like that," I told her. She nodded, unsure of what she could say. "Be careful around the men. Scream if one of them ever does something like that again."

She merely smiled weakly at me. "Thank you, Victoria. And I really am sorry about everything," Christina said.

"I know."

"Aren't you mad?" Christina asked.

It was very hard for me not to laugh. I shook my head at her. I was always angry about something. This wasn't something that really mattered to me. "Not particularly," I admitted. She looked shocked. "Because at the end of the day, when Bucky comes home from deployment, it's me that he's coming back to. Enjoy the shows."

Without waiting to see if she would say anything else, I turned my back on her and headed away. Even as I walked away, I could feel the shock radiating off of her. Clearly she didn't know that the two of us had managed to reconnect. I grinned brightly and walked off, a little more swagger in my step than there normally was. I made my way over to where Brandt and Martin were watching Steve at one of his meet and greets. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Christina make her way back over to the dancers. It was very obvious that she was still bothered by my previous comment.

Obviously my happiness was very evident, because both Brandt and Martin had asked what I was so happy about. They were both so used to seeing me scowl and constantly snap at them for everything. The three of us waited for Steve to finish speaking with the people that were standing in line to meet him. I was positive that it must have taken another three hours for him to finally get through the entire line of people that were waiting to meet him. As they finally finished, Brandt moved Steve away from the small meeting area, promising that there would be another chance to meet Steve after the show tomorrow.

Instead of walking over to Brandt, who obviously wanted to speak with Steve, he made his way over to me. "Did I see you speaking to one of the dancers?" Steve asked me curiously.

"Her name is Christina Winters. We went to school together," I told him.

Steve glanced backwards and followed my line of sight to Christina. She was standing with her other friends and laughing. Steve slowly started to nod. "Wow... Yeah. I barely recognized her," he muttered.

Glancing up at Steve, I smirked. "I somehow doubt that she recognizes you either," I said, patting his chest.

"Things were okay?" Steve asked curiously.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I didn't want Steve knowing that the things that Christina had said to me had actually gotten to me. So I lied. "Surprisingly things went okay. Finally got a few things off of my chest that I've been wanting to say for so long," I told him. Actually, that wasn't really that much of a lie.

Steve smiled, but didn't look completely sure. Either way, he only wrapped his arm over my shoulder and tugged me with him. "I'm glad to hear that. Come on. We need to go back to the hotel. Brandt said that he wants to talk to us about something," Steve told me.

Of course Brandt wanted to talk about something. I couldn't imagine what he actually wanted to talk to us about. Probably nothing that I really wanted to think about. I was sure that he'd found something else stupid for Steve to do. He seemed to always be coming up with some new thing that was either dreadfully boring or stupid. We headed back up to the hotel and into Steve's room. It was a little odd walking inside. At the table in the corner of the room sat Brandt and Martin. They were pawing through a few different sheets of paper. I raised my eyebrow, curious as to what this new thing was that they were planning.

At a small motion of Brandt's hand, both Steve and I took a seat. Brandt cleared his throat and looked over at Steve. "So, Captain America is going over very well," he told us.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. We had already talked about that. "I thought everyone already knew this?" I asked him.

As usual, Brandt ignored me. Probably because whenever we did actually speak, I managed to make him look like an idiot. "They want to make a film about Captain America's adventures in the war," Brandt said with a bright smile.

Steve and I exchanged a look. I wasn't sure that doing something like that was a great idea. "Don't you think that's a little insensitive?" I finally asked, sensing Steve's hesitance to speak.

"I could have sworn that it was your job to listen and not speak," Brandt told me.

Bunching my hands together, I made my way to move over and choke the life out of Brandt. Steve wrapped a hand around my thigh and forced my back into the chair. "You ever say something like that to me again and I'll -"

"What do you mean about Captain America movies?" Steve interrupted, knowing that I was about to do something that couldn't be explained easily. Brandt glanced over at Steve and went to speak. But Steve spoke again. "And never speak to her like that again. She's the best person sitting at this table. And also the strongest."

Martin and Brandt exchanged a look. "You're a woman," Martin pointed out.

My grip turned upwards. "Exactly," I snarled.

"Enough," Brandt snapped, effectively ending the little argument. "The Captain America movies will motivate people to sign up for the war. The guys up in Washington... They're loving you. You keep working with us like this, you're going to be out on the front lines in no time," Brandt told Steve, playing to his weakness.

"When do we go?" Steve asked.

Brandt grinned, knowing that he was only going to make more money off of Steve. "We're organizing a few weeks of a break from the tour for you to go and make the movie." A smile almost turned up on my mouth. I could use a few weeks off from hearing that stupid song. "We'll be filming in Los Angeles. We're heading there next month after this leg of the tour is done," Brandt explained.

Both Steve and I groaned. I knew that we were both getting sick of doing all of the shows. They were a little repetitive. "But we're going back to the shows?" Steve asked.

Brandt nodded. "By October we'll have Captain America touring again." Steve and I exchanged a little look. I'd been hoping that by October, Steve would have been out on the front lines. "I'm telling you, Steve, this is the best thing that these people have seen since the beginning of the war. They're starting to see hope," Brandt said excitedly.

"Hope or dollar signs?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

The corners of Steve's mouth turned up in a smile. Brandt and Martin both glared at me. "I can remove you from this tour," Brandt said.

Snorting at him, I shook my head, kicking my feet back slightly. "You don't have the legal authority. I'm here on the order of Colonel Chester Phillips to keep our project safe. That means that I go where he goes. Removing me is not an option," I told Brandt.

Knowing that he had lost the fight, Brandt nodded and turned back to Steve, not wanting to admit that he was wrong. "We leave in a few days to start filming. Get some rest. You've got another show tomorrow," Brandt told us.

Brandt and Martin stood from the desk, reminding Steve to get some sleep. We both smiled at each other as they left. There was never a better time of my day than when Brandt and Martin left us alone for the night. Once the door had closed, I stood from the table and made my way over to Steve's bed. I sat at the head of the bed, keeping one of the pillows in my lap. He followed a moment later, sitting at the foot of the bed. We exchanged a long look with each other.

"What do you think?" Steve asked me.

I grinned at him, shaking my head. "I don't think that you want to know what I think," I said.

This was the stupidest thing that I had heard in a long time. I couldn't understand why Brandt thought that this was such a brilliant thing. "If this is really making the people happy..." Steve said, letting out a long breath.

But it wasn't making people happy. Not the men that were overseas, anyways. "It's making kids happy. Do you know what the men overseas are thinking if they see this? I can tell you. 'Why does that asshole get out of doing any real work? Why do we have to lay down our lives?' That's what they're thinking," I told him.

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I sighed and leaned over to him, laying a hand on his arm. I swore that it kept getting larger. "Phillips still doesn't want me on the front lines?" Steve asked.

"What do you think?"

"I figured," Steve muttered at me.

Smiling softly, I kicked out at him with my foot. "That's why we're training you. The day is going to come that you're able to really fight and hold your own. I promise you that," I said. Steve smiled weakly at me. "And the second that I can prove that to him, we're heading overseas. You get to be a real soldier," I continued, knowing that being a soldier was what he really wanted.

But there was still the issue of what he had to be doing in the meantime. The one thing that no one really wanted to do. "In the meantime I can be a performing monkey," Steve muttered.

Knowing that I shouldn't make this an I-told-you-so kind of moment, I did anyways. "I warned you, to be fair," I said.

Steve glanced at me and nodded. "I know," he muttered. The two of us sat together with our legs crossed, smiling at each other. I reached over and popped a peppermint in my mouth. "But I wanted to feel like I was doing something."

"And this is better than just doing nothing. I understand that," I told him, patting him gently on the arm. After a few moments, I began to nudge him on the arm. He turned back to me with a small smile, knowing that I wasn't going anywhere good with this. "Come on... You can admit it. You kind of like this fame thing," I teased.

Steve gave me a guilty smile. "It's kind of hard not to," Steve said guiltily.

"You just like the girls that keep coming up to you," I said.

"I do not!" Steve shouted, affronted. I narrowed my eyes at him, letting them briefly flash the same white that they did when I was reading a mind. Steve smiled at me, knowing that he was not going to get away with this. "Well... That's an added bonus. Come on, Vic. There's only one girl that I want in my life," he said, wrapping an arm over my shoulder.

Raising my eyebrow, I shook my head at him. "And Peggy," I added.

Steve rolled his eyes at me. "Right. And Peggy," he muttered. "You are so determined."

"I really am."

"You miss Bucky that much, huh?" Steve asked me.

Groaning, I nodded at him. I laid my head back on his shoulder and sighed. I really did miss him. "Come on, Steve. I don't have my own relationship to focus on so I'm bored. And that means that I'm going to irritate you until you and Peggy go on a date," I told Steve.

He was like my brother. And that meant that I was going to find him a girl that I liked. Good for him, I already liked Peggy. "I'm really going to enjoy when Bucky comes back. Maybe he'll keep you busy," Steve said.

Grinning at Steve, I shook my head. There would always be time to bother him. "Don't worry, buddy, I'll always have time for you," I said brightly.

"Lucky me."

Hopping up from the bed, I held a hand out to Steve. "Come on," I chirped.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Where are we going?" Steve asked.

"If you're going to be in a movie, you are not going to embarrass me by not knowing how to fight. Up and at 'em, Soldier!" I shouted, waiting for him to stand up. "We're going to teach you how to be in a battle."

Steve groaned at my determination. "Can this wait until tomorrow?" he asked.

As I walked out of the room, I called back over my shoulder. "War doesn't wait." And with that Steve stood, following me out of the room, complaining the whole way down to the ballroom that I was worse than any of the Drill Sergeants.

September, 1942  
Los Angeles, California

Despite the fact that everywhere else in the country was starting to turn cold, Los Angeles was still nice and warm. I knew that Steve and I were both enjoying the weather. We were both used to spending our winters in the cold air of New York. Los Angeles was the film capital of the world right now. That meant that it was the place for us to be to film the Captain America movie. We were spending a few weeks here so that the entire movie could be filmed and we could eventually make our way back to the touring schedule.

During the past few weeks I'd been working very hard to teach Steve how to make a battle look real. If anyone knew just how to make a fight look real, it was me. Of course now that he knew how to make a fight look real, it turned out that the directors didn't like it. They thought that it looked too brutal. It had made me furious. They had no idea just how brutal a fight could be. They always were. Because there was a loser and a winner. And sometimes neither one got to walk away. Or other times, the winner that got to walk away, wasn't really the winner at all. It was something that Stryker had taught me.

But that wasn't the problem right now. I had managed to explain how guns worked and Steve had definitely gotten better with at least making shooting look real. Although the director liked to overplay how shooting really worked. He hadn't used them for extended periods of time, either the exception of the moments that he used the plastic ones on set.

We were on the studio lot again today. It was the tenth time in two weeks that we had spent most of our day milling around. Steve was filming a marching scene with men that were supposed to be a part of his platoon. The screen in the background was showing scenes of a forest that they were supposed to be marching through. There was a large treadmill that the men were walking on. Two cameras were moving back and forth, capturing every moment of the scene that they were filming. The director was up in the chair, watching everything happen. Brandt and Martin were grinning at each other, pointing to Steve.

The actors were just walking back and forth, not looking at each other and not speaking. I rolled my eyes at them. That wasn't the way that a real team worked. They didn't have to speak, but they should have looked at each other. Nodded. Done something to indicate that they knew each other. But they simply walked forward. There were four men in the background, two that were standing right behind Steve, and another two that were spread out on the sides. There was a black actor on Steve's right and a man that bore a striking resemblance to Bucky on Steve's left. My heart gave a painful twinge at the sight of him.

"Cut," the director called. The treadmill stopped moving and the men up on it stopped walking, all looking at each other. The screen that was playing footage of the woods stopped. "All right, don't look at the camera," the director said.

It wasn't much longer before they were given a break from filming. Most of the actors walked off to go get themselves something to eat, complaining about the long training schedule. I rolled my eyes at them. Like you have such a hard life. I snagged a doughnut off of the table and seated myself at the table. Thankfully no one else was near me. I didn't want anyone else anywhere near me. With the exception of one person. And that exact person came to sit with me a moment later. He was eating an apple and I smiled as he passed me a bottle of water. No one was paying us any mind as they walked back and forth.

"How do I look out there?" Steve asked me.

"Like an idiot," I said honestly.

Steve smiled at me and laughed. "Thanks for that," he snapped.

Shrugging my shoulders slightly, I leaned back into the chair, boiling the water in the bottle. Steve watched me in amusement. "I'm honest. How do you feel being out there?" I asked him.

"Feels like I'd much rather be fighting a real war," Steve said softly.

We exchanged a smile with each other, ignoring the funny looks of the actors that were listening to us. "Well at least this is something. Don't worry, Steve. We're going to get you out on that battlefield as soon as we possibly can," I told him. He smiled softly as I let the water stop bubbling. "Until then, I'd play nice with the people that are signing your paychecks," I teased.

He smiled at me. We both knew that this was the wrong time to be fighting with each other. "Rogers, you did well out there," one of the actors said.

Glancing up, I realized that it was the one that reminded me of Bucky. I straightened up and stared at him. "Thank you," Steve said.

The actor then turned to me. "And Miss..." he trailed off when he realized that he didn't know me.

"Sergeant," I corrected.

"You're playing a Sergeant in the movie?" the actor asked, surprised.

Shaking my head at him, I shifted slightly. "No. I am a Sergeant. Specifically tasked to watch after the world's first super-soldier. Sergeant Victoria Phillips. Strategic Scientific Reserve for the United States Army," I said.

The actor raised his brows and smiled at me. "That's way too good to be acting," he said.

"Trust me, I'm a miserable actor," I said.

"Carter Dollies."

Carter extended his hand and I took it, giving it a small shake. I noticed that his grip was not that strong on mine. He probably didn't want to hurt me. "Good to meet you," I said, not completely honestly.

"You just hang around here then?" Carter asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I nodded, glancing at Steve and motioning towards him. "I go wherever he goes. That's what my job is," I said.

I noticed that Steve was watching our conversation very closely. "That can't be very entertaining," Carter laughed.

"No, it's not."

"I'd imagine that you at least get to meet some interesting people on the road," Carter continued.

Steve was very clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. He wanted Carter away from me. He obviously knew that his intentions were not pure. "Yes, but I do miss my friends and family that are overseas," I mentioned, hoping to end the conversation soon.

Carter looked surprised at that comment. "You have people overseas?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Yes. Some of my best friends are overseas. My father is a Colonel in the Army," I admitted. Carter gave me a sad nod. A moment later I heard his thoughts wondering if there was a significant other somewhere in my life. So I decided to answer him. "My man is overseas right now, fighting the war."

Carter's face fell slightly. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I had first pegged him. The look on his face told me that he really was sorry that my significant other wasn't with me. "I'm genuinely sorry to hear that. I hope that he gets back to you," he said.

And I knew that he meant it. "Thank you. I hope that he does, too," I said softly.

Giving Steve and I a friendly smile, Carter rose from the table and turned back towards the set. "Enjoy the movie," Carter told me.

"I'll certainly try," I said. A moment later, Carter turned on his heels and headed back onto the set. As he walked off, I heard a thought that nearly made me shock his heart. My gaze set as I looked over to Steve. "Do me a favor and never become an actor," I told Steve once Cater was out of earshot.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Because actors are morons."

Steve laughed at me. "Now that's not nice. You never know. Actors could be really smart," he told me.

"You didn't hear what that guy was thinking," I commented.

Steve straightened up. Anger began to roll off of him in waves. I smiled. Despite the fact that Steve and I were both only children, we were each other's siblings. "What was he thinking?" Steve asked snappily.

Grinning at him, I reached across the table and grabbed his hand, keeping him from moving and doing something that he would regret. "Let's put in this way... If he had said it out loud, he'd be unable to walk for months," I said. Steve made a move to get up from the table. "Sit!" Steve was unable to disobey the order, taking a seat and looking at me like I had lost my mind. I'd never really ordered him to do anything before. "You might be a super-solider but you still can't read minds."

"Cap!" the director shouted. I rolled my eyes as the corners of Steve's lips turned upwards. And the head continues to grow... "We're continuing! Get on back here."

Steve gave me a quick look and I nodded. "Go on. I'll be watching," I said.

"Think you can stop making faces at me?" Steve asked.

I grinned. I'd been standing in the background making faces at Steve the entire time, hoping that I could get him to crack. It was rather funny watching Steve get yelled at for not keeping a straight face. "Never," I promised.

It didn't take long for the actors to get back into the routine. It was rather amusing watching the grand fight scene. As buildings that were supposed to be around them would apparently be blown up, it was our job to throw foam bricks at them. I had a good time tossing the foam bricks at the actors. But it didn't take long for me to be shouted at to throw the bricks around the actors, not at them. So I merely settled for watching from a distance. I couldn't imagine that the movie would actually look good. It was probably going to look more like a joke than anything else. But if the kids liked it... I supposed that was what mattered.

Still, it would have been more fun if they had actually let me blow something up. It would have been much more fun. For me, at least. It was hours before we were finally told that filming was done for the day. We were allowed to go back to the hotel together and on the car ride back, Steve and I spent much of the time discussing which one of us was the better actor. We ended up deciding that neither one of us were very good actors, and we were both probably better off staying on the battlefield.

We were back to the hotel by the late afternoon. We walked back in through the bright lobby and I smiled as we went to head upstairs. We'd already had dinner. I was planning on going upstairs and passing out. I hadn't been sleeping well lately. Not that I ever really slept well. Steve and I were walking side-by-side, hanging back slightly from where Brandt and Martin were walking. We were nearing the staircase when a man stopped us. I glanced at him and raised a brow. He very obviously worked for the hotel. I found myself hoping that there was a letter from Bucky. It had been a while since I'd gotten one.

"Victoria Phillips?" he asked, staring straight at me.

"Phone call?" I asked.

He nodded at me. "Yes, Miss. Shall I forward it to your room?"

"Please. Thank you."

The man walked back over to the desk and picked up the phone, speaking into it for a moment, before hitting a button and placing it back down on the desk. Steve and I turned to the staircase and headed to the rooms that we were staying in. "Do you know who it is?" Steve asked me as we walked.

"Chances are that it's Peggy, Howard, or Chester," I said. Steve nodded at me. There really wasn't anyone else that would be calling me. "I'll let you know. Head to bed, alright? You've got to be back on set bright and early in the morning," I teased.

Steve nodded at me. "Lucky me," he said, making both of us laugh. "See you in the morning."

Giving each other a hug, we both went into our respective rooms. It wasn't long before I could hear the music drifting out of his room. I smiled at the sweet tone of the music. It was much nicer than the irritating happy tune of the Star Spangled Man. The moment that I walked inside, I closed the door gently and walked over to the telephone, which had a light blinking on it. Call waiting. As I walked over to the desk, I spotted that the wicker basket had a letter in it. Someone must have delivered the letter at some point during the day. I smiled. I'd have to take a look at that the second that I got off the phone.

Picking up the receiver, I could hear the chatter in the background. It was the Army base. I could hear all of the shouts and orders being given in the background. "Hello?" I called into the receiver.

"Victoria," Chester's voice called out.

I smiled at the sound of his voice. "Hey, old man," I said, settling back in the chair.

"How are you doing, kid?"

"Oh, you know, I'm not overseas where I could actually be useful. Instead I'm here in Los Angeles doing a stupid movie for the great Captain America with second-rate actors hitting on me," I told him, hoping that I would make him feel even the slightest bit guilty.

He let out a sigh that told me that he did feel bad about the way that everything had happened. "Say the word and I'll have a plane out there in a matter of hours. You'll be in England by the time that the sun comes up," Chester said.

"You taking Steve?" I asked.

There was a beat of silence. "I am not taking the Star Spangled Man with a plan," he finally snapped at me.

Rolling my eyes at him, despite the fact that he couldn't see me, I prepared another argument. "You're annoying as hell. I've been training him. Chester, he's getting good. He can almost hold his own in a fight with me. You know what that means. If he can hold his own with me, he'll have no problem holding his own with anyone else," I tried to argue in Steve's defense.

Even from here I could tell that Chester was shaking his head. "Not a chance in hell. He's a science experiment. Abraham's experiment worked. But the only chance of replicating it is in Rogers's DNA. We're not risking him out here," Chester snapped at me.

Snorting under my breath, I tucked my legs underneath myself. "Don't tell me that you've actually come to care for him," I said.

"I care about where all of those tax payer dollars are going."

Of course he didn't care about what happened to Steve. "Until you take him over there, I'm staying here," I said determinedly.

"I'm not sure whether you're punishing me or yourself by doing that."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "I think that it's a little bit of both," I muttered.

We were silent for a long while after that. We were both right. It was punishing each of us. Neither one of us wanted to be the one that was wrong here. So I supposed that it was kind of a good thing that neither one of us was wrong. As much as I wanted to stay here and be with Steve, I also wanted to be on the front room and feel like I was doing something right in my life. It felt like I was doing nothing out here. I knew that we were raising money, and that was a good thing, but it wasn't like we were putting an end to Hydra. And that was what I really wanted to be doing. Not sitting here and making crappy movies.

Chester's thoughts were going through my mind and I smiled. It was hard not to hear them. It was everything that he was thinking, but the things that he couldn't bring himself to say. "I miss you, too, old man," I said softly.

"I didn't say anything."

Smiling to myself, I shook my head. He never needed to say it. I would always know. "I know what you meant. You might just realize that I'm right about Steve, one of these days," I said softly.

Chester scoffed into the phone. "I'll believe that when I see it," he said.

"How can you see it? You're nearly blind. Won't be long before you need a cane just to walk," I teased.

Even though we were talking about something reasonably serious, we both managed to laugh. One of my favorite things to do was tell Chester how old he was. "You're hysterical," he snapped.

"Sorry about that. I just miss everyone," I said.

And that meant that I missed teasing everyone. "Barnes, too?" Chester asked after a few beats.

That definitely surprised me. Not that I was really surprised that he'd asked about Bucky. But I would have thought that he'd just ask if I was getting letters or something. Not if I actually missed him. "I'm not having boy talk with you," I told Chester.

"I'm not asking you to have boy talk!" he shouted at me. The line was silent for a moment and I raised my brow. What had happened? "What the hell are you looking at? Do your damn job!" he shouted at someone that must have overheard the boy talk comment. It was silent for a moment before Chester spoke again. "I just want to know how you're doing. It's been almost five months since Barnes was deployed. That's a long time."

It was a long time. But it was something that we had known was coming. It was just something that I had to learn to get over. He would be back soon enough. "I knew what I was getting into from the beginning. I knew that he was going to be gone for a long time. Honestly five months has gone by slow, but I've had things to keep me busy," I said, trying to keep the sad tone out of my voice.

"That's good."

Before I could stop myself, I asked the question that had been bothering me since the moment that he had left on the train. "Do you know how long he'll be gone?" I asked softly.

Chester let out a sigh that I could only assume meant that he didn't know. Not that I'd been expecting him to know. "I'd only be taking a guess. Most men are gone somewhere between a year and three years." I sighed. We hadn't even made it halfway to the shortest point. "I'll keep my eye out for his division and let you know if I see them heading home anytime soon."

"Thank you," I said, smiling softly.

As much as Chester might have liked me, he would never like Bucky. And there was something that I liked about that. It was nice to have a father that was protective of me. "I still don't like him," Chester snapped.

Smiling to myself, I nodded. "I know. Is there a chance that you're ever going to like him?" I asked.

"No."

"Is there a chance that you could get to know him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he likes you."

Another smile fell over my face. It was nice to know just how much I meant to Chester. He would refuse to be friendly with Bucky or even try to get to know him just because he meant something to me. "Yes. How dare he actually show some form of interest in me," I said.

Chester growled lowly on the other end. "Shut up. You can read minds. Tell me that he's not thinking about something unsavory whenever he looks at you. I can't even read minds and I know what he's thinking," he told me.

A hint of color fell over my cheeks. I knew exactly what Bucky was thinking every time that he looked at me. I knew everything that he had thought about me when I'd worn something mildly low-cut or short. I knew everything that he thought about me. And it was rather funny that Chester knew, too. I supposed that he had been a young man once upon a time as well. He knew what men thought about when they saw a woman that caught their eyes.

Smiling fondly at Chester, I twirled the cord of the phone around my finger. "You would have made a good father, old man," I said softly.

"I am one."

And he was. My father... He was just someone that happened to donate a few strands of DNA. Chester was the father that I'd always wanted and always deserved. "Yes. You are," I said.

We were silent for a while, neither one of us comfortable with all of the sweet comments. "Look, Victoria, I've got to go. Things to do. And you need to get to bed. We'll talk again soon, okay?" Chester told me.

As much as I would have loved to talk for a long time, I knew that we both had things that we needed to be doing. We would get a chance to talk again, soon. "Okay," I said.

"I'll call you on your birthday. I'm sure that Stark and Carter will want to talk to you," he said.

It was almost a month before my birthday, but at least that was a promised conversation. I could manage that. At least I had Steve to keep me company in the meantime. "Where are they?" I asked curiously.

Normally Howard and Peggy would be fighting over control of the phone. This was the first conversation that I hadn't heard any of them fighting over control of the phone. They were always trying to be the one that got to speak with me the longest. "Busy. But they're safe," Chester said. I was glad that he had confirmed that they were alright.

"Tell them that I said hello," I said.

I could imagine that Howard and Peggy would not be happy to hear that Chester had been on the phone with me and hadn't let them talk to me. "I will. I'll talk to you in a few weeks," Chester promised.

"Stay safe, old man."

"Love you, brat."

"Love you too," I said through a laugh.

The both of us laughed as I hung up the phone. I sighed softly as I gently placed it back down on the receiver. It had been nice to chat with Chester, even if it hadn't been for that long. Gently pulling myself from the bed, I crossed the room and sat down at the desk. As usual, it was sealed with Bucky's writing across the front. It must have been raining when he'd written this. The lettering was smudged slightly. I slit the letter open and went back to the bed, plopping down on it and pulled out the paper.

Vika,

Surprise, surprise, it's me again. I can only assume that you're getting sick of getting letters from me. Please don't be getting sick of the letters. I'm sorry about that. I just get bored out here. There's literally never anything to do. I mean, we've got our friends and our jobs to do, but there's always something more fun to be doing.

What have you been up to? I hope that everything is doing alright with the project that you're working on. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything that you put your mind to. You can do anything. I know that. Just keep pushing, Vika. You do that back home, and I'll do that out here.

Things aren't too bad out here. We've got a lot to do to keep ourselves busy. We're going out on another mission pretty soon. They aren't that bad. I just keep reminding myself that the more missions that I run, the more points that I get, and that means that I'm that much closer to coming home. It wasn't too bad for a while, but they warned us that this would happen. After about half of a year or so we'd start to miss home. And that's what's happening. It's just the familiarity of being back home. Seeing the same buildings, the same people, and eating the same food. I miss all of that.

How is everyone on your end? How's Steve? We write from time to time but I think that we're both a little too busy. And, honestly, what would we have to write about? Guys don't write to each other.

In the meantime, I hope that you're still having a good time wherever you are. You know what I think that we should do when I come back home? I think that we should go to Coney Island. I think that you, me, and Steve all need to go. Just like we did when we were kids. Wasn't that fun? Going to Coney Island when we were kids was always one of my favorite things to do. And, who knows, maybe we can convince Steve to go on more of those roller coasters that Steve always liked so much.

You know that you want to see Steve on the Cyclone again.

We're going on a mission shortly. I'd write even more if I had time, but I'm already getting shouted at and threatened to have points deducted. So I've got to go. I'll write again as soon as I can. I think that we're going off the grid for a few weeks. I'll be careful. And I'll write as soon as we get back to civilization.

Love you forever and always,  
Bucky.

As usual, the letter from Bucky made me smile a little bit more than I had since the last one that I'd gotten. It always made me feel better, knowing that at least Bucky was still alive and trying to push forward. I could even tell through the way that he was writing that, while he was depressed about not being home, he was managing to find things to smile about on the war front. I was glad that he had someone to keep him company out there. Quickly I scrawled a letter back, but upon feeling sleep beginning to take over, I placed the half-written letter on the desk and collapsed into the bed. It was the first night in a while that I had fallen asleep with Bucky's Army jacket over my shoulders.

September 30th, 1942  
Los Angeles, California

It had ended up taking us about a week to film everything that they'd needed for the movie. It had taken another week to edit the scenes. It wasn't really going to be a long one. Steve had told me that it was just about thirty minutes long. It wasn't that long for something that was going to be charged as a full-length movie. It made me roll my eyes. They were having quite a good time promoting the movie. They had been promoting it for all over the country. People were coming in from all over the place to watch the premiere. I knew that it would be a successful feat. People loved Steve.

Actually, no one loved Steve. People still didn't know who Steve Rogers was. They knew, but they didn't really care. To them, he was always going to be Captain America. It was something that I knew bothered him, but he didn't regularly tell people that it was really bothering him. Not that he needed to tell me. I already knew. We were currently at the premiere for the Captain America movie. It was already late at night, but that didn't stop people from coming out. Everyone wanted to see the 'adventures' that he'd been going on.

On Steve's request, I had dressed up for the event. Apparently it was a formal event. Not that I could really understand why. It was just like going to the movie at any other time. It was red silk that draped down my body. It was slightly too long on me. Mostly because Brandt had gotten it for me without bothering to ask what my size was. The straps were relatively thin and the neckline was plunging. I kept nervously moving it around, hoping that I wasn't showing anything too much. It tucked in at the waist and I sighed. I was a mutant. I shouldn't be wearing shit like this.

But I had done this so that no one would ask me. If I went with Steve, it meant that I didn't have to find a date. Since, apparently, women were too incompetent to escort themselves to a cinema. Cameras were flashing everywhere and I sighed, knowing that within a few hours, everyone in the country would think that I was going steady with Captain America. I supposed that it could have been worse. But I didn't like all of the cameras. It was evidence by how tight my grip on Steve was. We were walking into the theater together. We were both laughing at all of the excitement of the people that were standing around.

The glittering sign at the entrance to the theater read: Captain America: The Movie

Glancing up at Steve, I gave him a gentle nudge. He was such a gentleman. His eyes didn't once stray from my face. Of course, that would make for an awkward conversation between Steve and Bucky. "Ready?" I asked him.

"Are you going to laugh at me?"

"There's about a one hundred percent chance that I will," I said.

That didn't seem to bother Steve. In fact, he looked happy that I had said something like that. "And I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, pulling me into him tightly.

The two of us could never be left in peace for that long. It was just a few seconds before Brandt came up in between us, shoving the two of us apart. "You're gonna be a star, kid," Brandt said to Steve.

"He wants to be a Soldier," I snapped at Brandt.

He glanced back at me and I felt the sparks fly off of my fingers. Brandt's eyes had strayed from my face to the dip in my dress, and I did not like his thoughts. I noticed Steve's grip around my waist get a little tighter as he gently pushed me a step back. "Who would want to get away from all of this?" Brandt asked, motioning around us.

Unable to stop myself, I moved past Steve and glared at Brandt. The heels that were on my feet put me a little closer to Brandt's eye-level. "Anyone with a shred of self-decency. There are men fighting and dying on the front lines. Or have you forgotten about all of that with those dollar signs floating in front of your eyes?" I sneered at him.

That comment obviously did not go over well with Brandt. A little fury shot through his eyes. Martin was watching with wide eyes at a distance. "Listen to me, you ungrateful little -"

"Hey!" Steve shouted, stepping in between us. For a moment I was sure that Steve was going to break Brandt's neck. "Speak to her like that again, and watch what happens," he warned Brandt.

The threat went unnoticed by Brandt. "Remember who signs those paychecks. Remember who's going to get you overseas," he warned us.

Knowing that this was the wrong time for any of us to fight, I tightened my grip around Steve's arm and gently began to pull him away from Brandt, who was already busy speaking to a promoter. "Forget it. Come on. Let's go take our seats," I muttered.

"You shouldn't let him speak to you like that," Steve said between his teeth.

It made me smile. He was always the kind of guy that wanted to protect women. And he would protect me. Even when I really didn't need it. "I have to. If I reacted the way that I'd like to, Brandt would be missing most of his limbs. Most people would be dead. Steve, I just have to get over it. Whatever he has to say, I've heard and felt worse," I told him.

"When this is all over, no one will ever speak to you like that again. I'll make sure of that," Steve told me.

I smiled softly at him, lifting up as high as I could, and pressing a small kiss to Steve's cheek. "I don't need you and Bucky watching out for me anymore," I told him.

"We're always going to watch out for you," Steve said.

"Which one of us is the one that can die?" I quipped.

"Don't care."

The two of us smiled at each other as we took our seats together. We were in the middle of the theater with people on every side of us. I wasn't rather fond of the placement. But I knew that it was Brandt's idea. He wanted Steve to be in the center of the theater so that there could be a standing ovation on every side of him. It was all for fame. We took our seats together and I crossed my legs, staring at the empty screen. All around us I could hear kids, begging their mothers to come and see Steve, women that wanted to keep him some company, and men that were looking straight down my dress. I hated each one of them more than the next.

We were waiting for a while before a thought occurred to me. I glanced over at Steve with a bright smile on my face. "Is there a musical number in this?" I asked him softly.

"Please don't tell me that you invited the Star Spangled Singers to be in the movie?" Steve asked me.

Smiling brightly, I shook my head. The curls that were gently falling around my shoulders began to whip around my face as I pushed them off of my face. "No. But damn, I wish I had," I said wistfully.

The theater darkened a moment later and we watched. It started with a sequence where Steve was picking out the men that he wanted to be on his team. They went through a few minor missions, getting closer and closer to Hitler's headquarters. At least, that was what I thought was the climax of the movie. I even saw the scene where the men were marching and I smiled, spotting the actors all looking very proud of themselves. There wasn't very much dialogue in the movie, and the little bits of dialogue that there were, were very cheesy. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the climactic battle sequence with Steve firing his rifle rapidly at some Nazi's.

As the women and children gasped at all of the action that was playing out on the screen, I glanced over at Steve and saw that he was smiling at himself. "Proud of yourself?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Maybe just a little bit," Steve muttered.

I knew that he felt guilty because I didn't like all of this. "Hey. I don't love this... but... I'm proud of you. I really am. You've come a long way from that little punk that used to get beaten up in little back alleys," I told him, grabbing his hand, letting it rest in his lap.

Steve smiled at me, running his fingers over the back of my knuckles. "That's right. Now I get beaten up by my best friend. A five-foot-tall blonde girl," he told me, gently tugging at my curls.

Smiling to him, I gently pushed his hand away. "Mutant," I pointed out.

"Doesn't make a difference to me."

The two of us were smiling at each other until a blonde woman sitting at my other side leaned over and snarled at me. "Be quiet!" she hissed, seemingly enthralled with the movie.

"Like you don't know how this is going to end," I snapped at her.

Steve was smiling at me. "Never change, Vic," he said.

Settling back into my chair, I watched as the end of the movie came quickly. Captain America and the rest of his men managed to catch Hitler and arrest him for all of his crimes. Not without another good punch to the face, though. They celebrated together as the end of the war came, and, of course, Captain America was the national hero. It made me roll my eyes at them. They were all so excited for this. They had no idea just how terrible the entire war was. People died every day. And no one was really shown to die in the film. They didn't see just how dangerous the war was, and how brutal the deaths were.

Finally, after the entire thirty minutes of the movie had passed, and the few credits had rolled, the audience began to clap and cheer happily. Everyone was on their feet so that they could all clap at Steve. I noticed a few of the younger girls were all cheering at Steve, probably hoping that he would notice them. I glanced over at Steve and noticed that he was smiling brightly. He was very pleased with himself. I rolled my eyes as we stood to leave the theater.

Of course I should have figured that we would not be able to leave straightaway. It was a long time that we were stuck, allowing Steve to get everything done. He spoke with some fans and took pictures with the kids, allowing them to pretend that they were the super-soldier. It was rather amusing to watch the women trying to flirt with Steve. He did respond to some of them. Not that he really knew what to say. He just smiled at them awkwardly. He had to answer questions for a long time before we were finally ushered off by Brandt and Martin. It was the first thing that I had been thankful for them for since I'd met them.

We were ushered back to the car that was heading to the hotel. The moment that the door closed, drowning out the sound, I relaxed and sank back into the seat. "So what'd you think?" Steve asked me.

"I can slowly see your head actually growing," I teased.

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes. I raised a brow at him, wondering where this was going. "Don't worry, Vic. I'll always have time for the little guys," he told me, patting my leg patronizingly.

My jaw dropped. "I'm going to break your neck," I said.

The two of us stared at each other before breaking into a small smile. We both knew that we were teasing each other. I would never break his neck, even for all of the moments that I might have wanted to do just that. I knew that this was something that he really did need. People had been so awful to him that he had had a very low self-esteem. He was mildly happy with all of the attention that he was getting, but I knew that it wasn't getting to his head. It never would. That wasn't the kind of person that he was. Plus I knew that, as always, the one place that he would rather be was on the front lines.

October, 1942  
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

It had been just a few weeks since the movie had premiered. But it was now in mass production. It was one of the most successful movies that I had ever seen. It made it very hard for either one of us to get anywhere. People were thrilled whenever they saw Captain America. Of course, it was mildly funny that no one knew who Steve was when he wasn't in the Captain America uniform. But it had made the shows even more popular. After seeing the scene that Steve had made in the movie, it now meant that the shows were even more popular.

Just last week, we had returned to touring. It was obvious that Steve wasn't thrilled to be back on the stage, he obviously liked acting a little bit better since he didn't always have to keep up the facade, but the days were shorter with the stage shows. And we didn't have to do them every single night. That was a definite added bonus. And, considering that we were in Wisconsin, we were only doing a show every two nights or so, considering that it was a long trip in between the major cities. We would do each city for two or three days before moving onto the next one. We were in the middle of our Milwaukee stop.

A few hours ago we had come back from the biggest show that we had ever done. It had been terrifying for everyone involved. During the first show, we had had about a hundred people in the audience. There were two thousand people in the audience for this last show. It had made everyone nervous that it was such a large show. I could tell how nervous Steve had been. I felt terribly for him. He was the person that had to get up there and make an idiot out of himself. But at least the people seemed to be enjoying the shows.

Currently it was the middle of the night. I'd harassed Steve to come with me to train once the show was over. We'd waited three hours for everyone to fall asleep before coming down to the hotel ballroom. It was just past one in the morning as Steve and I engaged in another move. I was showing him all of the ways to escape from someone coming after him with a knife. He was dripping with sweat. He didn't look like he was about to drop from exhaustion, but he definitely looked tired. He had a much higher tolerance for exhaustion, but fighting me was not particularly fun, seeing as I never really got tired, and my punches never weakened.

The two of us were standing close to each other. Steve reached out to try and grab my hand, but it didn't matter. I raised my leg, sweeping it over his head. He dropped backwards, barely managing to miss my kick aimed to his head. It was probably a good thing. He had very nearly just had his head crushed in. Holding up my hand to get Steve to relax, he nodded, dropping backwards. He was staggering slightly, back and forth, probably hoping that we were ready to go back to bed. I grinned. We were not going to bed. We were just getting started out here.

"I think that you're ready to fight me," I told him brightly, very excited for this.

Steve looked like I had just asked him to jump from the roof. "I thought we've already been fighting?" he asked me, breathlessly.

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head. We weren't fighting. We had never really done a real fight, because I hadn't wanted to fight him. "No. I've been teaching you techniques and whatnot. We haven't actually done any real fighting. So tonight I want to go out there and fight you tonight. Show me that you've learned something," I told him.

Steve shook his head at me, taking a step back. "I think I'll pass on fighting you," he said.

"You're such a baby," I told him. He rolled his eyes at me. I brought up a gust of wind and shoved him backwards. He groaned and flew backwards, hitting the ground. "Get up. Come on," I called out.

"Vic, you just nearly kicked my head off of my shoulders," Steve said.

"I'm going to kick your head off of your shoulders if you don't stand up and get over here," I threatened.

He groaned once more as he peeled himself off of the ground. He sighed and shook his head free of the fuzz as he came a little bit closer to me. I noticed that he kept a slight distance. "Take it easy on me, alright?" Steve asked.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I shook my head. "You're a super-soldier," I argued.

"You're one of the most powerful mutants in the world," he pointed out.

A wide grin fell over my face. "Yeah. You're screwed," I said. We both laughed as Steve got down into the fighting position that I had showed him when we'd first started training. "Don't worry, I won't use any of my mutations," I promised. And I never did. Not the ones that I could turn on and off. The analytical reactions and pure strength I could do nothing about.

It didn't take longer than that for the two of us to begin fighting with each other. Steve kept up an arm and I rolled my eyes at him, deciding that I would be the one to make the first move. Steve put up his arms to block a punch, but that wasn't what I was going for. I slid underneath his legs and kicked out to the side, knocking him to the ground. Impressively enough, this time Steve didn't just lay there. He rolled back over himself - something that I had taught him - and straightened up. I grinned at him, proud that he was learning.

We fought back and forth for a long while. I made a point not to do any moves that I knew that Steve would have a hard time recovering from. I ran after him once more and threw a punch aimed at his head. He caught my arm and shoved me backwards. I took a step backwards and aimed a kick at his head. This one connected. But he managed to recover. He caught my leg at his neck but I used my other leg to throw my leg upwards and catch him around the back of the neck, throwing him over himself to the ground and tightening my legs around his throat. He was gasping for air before finally tapping my legs. I loosened them and stood back upright, Steve following a second later.

This time he was the one that made the first move. Unfortunately it was not a move that he should have made. He threw a punch and I ducked out of the way, catching his arm, and wrenched it backwards. Steve went to throw another punch to my face, but he was too slow. Using my grip on his arm as my leverage, I swung over myself, using my free hand to support myself, and wrapped my legs around his neck, hanging upside down for a moment. Using my weight, and Steve's, I went down onto my back and hopped back up. Steve was thrown over himself and splayed out heavily on his back, trying to get air back into his lungs from the heavy impact.

Standing back upright, I looked at Steve to see if he was alright. He was breathing in and out heavily, his hand over his stomach. "Jesus... That hurt," he muttered, sounding a little breathless.

"It wouldn't be a fight if it felt good," I pointed out. He nodded, a small whine escaping his mouth. "You alright?"

Steve nodded and stood back upright. "I'm fine. Let's go again," he said.

He was wiping his legs off. "You're sure?" I asked him cautiously.

"Yeah. I want to be able to stand up against you."

A small smile crossed my face. That was one of the many things that Steve said that made me proud of him. Most people would have given up the second that I'd taken him down like that. A woman would have never fought me again. Of course, she'd probably be dead already. And most men would have died the second that they realized that a woman could beat them. But here he was, getting thrown to the ground over and over again, with moves that would have broken bones on a normal person, and he was back up again. I watched him for a moment, debating on what I wanted to do. I supposed that I'd figure it out.

We stood still for a few moments. I nodded for Steve to move first. We began working on moves for Steve to try and stop an attack. I wasn't sure how fell he'd do, but I wanted him to try. Steve was standing facing me as I ran forward. He moved to throw me backwards, but a quick step to the side made him miss. I hopped up onto his torso and used my weight to throw him downwards. He hit the ground and fell backwards as I rolled forwards off of him, jumping back up to my feet.

Waiting for a moment, I watched Steve. I was very impressed when he managed to throw himself back to his feet. He gave no hesitation as he threw out a fist towards my head. I was rather surprised that he had done that. I could feel his desperation to win the fight. I ducked underneath his fist and watched as he threw out the other. I grabbed it before turning so that my back was facing his torso and threw my elbow into his face. He groaned and stumbled backwards as I released his arm and turned backwards, kicking him in the stomach. He stumbled backwards once more as I dropped to my hands and swept out his leg.

Steve groaned but flipped back up to his feet. I grinned. He was getting stronger and lither. It came from fighting me, who moved fast and struck hard. Steve and I fought back and forth, the two of us both moving as fast as we could. As Steve backed away from me, I sprinted towards him and used the leverage of a table to jump upright and grab Steve around the shoulders, throwing him to the ground. He grunted as we both sprang back up. As he ran back towards me, I grabbed his arm, holding it steady, wrapped a leg over it, and yanked him back to the ground. I flipped over myself, straightening back up.

"That was actually pretty good," I told him.

Steve was still laying on the ground. He ran his hands over his face, looking extremely exhausted. "I'm on the ground. Again," he groaned.

Smiling at him, I walked over and took a seat beside him. "If it makes you feel any better, these are attacks that a woman would use more than a man. Men will come straight at you. They focus on strength rather than acrobatics," I said.

Steve lifted his head off of the carpet and stared at me. "So why am I training in acrobatics?" he asked.

"Because a man won't be expecting that. These tend to throw off equilibrium. And that makes it a whole lot harder to win a fight, no matter how good you are," I said.

"I suppose that's a good point."

He would manage to win a fight at some point. And maybe the day would come that he could even beat me in a fight. "Trust me when I say this. If you can hold your own in a fight against me, you'll have no problem fighting against anyone else. I promise you that. You're getting better Steve. I can see it," I said. He smiled at me as we both got back to our feet. "Show me your kicks."

Nodding at me, Steve took a step backwards and took a deep breath. He was ready to keep moving, but he wanted to think first. He went back and forth, trying to kick at me over and over again. His kicks were strong and definitely hard to actually block. Not for me, at least. But it would be hard for an average person to block them. Steve gave a roundhouse kick that I very nearly missed, having to drop to my knees to avoid being kicked in the head. He looked very proud of himself as he continued to show me the kicks that he had learned. Every time that we fought I could see that he was getting faster and stronger.

As we continued to fight, Steve spoke to me. "What about weapons?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

He would get a gun when the time came to put him out on the front lines. "Shouldn't I have a weapon or something like that?" Steve asked as he aimed a kick to my stomach.

"We can get you a gun once you're out on the front lines," I suggested.

But he didn't seem overly interested in having a gun. "Something else. I don't know. Shouldn't a super-soldier have something other than a gun?" he asked as he aimed to sweep out my legs. I flipped over myself, easily missing the sweep.

"Getting a little bit fond of that shield?" I teased.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "Could come in handy," he said.

The two of us were now kicking back and forth. Some of mine had hit Steve and I almost felt bad, knowing that my kicks really didn't feel good. Steve threw out another kick and I flipped over myself to avoid it before straightening out and aiming a kick directly into Steve's abdomen. It was a little harder than I'd meant to kick him. He was ripped off of his feet as he went flying backwards across the ballroom floor. I cringed as I realized that he had landed in a heap in the far corner.

"Yes. I suppose that it would come in handy," I said, referring to the shield.

Steve lifted his head off of the carpet to glare at me. "You did that on purpose..." he muttered.

"Of course I did," I told him. "Up! Let's go again."

It took him a little while longer to get up again. He dropped back his head and groaned, obviously not very happy to have to fight me again. I did feel a little bit bad for him, knowing that he really didn't love this. He liked being about to fight someone and hold his own, but I was the wrong person to do that with. He couldn't beat me. It was why I frequently told him that he was doing a good job. I didn't want him to think that we were spending all of this time fighting for nothing. He really was improving. I could see that.

Finally Steve pushed himself back to his feet and I nodded. Knowing that Steve wouldn't like the move that I was about to show him, I decided to go for it anyways. It would probably hurt him a little bit, but it was enough to show him that there was more to fighting than just throwing a punch. That was only a very tiny part of it. Running towards Steve, I ducked past him and hopped back up, standing just a few feet behind him. Steve didn't have the chance to turn back. I ran after him and used his shoulder to flip myself around so that my thighs were wrapped around his throat and I was facing the ground. Using my body weight, I turned Steve in a circle before releasing, using my foot to throw him as I landed in a tuck and roll. Steve was thrown over himself and across the ballroom.

This time, Steve didn't immediately get back up. He was on his back and breathing out slowly. I could hear the pain riddled in his voice. "What the hell was that?" he asked me.

"It's called a head scissor take down."

It was something that I had learned from one of the trainers in Stryker's lab. They had shown me the moves to throw off larger fighters. "That's the worst thing that I've ever seen," Steve groaned.

"And we've got worse. Up!" I called out, not even close to being done with him.

October 21st, 1942  
Chicago, Illinois

As much fun as it had been to fight Steve a few weeks ago, Brandt had not been happy with him for it. He wasn't sure how, but he did notice that Steve had been limping around a little bit the next day. It had resulted in a show where Steve hadn't moved as much. It was rather funny having Brandt ask Steve if he had picked a fight with a truck. We had smiled at each other before heading back into the hotel. We had decided to put training on hold for a week or two to appease Brandt.

Not that he knew what we were doing. He ignored us if it didn't have anything to do with making money off of Captain America. It didn't matter to me. I knew that Steve was good enough to hold his own in a fight and that was all that mattered to me. So the next few weeks passed without another incident. Steve and I did some minor sparring, but nothing major. In the meantime, we had inched closer and closer to my birthday. And the day had finally come. It was my twenty-second birthday. It was the first birthday that I would be spending with one of the boys in quite a few years. It was rather odd.

The hour was still early. I had been intending to spend the morning with Steve before we had to go do the show. I was slowly getting changed and pulling my hair up into its usual tie. There was a knock at the door and I shouted for the person at the door to wait just a moment. I buttoned my shirt up the rest of the way and tugged on the jacket that was Bucky's. Once I was sure that I looked appropriate enough to answer the door, I walked over and swung open the door, coming face-to-face with one of the hotel employees.

"Here you are, ma'am," he said.

"Thank you."

He handed me a very small box that had a letter taped to the front. I smiled at the man and gently closed the door behind him. Once I had the door closed, I walked back over to the desk and gently set it down. I wasn't sure what was in it, but now I was curious. I took the letter first and smiled. It had Bucky's handwriting on the front. Had he somehow gotten me a present? I wasn't even aware that he could have sent me something. On the front of the letter was a note.

Deliver on October 21st

Vika,

Happy birthday! See? You thought that I would miss it. We got back from our last mission just a few days ago. I don't have a ton of time before we deploy on our next mission, but I wanted to get enough time to write you this letter. We're going off of the grid again soon, so I'll try and get a letter to you as soon as I possibly can.

So, what are you going to do on your twenty-first birthday? Do me a favor. Do something fun, alright? You work so hard all of the time. Take a day and go do something that you want to do. See if Steve will do something with you. You two used to always love doing things on your birthday. I'm sure that there's something that you can do other than a bunch of science junk or beating up Army recruits. Do it for me, alright? I'm really sorry that I couldn't make it home. I wish that I could have. It's been a long time since we spent one of your birthdays together. Next year, Vika. I promise.

Enclosed is your birthday present. I wish that I could be there to give it to you in person. Here's hoping that it made it to you in one piece. I don't know how careful they are with the things that we send.

Have a wonderful birthday. We'll spend the next one together. I love you. Don't waste that wish.

See you soon,  
Bucky.

Smiling softly at the letter, I took a breath and placed it to the side. It was always nice to get a letter from Bucky. It was something that had always made me smile, knowing that he still thought of me. I opened the box and saw that there was a small photograph on the top. Bucky was in the middle of the photograph, smiling at the camera. On the left was a man with a handlebar mustache and a bowler hat. He was in the middle of a hearty laugh. On the right was a black man that was rolling his eyes at the man on the left. I assumed that these were some of the friends that Bucky had made during his deployment. There was a note with the photograph.

On the left is Dum Dum Dugan. On the right is Gabe Jones. We're in Venice right now. This was taken by one of the local kids.

Shaking my head fondly, I placed down the photograph. These were the men that Bucky shared a tent with. They must have become some of his closer friends during deployment. I was glad that he had people to keep him company. I could imagine that deployment got a little lonely at times. I put everything off to the side and opened the box that held my present. There was another note that came with it. I picked up the note and read over it.

This is called Murano Glass. It's a special glass made on the Venetian island of Murano, which has apparently specialized in fancy glass wares for centuries. That's what they told me, anyways. I just thought that it was pretty. Hope you like it.

And, indeed, I did like it. The Murano glass was shaped like a tiger's head. Bucky had gotten off very lucky that it hadn't been broken so that I'd been able to tell what it was. It was flat and mostly black and orange. But there was one thing that I spotted. The eyes were a bright yellow. Smiling softly to myself, I took a deep breath and slipped it over my neck, tucking it underneath my shirt. Even though it had probably been weeks since Bucky had touched it, I felt like I was touching him. Swallowing a lump that was in my throat, I took a deep breath and gently wrapped my fingers around the pendant.

Sighing softly, I started to put everything away. I had a bag that I was always bringing with me from one place to another. All of the letters that Bucky sent me went in there. I placed the letters into the box and tucked them into the bottom of the bag. I wasn't left alone with my thoughts for very long. Something that I was grateful for. My thoughts tended to make me feel even lonelier. The phone began to ring and I stood from the chair, plopping into the chair by the bed, and picking up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Miss Phillips," a man that I had never heard before called into the phone. He obviously worked for the hotel. "There is a phone call for you. Would you like me to connect you?"

"Yes, please," I said.

There were a few clinks on the line before I could hear it connect to the person that was trying to call me. "Victoria?" Howard's voice called into the phone.

I smiled, glad to hear Howard's voice. "Good to hear from you, Howard," I chirped.

"Happy birthday, darling."

"Thank you."

"We can't chat long, but everyone wants to say hello," he told me.

That was fine by me. The only thing that I wanted was just to chat with everyone for a few minutes. Just to know that they were all still okay. "Alright," I said.

"What are your plans for your birthday?" Howard asked.

There weren't really any plans. I wasn't the kind of person that made a big fuss over my birthday. Not when I would have an immeasurable amount of them. "Oh, I'm not sure. Probably nothing. Train Steve for a while and do another show tonight. We're back to touring now that the Captain America movies are over," I said.

Howard was silent for a long while before he finally scoffed at me. I could practically see him rubbing his temples in frustration at me. "Those are the most pathetic birthday plans that I've ever heard," he said.

Narrowing my eyes at him, even though he couldn't see me, I shook my head. "I'm not exactly a party person," I pointed out.

Besides the few little dinner parties that we had had together, I had never been to a party before. "Next year we're going to have to give you a real party. You need to learn to actually have some fun," Howard told me.

"I can always electrocute you. That certainly puts a smile on my face," I said.

Both of us laughed at the thought. I would never really electrocute him. Not seriously, anyways. I just thought that it was funny to think about charring Howard. "Charming as ever," Howard said, making me smile. We both sat in silence for a little while before Howard spoke again. "What do you want for your birthday?"

"For you and everyone else to come home safe and sound," I said immediately.

That was the only thing that mattered to me right now. I had learned not to obsess over material objects a long time ago. "We're working on that. Alright, Peggy is bouncing back and forth and keeps smacking me to let her talk to you," Howard said. I laughed at the thought of Peggy irritating him to give her the phone. "Should I give the phone over?"

"Please and thank you. We'll talk soon, Howard," I promised him.

He was always a good person to put a smile on my face. "Alright. Love you, Victoria. Happy birthday. Do something fun," he said.

"I'll work on it. Love you too, Howard."

There was some clicking on the other end before things went quiet again. "Vicky?" Peggy's voice called.

"Hey, Peggy," I chirped.

"Oh, happy birthday, love!" she cheered.

I smiled at her. She did make me laugh. Birthdays were not a big deal to me, but it was nice that the others still thought that they were a big deal. "I'm not sure how much birthdays really mean to me anymore, Peggy. It's not like there's only so many that I'll be able to celebrate," I pointed out to her.

She scoffed at me. "Stop being such a downer. It's your birthday, Victoria. No matter how many of them you'll have, they're something to be celebrated," she snapped at me. "What are you doing today?"

"Nothing. You know, we have some promoting, I was thinking about training Steve for a little while. I don't know. Maybe I'll watch a movie in the hotel room. Everything that I do gets charged to Brandt," I said.

"In that case, buy something extremely expensive." Both Peggy and I laughed at the thought. I knew that she liked Brandt about as much as I did. "Sorry that I couldn't be there," she said softly.

"It's alright, Peggy. Hopefully on the next one."

"I hope. How are things?"

Shrugging my shoulders, even though she couldn't see me, I started to twirl the phone line in my hand. "Things could be worse. I can tell that Steve is having a good time. He likes all of the attention. It's stuff that he's never gotten before. Plus he's getting better with fighting," I said, smiling softly.

"Can he hold his own against you?"

Depended on what we were talking about. There were times that he could manage to hold his own. "In a fist fight? He'd be alright. He might not die." Peggy laughed at the way that I'd worded it. "But in a real fight? No way. I'd crush him in seconds. Doesn't matter though. He's not fighting me. He's fighting actual men," I said.

"That's the important part. Hopefully the two of you will be out here soon."

"I certainly hope so. Most people leave me alone, so I like that. But I miss seeing you all," I said.

"We'll be seeing each other soon enough. Did Barnes get you a letter?"

Twisting the necklace slightly, I smiled. "Yeah. He wrote a note on it asking the deliverer to wait until today to send it. He had a letter, a picture of him and some of his friends, and even a necklace that he bought overseas," I told her. She made a happy noise and I rolled my eyes at her. "Something called Murano Glass. It's pretty."

Even though I didn't really know what it was, it appeared that Peggy did know. "Wow," she breathed into the phone.

"You know what it is?" I asked her curiously.

Peggy gave me something akin to a laugh. "It's expensive," she said. My heart gave a funny lurch. He didn't have money... Only what he'd made. "Most of it is fake but there are some real ones. And if he was over in Italy, it's probably real."

"How much is it?" I asked her, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

"Probably everything that he's made since being enlisted."

"Oh..." I muttered.

We were silent for a moment, terrible guilt wracking through me, when Peggy spoke again. "You know what that means?" she asked me.

"That he's terrible with money management?" I quipped.

Even from here I could tell that Peggy was rolling her eyes at me. "That you obviously mean quite a bit to him. Victoria..." I sighed, knowing that I meant a lot to him. "You know what he's going to buy you on your next birthday when you see him?"

"Hopefully nothing. I don't like presents," I muttered.

"Don't be stupid!" Peggy snapped. There was a beat of silence for a while before I heard Peggy snap, "What are you looking at?" to someone that must have been staring at her.

I waited a few beats before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"A ring, you monkey."

My heart gave a funny surge. There was no way that Bucky would ever propose to me. I wasn't that kind of person. I would never be that kind of person. And he... he didn't care that much about me. "No. No way," I muttered.

Peggy sighed on the other end of the line. "You tell me honestly that you don't think that he's going to propose to you at some point or another," Peggy said, very bullheadedly.

Unable to stop myself, I spit out the thing that kept bothering me. "And how about once he knows what I am? How about once he knows the only type of life that he's going to get with me?" I asked her sharply.

"He won't care."

"We'll see."

And we would see. This wasn't exactly something that people could just get over. Despite what Steve said, I knew that I still unnerved him. And he hadn't seen what I could really do. "Look, Victoria, Chester is standing here and definitely wants to speak to you," Peggy eventually said.

"Okay. We'll talk soon, Peggy."

"Have a good birthday, Victoria."

"Thanks."

The phone began to click a little bit as they traded off. It was a few beats before Chester's scratchy voice called through the phone. "Victoria?"

"Hey, old man," I chirped.

"Happy birthday, brat."

Smiling at him, I nodded. He had forced me to ignore his birthday last year. I assumed that he didn't like thinking that he was getting older. "Thanks, old man. Think your old ass can manage to make it to the next one?" I teased.

"You're hysterical." I really thought that I was funny. "What'd your pet send you?" he asked after a beat.

My jaw dropped. It didn't take a genius to know that he was talking about Bucky. "That's so rude!" I exclaimed.

Chester obviously didn't care. "I don't like him."

Shaking my head at him, I laughed softly. "I know that you don't. He sent me something called Murano Glass," I said. The line was silent on Chester's end and I smiled. He must have known what it was. That would have been why he was staying silent. "Ah, nothing to say to that?"

"I suppose that's alright."

"It's a good present, old man. But there's one present that I'd rather have."

"He'll be there on your next one," Chester consoled me.

Raising my brow at him, I was definitely curious about his comment. He didn't like Bucky. Why would he want him back? "I thought that you didn't like him?" I asked.

"I don't. But I do happen to like you. And whatever makes you happy... I suppose that it makes me happy that you're happy."

It was one of the rare times that Chester said something like that. "That might just be the sweetest thing that you've ever said to me," I teased. There was a knock on the door to Steve's adjoining room. I knew that it was him. "Come in!" A moment later Steve popped through the doorway. I motioned for him to be quiet for just a second. "Look, old man, Steve is here. Can we talk soon?"

"Sure thing. Enjoy your day. We'll talk soon."

"Love you, old man. Thanks for the call," I said sweetly.

"Not a problem. Take care of yourself."

"You, too."

Placing the phone down, I sighed and glanced over at Steve. He was standing by the door and smiling at me. For a moment I was reminded of that little punk that got into fights in back alleys. "Happy birthday!" he called to me.

Laughing softly, I got up from the chair and moved over to Steve. He wrapped an arm around me and easily lifted me from the ground. The two of us both laughed as I tucked my head into the crook of his neck and shoulder. I knew that I must have weighed nothing for him. It was why during our fights, I had to use his own weight against him. We stayed locked in our hug for a long time. It was the first birthday that we had spent together in a long time. He placed me down after a minute and I backed away, pulling him to sit on the bed. I noticed for the first time that there was something in his arms.

Raising a brow at him, I looked at the wrapped present. "You actually got me a present?" I asked.

"Of course," Steve said.

"Can I open it?" I asked.

Steve gave me a teasing smile and I rolled my eyes. "Actually I was expecting you just to sit here and stare at it. I never thought that you might want to open it," he said.

"Shut up."

Steve laughed and handed me over the package. "Here. Go for it."

He gave me the package and I slowly pulled the brown paper off of it. There was a black photograph album and I glanced up at Steve with a small smile. I flipped open the book and began to slowly move through it. It didn't take me that long to place my hand over my mouth. It was one of the sweetest things that someone had ever given me. Some of the photographs were of us from childhood, some were from the USO Tour, and there were some that seemed to be from Bucky's deployment.

My hands were shaking as I flipped through the book. Steve came to sit next to me. "Had to have the neighbors go into the house to get those," he said, pointing to the pictures of us as kids. "And those were some of the ones that I've taken on the tour." There was rather cute picture of me miming the dance backstage. "And Bucky even sent me some in a letter a few weeks ago when I mentioned that this would be your present. Lots of room to add more over time."

There was a picture of Bucky winking at the camera that I found my hand hovering over. "I love it... Thank you, Steve," I muttered, closing the book and smiling up at him.

"You're welcome. I didn't have a lot of money -"

"Money means nothing to me," I spoke over him quickly. I'd rather be dirt poor than be a terrible person. "Trust me. My parents were some of the wealthiest people that you'd ever meet. But they were also some of the worst. It's what's on the inside that counts. Remember that, okay?" I asked, remembering Abraham's final request.

Steve nodded at me. "Do yourself a favor and remember that. It's what in here that means the world," he told me. He tapped me gently on the sternum with his pointer finger and I nodded sweetly at him.

We weren't in silence for long before Brandt's voice echoed. "Come on! Time for the show," he called.

Both Steve and I came to a stand. Before I could get to the door, though, Steve held out a hand to stop me. I raised a brow, wondering what his problem was. "Why don't you stay here tonight? You don't have to go out to the shows every single night. You can stay here and watch the television or something," he suggested.

I'd much rather be with him. That was all that I wanted for my birthday. "And miss you make an ass out of yourself? Yeah, right. That's the best birthday present that anyone could get me," I teased, nudging him gently.

We both laughed. "Hurry up!" Brandt called.

The two of us weren't standing far from the door when Brandt flung it open to yell at us again. It came very close to whacking Steve and I in the face. We turned towards Brandt, who was waiting very impatiently, and I glared. This was a day for the two of us to enjoy. So I brought up a force field that Brandt couldn't see and slammed the door in Brandt's face. He cried out as it whacked him in the nose and I laughed. Steve was clearly enjoying himself as he opened the door once more so that we could leave.

Walking past Brandt with a smile, I noticed that he had a little bit of a bloody nose. "Watch out for those doors, Brandt. Very vicious," I warned him.

Despite the fact that Brandt was shouting at us to not be late to the show, and trying to find a way to blame me for the door slamming closed in his face, it didn't matter. Steve and I made our way out of the room and to the show, his arm looped over my shoulders. It wasn't exactly the day that I wanted and it wasn't the day that I had been expecting, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I had people that loved me and vice versa. It was the first time in a long time that I'd had that luxury.

Bucky's P.O.V.

October 21st, 1942  
Venice, Italy

As people walked back and forth across the camp, Bucky did the same. But there wasn't enough to keep him busy. He had too much to think about. Not just everything that was happening at the camp. He was thinking about her. Just as he always was. It was almost impossible to keep her out of his thoughts. He missed her desperately. It had been over a half of a year since he'd last seen her. Almost like she had head his greatest desire, Bucky spotted her. She was standing at the edge of the wood line, beckoning him to her.

And that was when he realized that, as usual, he was dreaming about her. He always seemed to be dreaming about her. "A dream... You keep coming up in my dreams..." he muttered to her as he met her near the trees.

"I can leave if you'd like," she teased, turning away.

Even though it was just his dream, he didn't want her to leave yet. He wanted to see her. Even if it was just a few seconds in a dream. "No! No. Don't leave," he told her softly.

"You miss me that much that you're already dreaming about me?" she teased him.

Her personality was exactly the same in dreams as it was in real life. Teasing. All of the time. "Believe it or not, you've been in my dreams for a long time. You were in my dreams quite a bit during all of the years that you were gone. Sometimes I'd think that you were back," he told her.

Even in his dreams, whenever he brought up where she had been for all of those years, she turned sad. "I want to tell you what happened to me for all of those years," she told him softly.

"Tell me when I'm back home, okay?" he offered.

She nodded at him. "We can make that deal." She looked him over and the frown on her face quickly turned up into a smile. "Look at you. You look so professional out here. You look like you really know what you're doing," she said.

"Are you proud of me?" he asked her.

"I'll always be proud of you. Look at the man that you've turned into," she told him.

Her hand gently laid on his chest. It was ice cold. "God I miss you," he muttered to her, reaching up to touch her face.

Just like the rest of her, it was cold. He gently brushed her hair off of her face and she smiled. "I'm right here. Whenever you want to see me, you can just close your eyes. Close your eyes and I'll be right here. And when the time comes... You won't even have to close your eyes to see me," she said, her voice echoing softly.

"I wish that I didn't have to close my eyes to see you. I wish that you could just be right here," he told her.

"I'm here now."

"But I still can't touch you," Bucky said softly.

Sure, he could touch her right now, but it wasn't really her. She wasn't the same person that he had left all those months ago. "Maybe not right now. But when you get home..." she trailed off, her yellow eyes sparkling.

Bucky laughed at her. "You're quite a bit more daring in my dreams," he said.

She shook her head at him and motioned to his chest. "This isn't me. This is all you. You're the one that's not thinking anything proper about me," she said through a laugh.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders at her. "So I miss you, sue me," he said. She smiled and nodded at him. All of the men thought the same things about their women when they were alone. "It's your birthday today," he said after a beat.

"You get me a present?"

"I didn't think that I'd be seeing you today. I'll get you a present next year. How's that?" he said.

"You're gonna be back next year?" she asked.

There was a jolt in his stomach. It wasn't her saying that. It was him. But he needed to be back. He would be back. He had promised her. "I'll try my hardest," he said softly.

"What are you gonna get me?"

He had never really known what to get her for her birthday. She didn't like materialistic things. "Anything that you want?" he offered. She shook her head. "No. You've never been very materialistic. How about a ring? That finger looks a little lonely."

She smiled at him. "Are you ready for that?" she asked.

"I've been ready for that since the moment that I met you," he said.

"Good."

His hand was still on the back of her neck. She was standing pressed against him when he gently tugged her into him. He smiled as their lips met. It had been such a long time since he had kissed her. He missed it. He missed everything about her. His free hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him, as her arms wrapped around her neck. He gently began to press her back against a tree, his stomach giving a little flip. Her hand tugged at the collar of the brown knitted shirt that he was wearing. As he pressed a little harder against her, he felt the tree give way and he began to fall.

And he didn't stop falling until he hit the rough ground as he toppled out of the cot that he had been asleep in. Bucky punched the ground irritably. "Damn it," he muttered.

"The hell were you dreaming about?" Dugan asked as he flitted back and forth through the tent.

"The same thing that we all dream about," Bucky muttered.

Both Jones and Dugan laughed at his misfortune. He wasn't the first person to fall from bed after a dream like that. "Can't say that I blame you, man. Half a year we've been out here," Jones sighed.

Dugan sighed and smacked Jones on the back. "And we'll be out here longer than that," he said. And he was right about that. They would be out here for a long time. "You alright, Barnes? You look more out there than normal," Dugan said.

"Today's my girls' birthday," Bucky muttered.

Both of the men shared a look with each other before looking back at Bucky. Some of the men had already missed their girls' birthdays, and it always hurt. "That's nice. Sorry that you had to miss it," Dugan said softly.

"How old is she?" Jones asked, trying to distract Bucky.

"Twenty-two."

Dugan raised a brow. "I didn't know that your girl was a few years younger than you," he said.

They all knew that Bucky was twenty-five. He was one of the younger guys in the infantry. "Yeah. Three. Doesn't matter. She's ten times smarter than I'll ever be," Bucky said with a little laugh.

"We never doubted that," Dugan said.

They were all pleased to see Bucky laugh. "What's she doing for her birthday?" Jones asked.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. She never had really been the type of person to go to parties. She used to always tell Bucky to go to the school functions while she stayed at home, not wanting to see anyone. "I'm not sure. I asked her to go and do something to try and have a good time on her birthday, but she's not really a normal person. She doesn't want to go out and have a party," Bucky told them.

The thing that might have sounded a little weird to some people merely made Dugan and Jones smile. "Barnes, I think you've got yourself a good girl. If I were you, I'd never let her go," Jones said.

Bucky smiled at the thought. He didn't care about any of the weird things that surrounded her. The only thing that mattered was that he loved her. And he always would. There was nothing that would ever change that. "I'm never letting her go. Never," Bucky said. It was one of the few things that he was absolutely positive of in the world. He would always be with her.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

December 25th, 1942  
Baltimore, Maryland

For the first time in a long time, I found myself nervous about Christmas Day. It had been a long time since I'd actually celebrated a Christmas. When I was a child, there were no presents. There were no calendars and all of my days were spent studying. To me, Christmas had just been another day. As I got a little bit older, and lived with the Rogers' and Barnes', Christmases became something to celebrate. But then I'd gone with Stryker. There were no holidays. I kept track of the days in my mind, but it meant nothing to me. It was just another day spent in misery. And last year I'd only just met Chester. We hadn't known each other that well, so we'd merely spent the day together and had a nicer dinner. There were no presents. Just a day for making a new friend.

Currently I was pacing back and forth through the halls. Steve's present was in my hands. I didn't know whether or not he would like it, but I hoped that he would. It had been such a long time since I had bought a present for either one of the boys. In all honesty, I wasn't really sure what they liked anymore. I knew that they both liked me. That was about it. But it wasn't really the present that I was nervous for. It was more because, with each passing day, I saw how much closer we were becoming. I supposed that I was still terrified of having to leave them again. Or maybe I was scared of having them ripped away from me.

As a matter of fact, I'd already had Bucky ripped away from me. But he would come back. He had promised me that he would come back to me. And I just had to trust him with that. This was the first Christmas that I had spent with one of the boys in a long time. It had been just after Christmas when I had met up with Bucky earlier this year. I sighed as I headed back towards Steve's room. Wherever Bucky was, I really hoped that he was having a nice day. I wanted him to be happy. That was what Christmas was for. And I knew that he was hoping that I was having a good day. I just wished that he had been here.

To my genuine pleasure, I had gotten a letter a few days ago from Bucky that had wished me a Merry Christmas. He had mentioned that he was writing it in the very beginning of December, just so that we could get the letters out before Christmas. We hadn't sent each other any presents. I'd promised him that we would save up the money to get each other real presents next year. I couldn't help but to wonder if he was thinking of a ring. He had mentioned that he was saving up for something special. I had written him a letter back and I hoped that it had arrived to him by now. I wanted to give him something to smile about today.

Just last week I had been on the phone with everyone overseas for a long time. It was in the event that we couldn't talk tonight. I was hoping that they would call, even if it was just for a few minutes. I'd chatted with Howard, Peggy, and Chester; just to ensure that we would wish each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in the event that we didn't talk again. But I had gotten the chance to hear that Howard was creating a new bomber plane, Peggy was trying to map out the Hydra bases with all of the information that we had, and Chester was carefully deploying and moving the troops.

Finally gathering myself together, I knocked on the door to Steve's room. The door opened a moment later and I was faced with a smiling Steve. "Merry Christmas, Steve," I said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Vic," he said, smiling brightly.

The two of us caught each other in a tight embrace as he pulled me into his room and gently shut the door behind us. "It's been a long time since I've said that," I said as I took a seat on the ottoman at the foot of his bed.

Steve smiled at me again. I saw that there was a wrapped present in the corner of the room. I looked away from it as he began to speak. "We still included you during the holidays," he said. I raised a brow at him, wondering what he meant. "We'd go outside and stay together. Just for a few minutes. Just the two of us." I knew that he meant himself and Bucky. "We'd do it on your birthday, too. Just in case... somehow... somewhere you'd hear us. Just so that you knew, just so that we knew, that you still meant something to us."

"I know that you did," I admitted.

Steve looked shocked. "How?" he asked me.

Taking a deep breath, I relived a memory that I was not very fond of. "When I went into the hydro-chamber... it was a lot on the human body. My heart rate went over two hundred. My blood pressure skyrocketed. Everything was going into overdrive. I thought that I was going to die. But I heard you both out there. I heard you both thinking about me. And that was when I told myself that I wasn't going to die. So I stood up and did something about it," I admitted to him.

Sighing softly at me, Steve leaned over and grabbed my hand, pulling me gently into him. "You're never going to have to do that again. We're always going to be here for you. For as long as we possibly can be," Steve told me.

A small smile fell over my face. I knew that he would be here until he died. I could just hope that they would both be here until they died. And I wanted to push that off as long as possible. "I know that. And that was the last time that I'm ever going to leave you both. I made my mistake. I'll never make that mistake again. I promise you that," I said.

It was completely honest. There was no way in hell that I was ever leaving them. Not again. "I believe you," Steve said. We were quiet for a minute before Steve reached over and grabbed the small gift that sat in the corner. "Hey, I got you something. It's not much -"

"I don't care," I interrupted.

It could have been a piece of paper that had a little poem on it, and it could have been the worst poem in the world, but that didn't matter to me. The only thing that mattered was that he was here and we were together. I grabbed the present and gently pulled the paper off of it. It was flexible, whatever it was. I peeled the paper off of it and smiled when I realized that it was a military grade jacket. It was a thick leather that had been dyed a dark green. My name was emblazoned over the back. I turned it back over and smiled when I spotted it. Written across the chest, where the name would normally go, was Savage.

Almost immediately I slipped it over my shoulders, smiling at the warmth. "You're not just one thing or another. You're both. A Sergeant in the Army that anyone would be an idiot to mess with. And one of the most powerful mutants to ever exist. You don't have to pick. You're both. That's what makes you special," Steve told me.

"It's perfect," I said, tucking myself into it.

Steve smiled brightly. It was the first present that he had given me in a long time. And it was better than all of the ones that had come before it. "I'm glad that you like it," he said.

"I got you something, too."

Reaching behind me, I handed him the very small package. It wasn't much, but Chester had only left me with so much money before leaving, so I had to be a little thin with my present. He opened the small package and I saw a smile grace his face almost immediately. He always looked so much better when he started smiling. It was a pair of dog tags, similar to the ones that the men that went through basic training received. They had Captain America written on one side, with a circular shield that had a star in the center of the other side. On the spare dog tag, Steve Rogers was written.

He pulled them over his head and I smiled bashfully. "It's not a lot, but it's something that every Soldier needs. Their dog tags," I said. I reached into my shirt and pulled out the dog tags that I had made with Logan in mind. Bucky's Christmas present was intertwined with them. "Even I have a pair. Now you have a set of your own."

Steve seemed very happy with the present, despite the fact that it wasn't really that thrilling. "They're great, Vic. I don't need anything magnificent," he said, patting them down over his white shirt.

Moving slightly closer to him, I patted his arm and smiled brightly. "You're magnificent enough." We both laughed at my comment. He was kind of magnificent. "Hey... it's the same thing. You don't have to just be a performing monkey. You aren't. You might be Captain America, but he doesn't have to be a show boy. He can be a real Soldier. He can be the man that Steve Rogers always wanted to be," I said.

We both had things that we wanted to live up to. It was just a matter of making everything work. "I've still got faith in us, Vic," Steve said, patting me on the back.

"As long as there's a breath left in me, I'm always going to have faith in you," I told him.

And we knew what the meaning of that statement was. I would always have faith in Steve. "Come on," Steve chirped, pulling me off of the bed without effort. "There's a buffet downstairs and I don't want to miss that."

"Got a bigger appetite now, huh?" I teased.

Steve laughed at me and nodded. I'd known that it would be a side effect. He would be a lot hungrier. And I had noticed that, considering how much more he had been eating over the past few months. "You know, somehow I really don't mind being able to eat all of the food that I can," he told me.

He had never really been able to eat that much before. This must have been nice for him. "Well I'll fight you for the chocolate cake," I told him, not really joking at all.

It was Bucky that didn't like chocolate. Steve and I were there if chocolate was involved. "If it's chocolate cake that we're fighting over, you might just lose that one," Steve said.

We both laughed as we turned and headed back downstairs to the banquet hall. It was a good thing that there were more than just a few slices of the chocolate cake. There was food set up everywhere in the small ballroom. Steve and I shared a small grin as we took a seat in between Brandt and Martin. There was a small dent in the wall from where I had kicked Steve into it a few days ago. Everyone seemed to believe that it was from a few rowdy teenagers one night.

It was well past dinnertime when we finally finished everything downstairs. Between the twenty Star Spangled Dancers - that didn't eat much more than salads - the eight people that ran the tour - most of whom were too busy promoting themselves to actually eat anything on the table - and Steve and I, most of the food had been wasted. But that was alright. I didn't have to speak with anyone other than Steve. I did give Christina a little grin. I had made a point to wear Bucky's jacket down to dinner. It had been a long time since I'd been as pleased when I'd seen her eyes lock onto the Barnes that was written across my chest.

The best part was that I didn't have to deal with any of the shows tonight. There had been some talk that we might have a show tonight, but Steve had shot that idea down. He wanted people to spend their holidays at home with their family, not cheering on a fake war figurehead. It was late when I finally headed back upstairs into my room, saying goodnight to Steve. I had just barely managed to get changed into my silk pajamas before the phone began to ring. Gently placing everything back into their drawers, I crossed the room once more and plopped down into the bed, picking the phone up.

"Hello?" I called excitedly, knowing who was calling me.

"Front desk, ma'am. You have a call. Would you like me to forward it?"

"Please," I said.

The line went silent for a few moments before connecting. Almost immediately, I could hear the cheers, laughter, and singing that was happening in the background. "Merry Christmas, darling," Howard's voice half-sang.

Smiling to myself, I shook my head. He had been drinking. I could hear it in his voice. "Merry Christmas, Howard," I chirped.

It was late over in England. I was surprised that they were even awake still. Of course, it was a holiday. I could assume that they hadn't been doing that much. "It's late and everyone is tired. But a few people wanted to say hello to you and wish you a Merry Christmas," he told me.

"I'd like that," I said happily.

Even though we couldn't all be together today, I was happy to get a chance to at least say hello. "What did you do today?" Howard asked me.

There really wasn't much that I had done. But it was the best day that I could remember having in a long time. "Steve and I spent the day together. There was no show so it was just a day for the two of us to spend together. It was nice. We exchanged our presents. Not much. But everything that we needed," I said.

"That sounds nice. Next year everyone will have a Christmas together, okay?" Howard offered. I smiled at the thought. It was something that seemed like it was only a dream. But I knew that it would happen at some point. It had to. "Peggy, Chester, Steve, Bucky, you, and me. All of us, together. You'll love that."

It would be particularly amusing trying to watch Bucky and Chester get along. "I'll hold you up to that," I said.

Howard chuckled softly and I heard him speak softly to someone else on his end of the line. "Peggy wants to say hello. I'll call you in a few weeks," Howard told me.

Smiling into the phone, I nodded. "Take it easy, Howard. Merry Christmas," I said softly.

"You, too."

There was some chatter on the other end of the line and I waited, leaving my feet tucked underneath the blankets, waiting patiently. Finally the chatter ended and the phone clicked. "Merry Christmas, Vicky!" Peggy chirped.

Almost immediately I straightened up. "Merry Christmas, Peggy!" I called back to her. I wished that we could be together today. I did miss her. "How are things?" I asked her after a beat.

Peggy gave a little sound that I imagined went with a shrug. "Not exactly the Christmas that I would have liked, but it's not that bad. Glad to at least have Howard around, as much as he might annoy me," she said, making me laugh. As much as I loved Howard, he had a knack for driving people insane. "How were things on your end?"

"Didn't really talk to anyone other than Steve. But that was all that I wanted," I said.

And it really was everything that I wanted. If I couldn't have Bucky, Peggy, Howard, or Chester, it meant that the only person that I wanted to be around on Christmas was Steve. "That actually sounds nice." I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Did you hear from Bucky recently?" she asked.

She was the one person that always asked me about Bucky. Other than Steve, of course. "Just a few weeks ago. Letters go so slowly that it takes a while for them to get back and forth. I sent him another one and I hope that it got to him before today," I said.

"Either way, he knows how you feel about him," Peggy pointed out.

She was right about that. At least, Bucky had damn well better know how I felt about him. "That's true. He knows that I'll kill him if he does anything stupid," I half-joked.

If he did something stupid out there, I really would kill him. And that was not a joke. Peggy laughed on the other end. "That he does. He's no fool, Victoria. He'll be back to you soon enough," she told me.

It really did hurt that he wasn't here, spending Christmas with Steve and me. "I'm hoping that this is the last Christmas that we'll have to spend apart," I muttered.

"I'll be hoping that he's back to you by Halloween," Peggy said.

It was something that I appreciated. He would be back to me in time. In the meantime we just had to hope. "Maybe wishful thinking will do something this time," I said, not really that hopeful.

Hoping would do nothing other than breed disappointment. As much as I really didn't want to be a downer, that was the truth. "Just know that wherever he is today, he's thinking about you," Peggy said softly.

"That makes two of us," I said softly. Knowing that this wasn't the happiest topic to be talking about on a holiday that was supposed to be about happiness, I tried to change the subject. "I hope that things are going good overseas. I know that I'm not the only one that's having a hard time with everything."

Peggy sighed. I imagined that things were as repetitive on her end as they were on mine. "Like I said, things could be worse. We're not making much progress, but these things take time. Everyone knew that it would take more than a year to end the war," she said.

I could feel the exasperation in her voice. It seemed to be a recurring theme these days. "Hopefully once Steve and I get over there, things will speed up," I told her.

"I believe that they will." The line was silent for a moment before Peggy sighed. "Okay, Chester keeps glaring at me. I think that means that it's his time to talk to you." I smiled and laughed softly. I'd been wondering how long Chester would let them talk to me before asking for the phone. "I'm heading to bed anyways. I'll talk to you soon, Vicky. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Pegs. We'll talk soon," I said.

The line was a little fuzzy for a few seconds. I could hear some scratching and conversations before the phone was obviously picked up again. "Merry Christmas, kid," Chester said, sounding happy for the first time in a while.

Smiling into the line, I said, "Merry Christmas, old man. How are things?"

Hopefully things were still okay over in England. "Things are good," Chester said. I know that he was lying to me, keeping the bad things that had happened away from me. "Sorry that I couldn't be there with you," he added.

We weren't exactly the loving kind of people. It was okay that he wasn't here, but I would have liked to see him. If nothing else, I could have jokingly bought him a cane for Christmas. "Take Steve and I'll be out there in time for the New Year," I tried.

"Have you been training him?" Chester asked, surprising me slightly.

"Yes."

"Can he beat you?"

Here we go again... I knew that Chester wanted to make it a point that since Steve couldn't beat me, it must have meant that he couldn't beat anyone. "Well - No. But to be fair, no one can beat me," I said quickly, before Chester could speak.

Chester scoffed at me. I knew that he was shaking his head. "Let me know when he can beat you," he said.

Once more I rolled my eyes. He was so wrong about the whole Steve situation. He would make a great soldier. Chester just needed to see that. "You know, we're going to be out there one day, and I'm going to prove to you that he's stronger than you think that he is. He deserves to be overseas, old man," I snapped at him.

"You'll get over here soon enough. And we'll see about the Star Spangled Man with a plan," he conceded.

He was slowly warming up to the idea of having Steve overseas. Mostly because I kept bothering him about everything. "He's going to prove you wrong," I told Chester.

"I'm sure." It sounded like he was definitely not sure. "You doing alright?" Chester asked after a few seconds.

"Wishing that everyone was back home. Wish that I knew where Bucky was," I muttered.

Chester didn't particularly love Bucky - actually he hated him - but he was reasonably good about listening to me complain about not having him around. "Milan," Chester said. I raised my brows, wondering what he meant by that. "That's the last place that I heard that the 107th was going."

Those were the moments that I knew that Chester would get over his hatred of Bucky. Strictly because he knew what Bucky meant to me. "Thanks. Is it safe there?" I asked.

Chester sighed. I knew that it wasn't a good question. "It's not safe anywhere over here, Victoria. But it's not the worst place that he could be in," he told me. I nodded, knowing that he could have been closer to Germany. "Don't worry about him. He's going to be fine. He'll be back to groveling at your feet in no time."

We both laughed at that comment. "You do have a certain way with words," I teased.

"So I've been told," Chester said, making me smile once more. "Alright kid, it's getting late, and you should head to bed soon. Goodnight, Victoria. Merry Christmas. We'll talk again soon."

"Sure thing. Goodnight, old man. Take it easy. And Merry Christmas," I added.

Taking my time, I gently placed the headset back down on the receiver and stood from the bed. It was late, but I wasn't really sure that I could bring myself to go to bed. Not when there were so many thoughts in my head. So I crossed the room to stand over at the open window. Bucky's jacket went back around my shoulders as fireworks began to burst in the distance. They were pretty. It made me smile at the sight of them. I remembered that one of Bucky's favorite things were fireworks. For a brief moment I wondered if he had seen any overseas. I hoped that he had. Or, at least, I hoped that we could bring him to see fireworks when he came back home.

Sitting at the desk, I kicked my feet back and smiled, closing my eyes as I tilted my head towards the ceiling. "Merry Christmas, Bucky," I whispered softly, wondering if he might have heard me.

Even though it wasn't the Christmas that I had wanted, it was the Christmas that I had gotten. Bucky was safe, wherever he was. He would be home soon enough. Steve was starting to come into his own, knowing that Captain America could be used as something more than an action figure. Chester, Howard, and Peggy were still my family - no matter what. They would always care about me and I would always care about them. It wasn't exactly what I had been expecting, but it was everything that I could have wanted. And by next Christmas, I intended for things to be quite a bit different. But, in the meantime, I'd enjoy everything that I had.

Bucky's P.O.V.

December 25th, 1942  
Milan, Italy

It was barely forty degrees, and that meant that everyone was gathered around the fireplace. It was a nice night, despite the fact that the air was icy. It was nice enough that snow had not started yet, and Bucky was happy for that. He wanted to save the snow for as long as possible. It was much colder in Italy than it was in New York, so he wanted to keep the weather warmer. He was wrapped in his own jacket as he sat in between Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones, laughing and chatting with the rest of the 107th infantry. It was late and they were only operating by the light of the fire, but it was the happiest that he had seen everyone in a long while.

He knew that everyone would have rather been back home today. Bucky would have much rather been back home with Steve and Vika. He wanted to be picking out a tree and opening presents. But things could have been worse. This was the first major holiday that they were all spending away from their families. And that was something that no one liked. It led for a sad air around the camp. But people were making the best out of it. They were gone from their homes, but they were safe for the time being. And that was the only thing that mattered. There were no missions today and it was the first time in weeks that the food didn't seem poisonous.

There were no presents that were exchanged between the men, but they had already been expecting that. No one really had any money anyways. And it just reminded them that they weren't getting anything from their loved ones. Bucky had already spent a good chunk of his money on Vika's birthday present. He intended to save his money for a ring at this point. The men had merely exchanged words with each other and had shared with the others what they normally would have been doing on the holiday.

Bucky had always done the same thing during Christmas. When he was a kid he would wake up early in the morning, shout at his parents and siblings to wake up, and then he would run out to the living room to open presents. He remembered the first year that Vika had been around. It was very obvious that she'd never had a Christmas before. In the morning his parents had been shocked to find that a little girl was in their home. But Bucky had explained that she was lost with nowhere to go. So his parents had agreed to keep her for a few weeks and look for someone else to take her. But then they had fallen in love with her, just like he had.

So they had gone through plenty of Christmases afterwards. The first one that she had really been around for had been a blast. She had been shocked to see all of the presents that were waiting for her. It was the first time that he'd seen her genuinely speechless. As they got older, they always exchanged sweet presents and words. And then the years had come that she'd been gone. He would always take some time just to be with Steve and reminisce about the years with her. It had shocked him when she'd waltzed right back into his life. He had been so excited to see her this year. But, once more, he was gone on her favorite holiday.

Next year, he promised himself. Just as Bucky leaned over for another helping, the breeze around the campsite whipped up slightly. Pulling himself into his coat as he grabbed his mug of coffee, he could have sworn that he heard a whisper in the wind.

Merry Christmas, Bucky.

Smiling into his mug of coffee, he laughed as the eggnog that they had picked up a few days ago began to go to the men's heads. This was the first day in a long time that things had felt hopeful. Bucky smiled to himself and turned away from the campsite, almost sure that he saw her whitish-blonde hair flashing through the trees.

"Merry Christmas, Vika," he whispered, allowing the wind to carry away the thought.

As the other men drew his attention back to them, he managed to push her to the back of his mind. As much as he loved her, he couldn't be spending all of his time thinking about a woman that didn't even know that he was thinking about her. He would never know that over four thousand miles away, that exact woman had heard him, and she was smiling broadly. It was the first time that either one of them had felt completely at peace in eight months.

January, 1943  
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Christmas had come and gone, and so had the New Year. The weather was becoming colder and I found myself more frequently wrapping myself in someone's coat. Usually Steve's. The New Year had been the first one that I had actually celebrated in a long time. The entire Captain America USO Tour group had been up on the roof at midnight. I'd counted down with everyone else, actually chatting with the women from the Star Spangled Dancers for the first time in almost a year. They were okay, but not someone that I wanted to speak to regularly. It had been a good time, regardless. And, at midnight, Steve and I had shared kisses on the cheeks. It had been a good time to celebrate together.

It was a nice time, being able to celebrate the New Year. It kept making me think that everything was going to get better. I had faith that this would be my year. I'd spend the beginning with Steve, training him to be the perfect super-soldier. I'd eventually join the war efforts, and hopefully Bucky would be back with me by the end of the year. Those were my plans. I could just hope that they would all go according to plan. I had faith that things would work out for me this year. Maybe Bucky would even finally learn the truth about me this year.

By now the shows had become so popular that Captain America had extended well beyond just the one movie and a few stage shows a week. There was now even a Captain America comic book. I particularly enjoyed the front cover of Captain America punching Hitler in the face. It was much more impressive than the fake punch that they threw in the show. It was very loosely based off of what had happened in real life.

It was all about a skinny man named Steve Rogers becoming the super-soldier, Captain America. Towards the end of the comic, the doctor that had been based off of Abraham had been killed by Heinz Kruger, Captain America had captured Kruger, and the people spotted him. They were all wondering who he was at the end. Back at Camp Lehigh, a man - based off of Bucky - spotted Steve changing into his Captain America suit. After promising to keep the secret, the two agreed to go off fighting the Nazi's together. They were apparently making another comic at some time soon. Either way, it made me laugh hysterically at just how stupid it was. I had bought a copy with a promise that I would show Bucky the moment that he got back home.

Another good one was the radio show that they were broadcasting, both across the United States and into some part of Europe. It was called The Captain America Adventure Show. It had only just started, and was incredibly historically inaccurate. I imagined that someone was giving away the details of their private lives. The first show had been all about Captain America fighting Nazi's and Hitler, all while saving his damsel in distress girlfriend, Betty Carver. She was obviously loosely based off of Peggy. It was rather amusing when Peggy had called me one day asking about it and shouting for a long time about how she looked like a typical, useless, woman. The USO was obviously having a good time making both Steve and Peggy look like an idiot.

After our phone call I had promised her that I would try to stop them from continuing the radio shows. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but they hadn't had another show since. Although that first one played pretty frequently. By the way that Steve and I were fighting currently - down in the ballroom so we had enough room - it was pretty obvious that he was frustrated. He had been learning the acrobatic moves well. He flipped over himself and very nearly kicked me in the head. I ducked out of the way in time and made a move to catch him around the head with my elbow. But he held up an arm to stop me.

"Hang on," Steve said, and I nodded, waiting for him to gain his breath back. It only took a matter of seconds. "Show me the moves that you use."

My eyebrows rose. "The moves that I use?" I asked. Steve nodded at me. I was rather hesitant to show him. "They're not the same kind of moves that other people will use on you."

"I know. That's why I want to learn them. You teach me how to do these moves and I'll have something different to use on anyone that I'm fighting," Steve argued with me.

It wasn't a half-bad reason, but he had been doing so well with the straightforward attacks. "Well..." I trailed off.

"Come on, Vic. You told me that these aren't the normal kind of moves that people use. That means that people won't be expecting it. You've already taught me how to throw a punch and kick someone through a wall." I smiled at him. His kicks were seriously strong. "You mentioned that I move fluidly. You thought that I'd be good with acrobatics," he added.

He was right about that. He moved very much like a ballet dancer. He was strong but balanced. It was something that even I didn't do that well with. I was strong and fast. Flexible, too. Balanced was another question. "I still do. You have movements that indicate that you grew up learning from a dancer. Your mother," I said, a smile falling over my face.

Before she had passed away, Steve's mother had been a ballet dancer. "She was a dancer," Steve said fondly.

"I know. And you can see it in the way that you move."

"Teach me. Please," Steve begged.

There was no reason not to teach him. He'd been doing so well. "Okay. Bear in mind that if you ever use these, they don't particularly cause a lot of damage. They're more used to disorient an opponent, making a win easier. The only way to cause a lot of damage is by slamming the head down to the floor first. You're large enough that you might be able to cause some real damage with one of these," I pointed out.

"Okay."

"We're going to do these moves. Some of them are designed to put you in some kind of a choke-hold. We'll do it in a tap-out style. You want me to let up, tap me," I said.

"I can do that."

When I had been trained, I would get a knife to the throat if I'd been caught in a hold for too long. I wouldn't hurt him, just hold him as long as he could tolerate. "And remember, I had seven years of training. With much less favorable circumstances if I lost the fight," I added the last part softly.

Steve moved towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know, Vic. I just want to make you proud," he said.

A small smile fell over my face. He would always make me proud. "You already have," I said, earning a small smile. "Come on."

The two of us moved into the middle of the ballroom. The last thing that I wanted was to accidentally smash his face into the wall. I had Steve turn from me and take a few steps forward. I ran after him and grabbed his shoulders and underneath his arm, using that leverage to pull myself up. My thighs went around Steve's neck as I swung towards the ground. As we turned, I released myself so that I was around his back. I shoved him down to the ground, pinned his legs backwards, and laid over him, keeping my hand pressed against his chest.

Steve was stuck in a very awkward position. His legs were pressed up against his chest with me sitting on top of him. "Use that during a knife fight. They are trapped under their own weight and you'll have a hand free to stab them," I told Steve, jumping up and allowing him a hand back to his feet. "Running at them also makes it easier."

"So bad for close-up fighting?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Depends on how close. You just need a few feet to gain some momentum. But, if you're strong enough, you can do it from standing close to them," I told him.

We moved back int of the center of the room so that I could show him the next tackle that I knew. I had Steve face me as I ran towards him. He looked very nervous. Using Steve's shoulders for balance - and feeling very grateful that I was light - and wrapped my thighs around his neck, sitting on his shoulders. Leaning backwards, placing my back against his chest, I moved off to the side and wrenched Steve off of his feet. He went flying forwards over himself as I landed on all fours.

Standing up, I turned back to see that Steve was getting back to his feet unsteadily, looking very dazed. "Good to use if someone is pulling a gun on you. Just watch the bullets," I advised.

"Got it," Steve said.

Despite wanting to move into the next fighting stance, I waited for Steve to gather his bearings again. I had Steve stand to face me and put his arm out to the side, as if he was going to move to punch me across the jaw. Grabbing his arm, I used it to flip myself over his body. I was sitting over his shoulder before moving across his body and pressing myself up against his chest, wrapping my legs around his hips. One arm was holding one of his pinned to his body so that he couldn't pull me off of him while the other was wrapped around the back of his neck. It was keeping him facing the ground and slowly running out of air.

He was trying to yank me off of him, but he couldn't. Finally he tapped my thigh and I dropped off of him. "Another good one during a knife fight. You can use the arm to choke them while you use your spare hand for either the gun or knife. Also good if you don't want to kill the opponent, only choke them," I said. I noticed that Steve was still trying to suck air into his lungs. "You good?"

Steve straightened up slightly to look at me and nod. I could see that he was a little red in the face. "Yeah. You're got a strong grip," he said.

"So I've heard."

The two of us stood together for a while before Steve nodded at me, letting me know that he was ready again. I hesitated for only a moment, not wanting to hurt him. But he seemed ready. I had Steve run towards me as I ran towards him. As expected, he had an arm out to punch me. I grabbed his arm, kept a hold on it as I circled behind him, and pulled myself up. I kept one leg hooked around his other arm as I hung upside down on his back. I could feel Steve panicking to keep upright as I yanked downwards, sending Steve onto his back, and rolling upwards so that I was pinning him to the ground.

He had smacked his head pretty hard on the carpeted floor. "Perfect to use if someone is coming at you. Disorienting and painful," I said as I stood back upright.

"I noticed that," Steve muttered.

Giving him a hand, I allowed him to pull himself upright. Once he had gathered his bearings again, he stepped back and allowed me to show him the next move. I came running at Steve from the side and grabbed at the back of his shoulders. I wrapped one leg around the back of his hip, and jumped forward, wrapping my spare leg around his other hip, so that my back was placed up against his front. Steve grunted as I leaned downwards and curled under myself, landing on my back. Steve was thrown forwards, landing underneath me as I rolled upwards. He was stuck under me as I sat on his chest.

"And here I could stab you in the chest, or just punch you," I told Steve as I hopped off of him and gave him a hand back up. "Be careful if you ever use this one. Use it on someone who is unarmed."

"Okay."

Before moving into the next take down, I remembered something. "And one other thing. Watch your neck. You'll break you own neck if you aren't careful," I said, meaning when I had to roll underneath him to take him down.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "I might pass on this one," he muttered.

"I would," I advised.

That was something that had taken me a few months to learn to properly do. And it wasn't really a favorite of mine anyways. It was rather uncomfortable. We moved into another fight that I had shown Steve before. I sent Steve running and I followed a moment later. I was easily able to grab his shoulders from behind and twist underneath his arms so that my legs were wrapped around his throat. I used my weight and Steve's to turn us in a circle twice before releasing, using the back of my foot to hook around his neck and throw him. Steve went toppling over himself, tumbling across the floor, as I landed in a tuck and roll.

Standing upright, I brushed off my hands and smiled. I had always loved that one. "And that is a personal favorite of mine," I said proudly, watching as Steve slowly rolled onto his back.

"Yeah. I know that," Steve said.

He was on the ground for a long time after that one. I knew that it wasn't the easiest move to recover from. We finally continued fighting. I had Steve stand slightly to the side as I ran over to him. I grabbed his shoulder and used my weight to throw myself over and underneath his arm. I laid with my waist on Steve's shoulder as the movement forced him into a spin. I grabbed his other arm and forced his body downward. He fell face-first as I fell onto my back, rolling backwards and standing upright. Steve looked very dazed.

Immediately I dropped down beside him to check and make sure that he was okay. He seemed fine. "Watch when you're doing this one. Put your hand behind their head to make sure that they smash their head into the ground. I didn't want to do it to you. And curl in on yourself slightly when you land, otherwise this will hurt you, too," I instructed.

Steve nodded as I helped him back to his feet. "Can you go into a roll? Like you did?" he asked me.

"With some practice, sure. I wouldn't start by doing that, though," I advised.

That was a good way to hurt himself. He would manage in time. I moved Steve towards the wall and smiled at him. He probably wouldn't enjoy this one. I grabbed him around the neck with my arms and dragged him with me. He was heavy, but he was essentially powerless to stop me. I ran straight towards the wall and took two large steps upwards. I flipped over myself and over Steve's shoulder. Keeping my grip on Steve's shoulders and his arms, I yanked him down with me as I landed on my feet. At the impact, Steve rolled backwards and landed on his back, splayed out and stunned.

Standing with my hands on my hips, I grinned down at Steve. "Obviously this move is perfect if you're trapped near a wall," I told him.

"Obviously," he groaned.

He rolled up before managing to jump back to his feet. I smiled at the sight. Every day he was getting stronger. "Make sure that you drag them with you and use their shoulders for support. You can't run up the wall without anything to support you," I added.

He nodded at me as we moved back into the center of the ballroom. I didn't need him smashing his face on the wall. Steve was facing away from me as I ran after him, shoving his shoulder downwards so that I could jump up onto his back. One leg stayed under his throat as the other wrapped around the back of his neck. I swung from the front of his chest to behind his back, keeping one leg wrapped around the back of his neck as I dropped the other so that it fell downwards and wrapped around the back of his knee, hooking it, keeping him bent over and unable to straighten up. I used my spare arm to wrench back his spare arm, nearly to the point of dislocating it.

It was obvious that he was unable to move in any form and he was slowly losing his ability to take in any air. "Tap out! Come on, tap out. I can feel your heart rate slowing down," I growled at Steve.

Finally I felt his hand smacking my thigh and I released him, jumping off of his body and allowing him to straighten out. He was stretching out his back. "How do you do that?" Steve asked, shocked.

"Hook your leg behind their knee. Keeps them bent over and unable to right themselves. This is a great move to have if you have a partner with you. You paralyze them while the partner finishes them off," I said.

Steve nodded, running a hand over his slightly sweaty face. "Okay. What else is there?" he asked.

I started shaking my head. I didn't want to hurt him. "That's enough for one night, Steve." He looked very put-out by the thought. "I don't want to hurt you. We'll continue this over the next few days. Trust me when I say that getting thrown around like this will make you sore," I told him, knowing that in the morning he would regret this.

"One more," Steve begged.

I sighed, resigned to showing him one more. "Fine," I growled.

So I intended to show him the one move that I knew would throw him off, and make him regret asking me for another move. With Steve facing me, I ran towards him. He moved out an arm to hit me, just as I'd instructed him, and I jumped upwards, grabbing it and holding it still. I jumped backwards, hooking my legs backwards around his hips, keeping his arm in my grip. I leaned forward, dragging Steve downwards with me, and used my arms to push both of us back upright. I grabbed the arm that he had been trying to hit me with before, dropped my legs from around his waist, hit the ground on my feet, and wrenched his arm over my tucked-in body. He went flying over himself - and me - and landed on the ground, spread-eagle.

I stood back upright to stare at Steve. He was laying on the ground and groaning at the pain that went wracking through him. I smiled at him. "Done now?" I asked, knowing that he was.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm done," Steve said, curling in on himself.

April, 1943  
Chicago, Illinois

We had gotten chewed out for quite a few days after Steve and I's sparring night. He had obviously been having a hard time walking around with the stiffness from the fall. But it had only lasted a day before he was back to normal. Of course, Steve was now trying to learn to counteract the throws himself. He wasn't so good at that. But it was okay. We were spending three nights a week training him so that he was still able to do the countless number of shows that we'd been doing over the past three months.

We had crossed over into April and the weather was finally starting to turn again. I'd gotten a good amount of use out of both the jacket that I'd taken from Bucky and the one that Steve had bought me. I sighed as I looked at the calendar that was hanging up. Today marked one year since Bucky had deployed. It had been an entire year since I'd seen his smile, heard his laugh, and gotten to hug him. My stomach twisted painfully. As much as I hated the fact that he'd been gone a year, I knew that he hated it even more. He'd missed holidays and birthdays, with nothing more than a few letters to recognize the passed time.

But I didn't want to think about that. I was still holding out hope that he would be back home by my birthday this year. Whether or not that would actually happen was another question. In the meantime, the shows continued to grow larger and larger. The costumes were slowly getting more elaborate, the number of Star Spangled Singers had almost doubled, and there were now constantly fireworks and bright spotlights that flashed during the show. I was currently waiting backstage as one of the shows ended. I could hear the fireworks shooting off as the show concluded.

Steve came off of the stage and I smiled at him as we came to stand together. He had taken off his cap as we headed downstairs to the autograph area. Just as we walked, more and more kids were coming over to have Steve sign everything. He had gotten very good with signing the pictures as he walked. He handed the autograph back to a little boy as we headed to the downstairs area. A camera flashed brightly in the distance as a pretty blonde girl walked up to Steve, smiling brightly, asking for an autograph. I rolled my eyes and shoved Steve away from her, knowing that he had other things to do. I truly did enjoy how irritated she was with me.

The backstage area was one of the smaller ones that we had been in, mostly considering that the majority of the arena was taken up by the stage and seats in the front. It was very tough to squeeze through the crowd so that I could hang in the back of the small area. There was already a large line of people forming to take their pictures with Steve. I smiled and leaned back against the wall, hoping that they wouldn't take much more than an hour. I just wanted to go to bed. Steve had bothered me for hours last night to fight with him until he could manage a takedown properly. He had actually done rather well.

My eyes were flitting back and forth as I read the minds of the people that were walking past me. It was one of the ways that I managed to amuse myself while waiting for Steve. There was a man that was hoping to get his infant daughter photographed with Steve and I turned to him with a grin. Steve was incredibly uncomfortable with babies. Turning over to the man, I felt my heart rate and blood pressure spike for a moment. That can't be him... It's not... But it was. Jefferson Lester was standing only feet from me. There was a woman standing at his side, presumably his wife. A baby was cradled in her arms. I was shot back to my days in Stryker's lab.

The purple-skinned boy stood upright, now completely drenched. His previously blue eyes had turned nearly white. He was cold. It was almost like he was some type of amphibious mutant. "What d-do y-y-you w-want f-fr-from m-me?" he asked the guards slowly. His teeth were chattering and he was curled in on himself from the cold water that was soaking his bones.

Jefferson took a step backwards and smiled at the boy. "I want you to die." My heart sank into my stomach. I didn't need to be a telepath to know what was coming next. "Victoria. Show me what you've learned. Kill him. Drown him," Jefferson sneered. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. He was a kid. He was scared. He didn't deserve to die. Tears were brimming in his eyes. "What the hell did I just say? Do it! You think that James and Steven still live in that little apartment complex? Do you want me to find out?" he asked me with a sneer.

For the first time since I had gotten there, I felt my backbone straighten rather than cave in. He would not kill Steve or Bucky. Not on my watch. And damn what they did to me. I was not going to kill this kid. So I stepped in between him and my trainer. "Jefferson, he is a kid. I'm not going to kill him. Anything else. You can try to drown me again. I know that you like watching that. Just let him go. He hasn't done anything wrong. Kid, are you alright?" I asked him.

He never got the chance to answer. Jefferson stepped in front of us and raised his gun at me. More appropriately, my forehead. "Do. It. Now," he seethed. I stared at him, not moving from my spot in front of the kid.

Jefferson took the sign of rebellion about as well as I had expected he would. He pulled the trigger on the gun and my mind went blank. I fell backwards but never felt the cold water. Not until a few seconds later when the bullet had been kicked out of my head and sank to the bottom of the steel room and the wound had closed itself off. My head was throbbing softly in pain as I brought myself to stand up. Like the kid, I was now completely soaked. The water had become slightly green-tinged from the Chronicle that had escaped my head when the bullet had gone in. When I stood a quick spell of dizziness hit me before I straightened up.

The kid was looking at me like I had grown another head. Sort of true. Jefferson stormed up to me and grabbed me by the collar, shoving me back into the steel wall. A moment later he shoved me down to the water, holding me under. I could just barely hear him through the water. "You listen to me! Kill him," Jefferson ordered.

He let me up and I barely managed to stand with all of the water weighing me down. The one granola bar wasn't enough for me to have to be dealing with this. I shook my head at Jefferson, who in turn raised the gun and shot at my knee. The bones crunched together and broke apart and I dropped down onto my uninjured knee. I cried out in pain and whimpered as the bones began to seal together once more. Jefferson was still giving me a challenging glare. I stood upright and glared back at him. I will not kill him. This time Jefferson shot at my chest. My heart went into cardiac arrest and I dropped onto my hands and knees, groaning in pain and gasping for breath. It took me just under a minute to regenerate my heart and kick the bullet out of my chest.

Once more Jefferson gave me a challenging glare and once more I matched him. Chronicle was staining the beige jumpsuit that I was wearing and slowly filling the water. I prayed that one of them had an open wound. After a few moments I stood upright once more and waited. The kid was staring at me with a grateful smile.

"You'll regret that," Jefferson told me.

There was nothing that they could do to me that they hadn't done before. That was until I heard his thoughts. I'll do it. "No!" I shouted, but I was too late.

The bullet shot from the pistol and I watched as it flew into the kid's head. He dropped to the water and I waited an agonizing three and a half minutes for the kid to regenerate. But he never did. It wasn't one of his mutations. He merely floated in the water as a corpse. Jefferson motioned for his men to grab the body and I watched with a heavy heart as they brought his body into the corner of the room.

Jefferson waded through the water and walked over to me. He gave me a sharp grin as he walked by me. "Clean the blood from the water. You're free to go afterwards," he told me. I nodded numbly, moving towards the corpse of the innocent boy.

My heartbeat was pounding in my ears, making it almost impossible to hear anything else. The sounds around me all drowned out as I stared at him. He had been one of the men that had ruined my life. And here he stood with a woman and a daughter... After everything that he had done to me. Any control that I normally had over myself went flying out of the window. Sneering angrily, I marched up to Jefferson and grabbed his wife's arm, wrapping it in a constricting grip. I wrenched her backward so hard that the bone snapped. She began to scream in pain but I slipped into her mind, silencing her. The scream had gone unnoticed. The cracked bone was barely able to support the baby.

"You have a closed fracture of both the ulna and radius. Leave. Now. Get your arm fixed. Your husband was in the war and died during an attack. You're now raising your child in memory of him. Turn away, go home, and never come back," I warned her.

The woman looked like she was being hypnotized. That was essentially what happened when I ordered someone to do something. She nodded mutely at me and turned away, gently brushing through the crowd. The moment that she had vanished, I turned back to Jefferson, my eyes turning a brilliant red. He was shocked. He looked like he might have thrown a punch, but the moment that he realized who I was, the fury faded from his body and was replaced with a paralyzing fear.

"Hello, Jefferson," I sneered, my voice devoid of all emotion.

Jefferson took a few steps backwards. I merely followed him, not letting him get more than a few feet away from me. "V-Victoria," he muttered, tripping over himself.

I'd never seen him as terrified as he was right now. Because there was nothing to protect him out here. "Surprised to see me? I'm surprised to see you," I said.

My voice was dead. It was void of emotion. Just the way that I'd felt in Stryker's lab. "What are you doing here?" Jefferson asked, his voice shaking.

He continued to back away from me. In the darkness of the backstage area, no one noticed us. "I work on this tour, just so you know. Captain America is my best buddy," I hissed, letting the flames erupt over my hands. "But what are you doing here?"

Jefferson was shaking as he came to stand in front of me. He towered over me, but he didn't scare me. Not anymore. There was nothing that he could do to me. "Bring my wife back," he snapped at me.

"If you want me to bring her back, I will. And I'll rip out her spine," I hissed at him. And I would. Because that would kill him. "That a daughter that you have there?"

"It's none of your business. Bring them back!" Jefferson shouted.

My eyes flashed their brilliant yellow for a moment, in amusement. They quickly returned to a blazing red. "You have a daughter... That's sweet. I wonder how you would feel if I killed her?" I asked him.

Jefferson began to shake. He was terrified of what I would do to his family. Just the way that I had once been terrified of what he would do to my family. "You don't know what Stryker was like -"

"Don't make me laugh!" I shouted at him. I grabbed Jefferson around the collar and slammed him back into the wall. "I know exactly what he was like! I would have never done to someone what you did to me. That little girl out there? That was me, once upon a time. My family may not have loved me, but I found another one that did. And you people ripped me from them. You made me into something that I was not."

"You're a monster. You always were."

His eyes briefly flitted down to the flames erupting on my hand. He was trying to get out of my grasp, but it was like iron. He wasn't moving without me letting go. "Let me show you how much of a monster you've turned me into," I offered.

They had spent such a long time training me. They might wish that they hadn't. "You're not human. You deserved everything that I ever gave to you," Jefferson sneered, obviously hoping to tug on my heartstrings and make me weak.

But it wasn't going to work. Not after all of the years that it had. "I'm going to kill you. And I'll kill your wife, and I'll kill your daughter," I said. Jefferson began to tear up. He had someone that he loved now. And I was going to rip them from him. "Remember that mutant that you killed?"

"It was just one!" he cried.

Shrugging my shoulders, I tightened my hand on his jacket, feeling it begin to rip. "And they're just two. Makes no difference to anyone else in the world," I said.

"Please... Please let me go back to them," Jefferson begged.

Begging... That was something that I had never gotten the luxury of doing. "Do you know what begging would have gotten me?" I asked. Jefferson continued trying to wrench away from me. "A bullet in the back of the head. Beaten within an inch of my life. Anything like that. Why should I let you walk away? You never let me walk away," I sneered at him, pulling his face almost straight to mine.

He had come to the point of desperation. "You're here. You have a life. Don't throw it away," he said.

"I'm not," I hissed, dropping him. He was so weak that he fell to his knees. "Get up. Get up!"

But Jefferson didn't move. He merely stayed on the ground. He swept out to punch me but I grabbed the ends of his short brown hair, throwing him back against the wall. He wasn't too tough without that gun. I grabbed his arm and crushed it in my grip, shoving him away from me, towards the back alley of the building. Jefferson burst through the door and stumbled into the alley. He made a move to run but I grabbed the back of his collar, throwing him through the air. He hit the ground and rolled backwards, whimpering in pain.

"Stand up. We're going to fight. And you're going to fight me without a gun, without anything," I sneered at him.

Jefferson weakly got to his feet, shaking from head to toe. "I'll kill you, Victoria," he said.

A bitter grin crept across my face. "No. You people stole that from me, too," I whispered.

We stared each other down for a moment. Jefferson made a move to hit me but I easily shifted out of the way. As he came to throw another punch at me, I reacted faster. I reared back and threw my first into his head as hard as I could. He went flying backwards, but kept himself on his foot. His nose and cheekbone broke under the force. I reared back and hit him again and again. Each time more of the bones in his face crunched. He finally fell to the ground, blood pouring over his face. I took my booted foot and slammed it down onto his head, smirking at his whimper. I was going to kill him. And I would enjoy every second of it.

Steve's P.O.V.

It had been a long time since Steve had been as embarrassed about something as he was about these stage shows. It wasn't even the singing and dancing, or everything that he had to say up on the stage. It was the spandex outfit that he had to wear. He wished that Brandt would have gotten something else. And he really wished that Vic wouldn't have just left that paper sitting out. Steve walked off of the little stage to meet the fans so that he could finally head back to the hotel. He felt very awkward as he pushed past some people and fans, signing a few pictures as he walked.

His eyes flitted back and forth as he tried to look for Victoria. She was always standing close enough so that she could make faces at him while he signed the pictures. And she was always waiting for him. He had seen her not that long ago. She had been standing in the back corner. But he had already checked there. She was gone. Perhaps she had gone to the bathroom? He waited for a few minutes but she still hadn't returned. So he went to walking around the rest of the venue. But she was nowhere to be found. Had she gone back to the hotel early? Wouldn't she have told him? He wasn't concerned about her. He knew that she could hold her own. But he wanted to know where she was.

So he made his way over to Brandt. The man glanced back at Steve and smiled. "Do you know where Victoria is?" Steve asked.

Brandt looked surprised that Steve had mentioned her. "Went off with some guy a few minutes ago. Looked pretty eager to get out of here. Who cares? She'll be back at the hotel later tonight. Let her ruin her own reputation," Brandt said carelessly.

Steve bunched his hands together and grabbed Brandt's arm, tightening it, the way that he had seen Vic do to people a thousand times before. Brandt's eyes widened in shock. "Watch your mouth. That's my best friend," he growled.

After a few seconds, Steve let go of Brandt's arms and walked away. He really didn't think that Brandt was that bad. He had his moments but there were a few situations where Steve found himself furious with the way that he spoke. Steve stormed off, knowing that Victoria had to be around here somewhere. Maybe she had found an old friend, or something like that. He knew that she would never do something like that, for multiple reasons. She had never been fond of being in intimate situations with people in the first place, and she had Bucky. She loved him. He knew that she would never do something like that to him.

Deciding that he should check outside, he moved towards the back door. Sometimes she liked getting a chance to get some fresh air. Maybe there was a chance that she had stepped outside for a while. He opened the door and found himself very grateful to spot her. But she wasn't alone. She was standing over a man about a decade older than herself. Blood was pouring down his face as his body went limp. He looked dead. Steve ran after her in a sudden panic. She had warned him that she was dangerous on multiple occasions. But he'd never believed her. Because she couldn't hurt an innocent man. Could she?

Victoria's P.O.V.

There were footsteps that were falling behind me. I'd heard the door open just seconds before. And I had been able to hear Steve's thoughts when he was inside, wondering where I was. But I didn't care. I wasn't letting go. My vice grip was tightening around Jefferson's throat as Steve ran up behind me. He hesitated just a few feet behind me.

"Go back inside, Steve," I warned.

"Who is that?" Steve asked, his voice shaking. I didn't answer him. "Vic, let him up."

"No. I'm going to kill him."

"Who is this?" Steve repeated.

Dropping my hand from Jefferson's shirt, I allowed him to collapse back to the ground. I turned back around to Steve, who looked very surprised to see the red eyes. Jefferson was whining, trying to move away from me. "This is one of the trainers from Stryker's laboratory. This is the one that used to threaten you and Bucky so that I acted in line," I growled, turning back to Jefferson. "Come on, Jefferson! Get up! You never let me lay down."

He continued to try and get away from me. I merely ran after him and kicked across the bottom of his jaw. It unhinged as his head slammed into the stone. "Vic, stop," Steve said softly.

"Get up!" I shouted.

But Jefferson was unable to stand. So I walked over to Jefferson and stomped down on his leg. I felt it snap underneath the pressure. He screamed in pain. "Vic, stop!" Steve shouted.

It was like I was deaf to Steve's pleading. Grabbing Jefferson around the throat, I pulled him to his feet and slammed him back into the wall. Stone broke off from the impact and crumbled around us. I dropped him again, letting him slump to the floor. I reached into Jefferson's body and brought up a force field, constricting it around his throat. He gasped and doubled over. The Hydrokinesis went beyond water. I could do it with any liquid. So I reached into his body and brought the blood to a boil.

His mouth dropped open into a scream, but he was unable to make a sound. He was obviously in a terrible amount of pain as he hit the ground. He was clawing at his own throat, desperate to get air into his system. I pulled the blood up through his windpipe, watching as it began to pour of his mouth. It didn't take long for the blood to begin pouring from his eyes and nose as well. My own eyes were black as I watched the life drain out of him. I had waited so long for this. To feel his pain and his terror. To watch the life leave his eyes.

But Steve's hand pressed onto my shoulder. I could feel the fear in his body as he watched me. "He's not worth it, Vic. Killing him will do nothing. He's not worth it. He's not," he whispered to me.

"He deserves it," I growled.

"I'm sure that he does. Please let him go, Vic. This is what they wanted. They wanted you to be the monster. You are not. You're my best friend. You're the woman that Bucky is in love with. This isn't you," Steve begged.

He was on his knees next to me. "This is me," I muttered.

His arm wrapped itself over my shoulder. "I love you, Vic. And I have faith in you. You are not a monster. You're not what they made you. Let him go. He has nothing to live for. Let him live for that," Steve said softly.

My eyes were beginning to water as I felt myself breaking. I had to kill him. For everything that he had done. I had to kill him. He had to die. He was worthless. No one would have missed him. Another force field came up around Jefferson's body that began to vacuum the oxygen out of the air. As I became angrier, the air began to tighten around him. His bones began to bend at the pressure. I was close to tears, torn in between wanting to kill him and listening to Steve.

Steve's hand fell onto my shoulder and I jumped. His hand dropped from my shoulder to pull me into his side in a hug. "You're better than him. Let him go," he said into my ear.

Giving a soft sob, I dropped the force field that had been around Jefferson. I brought his blood back down from a boil and allowed him to fall back to the ground. He immediately began to scream in pain. My eyes faded from their pure black as I stood from my spot on the ground. He was on his hands and knees, some of his bones bent at strange angles. His entire body was racking loudly as he tried to suck the air back into his lungs. Steve's arms were shaking, probably from fear and relief. I stood from my spot on the ground, ignoring Steve's call, and crossed over to Jefferson. I lifted him from the ground and slammed his head into the stone wall.

"You stay away from me. If I see you again, I'll kill you," I hissed at him.

One of my hands was underneath his chin, holding him up. Blood was pouring over my hands. He would have to go to the hospital, or he would die from the blood loss. My spare hand crawled across his cheek. I'd let him live, bit he was never going to recover from this. He would never forget me. Flames erupted over my hand and I pressed it into his cheek, burning the skin. It would never heal. Not completely. He'd live with the mark forever. I allowed Jefferson to drop back to the ground, howling in pain, trying to put out the flames.

He eventually managed it, but he would never be able to undo the damage. "You used to say that no one would love me because of the way that I looked. Will your wife love you when she sees the way that you look?" I asked him, staring down at his broken body.

"Stop," Steve said, pulling me with him. "Get away from him. Come on. Come on."

His hands were around me as he pulled me back into the building. I tucked my hands into my pockets, keeping the blood out of sight of anyone else in the area. Steve and I headed straight towards the car and threw ourselves inside, speaking to no one. Brandt and Martin were chatting away and had looked to pull us into the conversation. But the moment that they saw the very furious looks on our faces, they turned away from us and continued speaking with each other.

Neither Steve nor I said a single word to each other through the ride. I was staring out of the window blankly as Steve stared at his lap. We finally arrived back at the hotel and the two of us flung ourselves out of the car. We nearly ran into the hotel, leaving a very confused Brandt and Martin in the background. Steve and I marched up the stairs towards our rooms together, still not speaking. I made my way straight into my room, allowing Steve to follow me in. I walked to the window in the back and collapsed, sliding down the wall.

Steve merely stood in front of me. For a while, no one spoke. We just stared at each other. "You should have let me kill him," I finally said, my voice now sounding very weak.

"It wouldn't have made things any better," Steve argued.

"It would've made me feel better," I said.

Steve shook his head at me. "No. It wouldn't."

"Why did you stop me?" I asked.

That was the one thing that I had wanted. To show them just a piece of the pain that I had felt during all of those years with Stryker. "Because I know that you're not that person. You're better than that. You're not that person," Steve said.

A humorless laugh escaped my throat. He didn't know me. Not really. "You don't know what kind of person I am," I growled.

Steve did not seem very happy with that comment. "I do. I know that you're my best friend," he argued. But that didn't make me a good person. "I know that you're one of the strongest people that I've ever met. I know that you've been through things that no one else could go through," he said softly.

"Because I'm not human," I muttered.

"Yes you are -"

"I'm not, Steve!" I shouted so loudly that the lights began to flicker at my anger. "I'm not what you think that I am! I am a monster. You're an idiot for staying anywhere near me. I could kill you without even thinking about it."

If I had thought that he was irritated with me before, I was wrong. "But you won't. Stop thinking that you're a damn monster!" he shouted, his voice rattling the walls. I jumped slightly, not used to hearing him speak like that. "You are not a freak! I don't care what other people say about you. You're not that person. I know who you are. I know that you are Sergeant Victoria Phillips. I know that you're my best friend. I know that you're the smartest person that I've ever met."

Maybe I was all of those things. But I was the monster that Stryker had made me to be. I had just become very good at keeping it hidden. "You were scared of me. Out in the alley," I said lowly.

Steve didn't bother to hide it from me. "Yes. I was. Because I've never seen you do something like that. Yes, Vic, you scare the hell out of me. I'm terrified of you," he said. I glanced over at him and narrowed my eyes. I hated having him afraid of me. "But guess what? I've always been terrified of you."

Despite myself, and despite everything that had happened, I laughed. We both laughed. "As you should be," I said softly.

Without saying anything, Steve dropped down next to me and leaned in front of me. "But I would never walk away from you. When the time comes that he knows, Bucky won't walk away from you either," Steve told me, his hand gently resting on my knee.

"You should."

Steve shrugged his shoulders at me and shook his head. "Maybe, but I won't. And you need to realize that. We're not going to walk away from you. I don't care what you've done. I don't care. We've all done things that we're not so proud of," Steve said.

An irrational rage shot through me and I yanked away from him. "Have you ever done something like that?" I hissed.

Steve shook his head at me. I knew that he didn't understand what I had done. But I also knew that he wasn't going to let me just walk away from him. "No. But I've never had something like that happen to me. I don't know how I would react," he said softly.

"I pray that nothing like that ever happens to you," I whispered.

The anger had drained from me and now I was simply exhausted. "Come here," Steve said.

We moved closer to each other and caught each other in a tight hug. We were sitting facing each other with our torsos locked together. We didn't speak and didn't move. We just stayed locked together in the hug. Steve's arms were around my upper back as my arms were wrapped around his thin waist. It was a long time that passed that we didn't even bother to move. My head was in the crook of his neck and I couldn't help but to sob softly into his shoulder.

The minutes and hours ticked by and we didn't really say anything. There were no words for anything that had happened tonight. I didn't want to talk about what had happened and I knew that he didn't want to push with anything that had happened. We ended up finally falling asleep together, both of us in my room. It was highly inappropriate but I didn't care. After all, we were more like siblings that we were like anything else. I had fallen asleep on Steve's shoulder for a while, but I eventually woken up in the middle of the night. He was snoring softly, his head on mine. I smiled gently and pulled away from him.

Carefully slipping out of the bed, I watched as Steve shifted and rolled over onto his side. He was so large that he took up most of the bed. I merely smiled and shook my head at him. Even after everything, he's still here. I walked over to the desk on the far side of the room and flicked on the light. There was already a pen and piece of paper sitting out. Sighing softly, I crossed my legs and fell into the chair. It seemed to be the right time to write a letter to Bucky. So I picked up the pen and scribbled out my muddled thoughts.

Bucky,

I'm not really sure why I'm writing you this letter. Particularly since I haven't gotten one from you to respond to. I guess I just wanted to write down my thoughts. I'm in Chicago right now. Traveling around with our experiment from the Scientific Strategic Reserve. It's important that someone watches over the project. Steve has been traveling around with us. He got a job with the USO. Raising funds for the war effort. Makes him feel like he's doing something. I guess I wanted to write to you so badly because I had a strange night.

We were out and doing a show, demonstrating what the project could do. I was waiting for the project to come back behind the stage when I saw someone that isn't exactly a welcome memory in my life. When I was gone from you and Steve for all of those years, I met some people that weren't exactly welcome into my life. They were terrible people that treated me like dirt. When I left, I was so glad to be gone of them. I thought that I would never see them again.

But it turned out that I was wrong. Because they were here. Tonight.

It wasn't something that I'm proud of. I saw them and all of the terrible memories came flooding back to me. So I hit him. And I just kept hitting him. And I didn't stop for a long time. A good friend of mine managed to pull me off and convince me that I was better than him. And I appreciated that. But I didn't want to stop. I just wanted to keep going. It was just terrible. But he did manage to pull me off and calm me down.

I suppose that it's just been one of those days that I wish that you were here. I don't want you to feel guilty. You're doing something extremely important over there. And I'm so proud of you. You have no idea how proud I am of you. I just can't wait to see you again. It's been a year since you deployed. Things have changed quite a bit in the year since I saw you. But I'm still here. Still waiting for you. You haven't found any cute English girls, have you?

I'll kill you if you've found an English girl that you like better than me. Just so you know.

I really do miss you. You're my best friend. And you always will be. Here's hoping that I'll see you soon. Take care of yourself out there. And don't worry about me too much. I'm fine. Just a bad day.

Love always,  
Victoria.

It wasn't the best letter that I had ever written, and maybe it was something that I shouldn't have written, but I really wanted to write something like that to him. I just wanted to get my thoughts out. Slipping a robe over my shoulders, I headed downstairs and sent the letter off. The manager of the hotel sent me a small smile as I headed back upstairs and into the room, gently closing the door. I slipped off the robe and dropped back into the bed, falling asleep with Steve at my side. It was definitely inappropriate to have him in here with me, but Steve's presence had always calmed me down, and if I couldn't have Bucky, I would always be grateful to have Steve.

July 4th, 1943  
Passaic, New Jersey

The next two months had passed without incident. The shows had continued to pass and I found myself now waiting a little closer to where Steve signed the autographs. It was once more Steve's birthday, and, of course, Independence Day. That meant that it was the biggest show of the year. America's birthday was the one day of the year that everyone wanted to see Captain America knock out Adolf Hitler. But that wasn't what I cared about. I was excited to spend another birthday with Steve.

Things had calmed down since everything that had happened with Jefferson a few months back. I had checked through the local hospital reports and had found the one that Jefferson had gone to. He was evidently still alive, but would never be back to prime physical condition. Something that made me extremely happy. Maybe Steve was right. I didn't want to kill him. I wanted him to live with the pain and live with everything that he had done to me. I also wanted him to live without the two women that meant the most to him. In the meantime, Steve and I had returned to our normal friendship. But he knew not to harass me too much.

We had only had a brief conversation about it. He had been very clear to let me know that he was unnerved by everything that I could do that. And I knew that. I knew that he was afraid of me. But I didn't mind. He had every right to be afraid of me. But we had had a long talk about it and I'd told him everything that had happened with Jefferson. He had agreed that while Jefferson might have deserved what had happened to him in the back alley, he did agree that I had been very strong to let him walk away.

Since the letter that I had sent to Bucky those two months ago, we had exchanged a few more letters. He had been very good about keeping in contact with me every few weeks. Probably because he knew just how tough that meeting had been on me. It was something that made me very happy. He would try to get letters to me as frequently as he could. I smiled and picked up the first of the letters that Bucky had written back to me. I read it whenever I was feeling a little down.

Vika,

It took me a long time to figure out what to write back to you. Not that I didn't know what to write. I know that I could tell you a thousand times how sorry I am for you and everything like that. I'm glad that you're traveling around, on one hand. And I'm really glad that Steve is with you. The two of you need to be with each other. It really helps to have you both around each other. Trust me. Friends are what you really need when you're having a bad day. That's how I feel being out here.

Trust me, I wish that I had been there to see everything that happened. I wish that I knew who all of these people were. I hate that anyone ever did something to you. I don't know what they did, but it doesn't matter. I'm so sorry that you had to meet one of those people that reminded you of that time in your life. But just remember that those days are gone. You've got a good job, friends that adore you, and a man that thinks everything and more of you. Don't bother with those people.

Whatever happened tonight, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. I don't blame you for hitting them. I wouldn't have blamed you if you couldn't stop. Trust me, I wouldn't have. But I'm so proud that you did stop. You're so much better than them. Hitting them... Maybe it would have made you feel better for a few minutes. But you were so strong to walk away and leave them. Because they weren't worth an ounce of your energy. They didn't deserve you. Not even for a second.

When I hear things like this, it makes me wish that I was there. It makes me wish that you hadn't had to go out there. I wish that I could have done it for you. All of this around me... It's good. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right in my life. But there's one thing that I know that I've been doing right. Everything with you. And I'm not anywhere near done with that. You might be proud of me, but, Vika, I'm proud of you. Always. No matter what's happened between us, I've always been proud of you.

Trust me, Vika. I've been counting the days since I left. You're right. It's been over a year. It's been over a year since the last time that I saw your face. The last time that I hugged you or kissed you... The last time that I heard your laugh. But I'll get to have all of those things again. Maybe not next week, but soon. I'll be home soon, I swear that to you. Things have changed with me, too. But there's one thing that will never change. All of the things that I think about you.

There are no English girls that could ever compare to you. There's no one that could ever compare to you. Plus, you scare me. I think that I give you enough reasons to kill me. I don't need to give you any more.

I miss you, too. I've missed you every day since I've left. And I'll miss you every day until I come back home. It means that you're going to have a damn tough time to get me away from you. You're my best friend. You always have been. You and Steve. It's the three of us against the world, right? I'll always worry about you. Not that I need to. You're a tough cookie.

You deserve everything good in life, Vika. God, I can't even describe everything that you deserve. You deserve the entire world and so much more. I hope that I can give you even half of what I want to be able to give you. I can't wait to see you again. Write me whenever you're having a tough time. I want to know everything that's happening with you.

And if it makes you feel any better, you can hit me really, really, hard when I get home. I'm sure that you miss hitting me. You'll owe me lots when we see each other again.

Keep smiling. It lights up my world, and everyone else's.

I love you,  
Bucky.

Smiling at the letter, I gently placed it back on the desk. It had become one of my more prized possessions. As much as I loved everything that I had gotten from Bucky during my lifetime, it was things like the letter - that cost nothing - that meant the most to me. Slipping on my boots, I turned from my room and gently knocked on Steve's door to his adjoining room. Without waiting for an answer, I walked into his room, his gift in my hands. He was sitting at his desk and drawing something.

"What's that?" I asked, coming up behind him.

"Me," Steve answered, sounding glum.

He showed me the picture and I smiled. He was quite the artist. I had known that he was always good with a pencil. But this was obviously something that he had been doing for a long time. On the bottom of the page were what I assumed he thought that the audience was supposed to be. They were dressed as laughing clowns, pointing upwards on the page. In the center was a monkey on a unicycle. The monkey was dressed in the Captain America uniform and carrying the shield in one hand and an umbrella in the other. I seated myself on the table and handed him back the pencil drawing.

"That's actually a really good drawing," I said.

And it really was. I vaguely remembered Bucky telling me that he and Steve had heard that the United States had entered the war during an Art class. I wondered if Steve had dragged them into doing it. "Thanks," Steve said.

"And it bears a striking resemblance to you," I teased.

Steve glanced up at me and shoved me off to the side. I smiled and pulled my knees up to my chest. "I appreciate that," Steve deadpanned, making us both smile.

"I knew that you would." We sat together for a few moments before I turned to stare at Steve again. He seemed way too sad for his birthday. "You alright, Steve?" I asked softly.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "Just feeling more and more like a dancing monkey these days," he told me. I nodded, knowing that we were eventually going to get to this point. "Everything that you said was right. But I had to feel like I was doing something."

Laying my hand gently on his shoulder, I moved a little closer to him. "And you are doing something special out here. You're raising a lot of money. And that's what's really important," I said softly.

"I just want to be on the front lines," Steve muttered.

Hopping up from the desk, I gave Steve my hand and yanked him up from his chair. It was the wrong day to be sad about things. "You know what I think? I think that you're going to be out on the front lines really soon. Steve, you've been doing so well during our training sessions. You can hold your own in a fight against me," I told him happily.

That meant that there wasn't that much farther upwards that he could go. "Will Phillips care?" Steve asked me.

There was probably no chance that he was going to care, but I was sick of this. Within the next few months, we were going to be out there. "He's going to. We've been here for over a year, Steve. You've done what you've needed to do. Replicating the super-soldier serum is something that will take years. The war can't wait that long. We need to get the one successful experiment that we had and bring him out there. Prove that we actually did something right," I told him softly.

A small smile fell over Steve's face. I knew that he was happy about the thought of being out on the war front. "So you think that we're making our way out there soon?" he asked me.

"I have faith. We can make Captain America the leader of an elite squad," I said, nudging his shoulder.

Steve gave me a small smile. "You know, even if Captain America is the leader of the squad, I have a feeling that he won't really be the leader," Steve said. I raised my eyebrows at him, wondering what he meant by that. "We all know that it's Savage that's going to be leading the charge," he told me, nudging me right back.

"I'll let you pretend to be in charge," I teased.

Steve laughed at me. "Thanks," he said.

We sat together for a moment before I remembered the real reason that I had come over here. I jumped in surprise and reached behind me, giving him the gift. "Oh. Happy birthday, by the way," I chirped.

Steve smiled and grabbed the poorly-wrapped present. "Thanks, Vic. You didn't need to get me anything," he said.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I crossed my legs. "That's what we do. We get each other things that we don't need and get involved in things that we probably shouldn't. It's what siblings are for," I teased.

We might have been born to two very different families, but we were brother and sister. Just the way that he and Bucky were brothers. He slowly opened the present and I watched as the smile began to turn up on the corner of his lips. I had always known that Steve liked to write and draw. That was why I had bought him a leather bound journal. I just hoped that he liked it. I had cut a pattern into the front of the journal, hoping that it would at least make him smile. There was an emblem of a circular shield with a single star on the front. It was the same one that was on his dog tags. Steve opened the front of the journal and saw the note that I had left.

Savage and Captain America. We make quite the team, huh? I'm proud of you, Steve. I always will be.

Love always,  
Victoria.

Steve smiled at me and closed the journal, placing it down on the table. "It's perfect, Vic," he said.

"Glad that you like it," I said.

The look on Steve's face merely made me smile again. He looked so happy, and it was one of the sweetest things that I had ever seen. He had a nice smile. And he was one of the few people that were always able to smile. "I've always loved everything that you've gotten me," he told me.

"Even those black eyes and bruises?" I asked teasingly.

Steve nudged me gently. I laughed softly. Thankfully with the super-soldier serum, he didn't have to live with any black eyes or bruises for that long. "Come on, Vic. I'd be proud to say that I got beaten up by you," he said.

"Really?" I asked, raising my brows at him.

Steve nodded at me. "To say that I went toe-to-toe with a mutant and walked out of it with only a few bruises and a black eye? Yeah. I'd be proud to say that I got beaten up by you," he said.

"Then I won't use any of the nastier mutations on you," I added, knowing that he wouldn't walk out with just a few bruises if I went all-out on him.

"Save those for Bucky," Steve teased.

We both laughed loudly as we stood from our places. I would certainly get a kick out of shocking Bucky the way that I did to Howard from time to time. We walked out of the room, settling on going out to dinner for the night. It would have be early so that we could be back on time, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to do something with just the two of us for a while. Brandt caught us on our way out, shouting at us to get ready for the show, but we merely ignored him. We'd do it later. After all, this part of our lives was coming to a close soon. I believed that.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Bucky's P.O.V.

September 20th, 1943  
Padova, Italy

There was another fight on the horizon. Bucky knew that. All of the soldiers knew that. They had known from the beginning that one day there would be a large battle. And it seemed that they were about to enter one. Bucky was sitting with the rest of the soldiers as they spoke about everything that was coming. They only knew so much about the fight at this point. All that Bucky knew was that they needed to be prepared. The Nazi's were getting more and more vicious with every passing month. He was currently cleaning his M1903 A1 Springfield rifle in preparation. The other men were also cleaning their own weapons.

The air around the camp was still and tense. They were just a few days away from the invasion. They were attempting to fight back against German forces that were invading a civilian area of Italy. The last that Bucky had heard, it was called Azzano. It was in the northeast corner of Italy. They had managed to gather a large amount of troops. The soldiers that had been with them beforehand, from the 69th and 92nd Infantry Regiments, were also joining the fight. There would be five companies deployed for the battle. It made for over two hundred soldiers. Many were from other Allied countries.

Placing his rifle back down on the ground, Bucky began to run his fingers through his hair. He wasn't looking forward to the mission. Mostly because he never knew what was going to happen. He didn't know how this was going to work out. And the worst part was that they'd been off of the grid for so long that he hadn't been able to send a letter to Vika in a long time. Bucky was sure that the last letter that he had sent to Vika hadn't gotten to her until the beginning of July. And he didn't know when the next letter that he would send her would actually get to her. He didn't want her worrying. But he was sure that she was.

It had now gotten to the point that even Bucky was worrying. It had been a year and a half since he had deployed and they had gone on plenty of smaller scale invasions. They were actually reasonably frequent. And Bucky had worked as a sniper on some larger missions that they had gone on. But this was only the second of the severe missions that they had gone on. They had lost almost twenty soldiers during that mission, and Bucky had very nearly been shot. But he had managed to escape unscathed, and he had never mentioned the incident to Vika. But this one... He knew that this one was dangerous.

"Ready for this?" Dugan asked, distracting Bucky from his thoughts.

He shook his head and picked his rifle back up, continuing to clean out the barrel. "Hell no," Bucky said honestly. He was never ready for missions, but he had to be. "But we gotta do this."

There was no way out of this one. And when they made it back, he knew that he would have racked up quite a few points. He would just be that much closer to getting to come home. "Can't even imagine what we're gonna see out there," Jones muttered from Bucky's other side.

"Best not to think about it," Bucky said.

They weren't left in peace for very long. Their Colonel stepped forward and cleared his throat. The men all glanced up from everything that they had been doing. "Gentlemen!" he called. Any remaining chatter died. Everyone wanted to know what he had to say. And, mostly, they were still hoping that there might have been a way out of the fight. "Four days from now we will be in Azzano to fight back against German forces. It's going to be a big fight. We may lose some friends. But we continue fighting on for them. For your friends and families back home. Get some rest. We march towards Azzano tomorrow.

"If you've got any letters that you want to write... write them now," he continued, trailing off slightly. Bucky found himself feeling sick. They were already heading towards Azzano. Bucky pushed his hands into his legs. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to have to leave without letting Vika know what was happening. He didn't want to have to write a letter that Vika would only read if she was attending his funeral. "Leave 'em here at base. In the event of a death, we will send them back to your homes."

The Colonel nodded at them all before turning and walking off. Some of the men immediately scattered to write letters. Bucky remained seated, not wanting to recognize the terrifying thought that the letter that he was about to write might be the last one that he would ever write. But it couldn't be. He would see her again. There was so much that he had yet experience with her. With everyone.

"Cheery," Dugan said, making Bucky smile.

He was always good with making the men laugh, even during the darkest of times. "We're making it out of this mess, boys. Don't you worry about a thing," Jones said confidently.

And they would make it out of this. Bucky believed that. He had enough things to live for. "I don't know about you two, but I've gotta get home," Bucky said, remembering Vika's warning before he deployed.

"Why's that?" Dugan asked curiously.

Both men watched as the edges of Bucky's lips turned upwards in a smile. He did miss her very eloquent way with words. "Because my girl said that she'd break my nose if I didn't. And I believe her," Bucky said.

The three of them all laughed at the thought. Women were not supposed to be tough like that. They were supposed to cry when their men left. Not threaten to break their noses if they didn't come back. But that was why Bucky loved her. Because she wasn't the normal type of woman. She was the type of woman that was looked at as strange or abnormal. He knew that those were things that had always hurt her. Just because she was different, people looked down on her. But it was the same reason that Bucky had always looked up to her.

Dugan patted Bucky on the back, still laughing softly. "Barnes, man, I can't wait to meet your girl," he said. Bucky smiled and nodded. He wanted Vika to meet both Dugan and Jones. He had a feeling that she would like them. "She got a sister?" Dugan asked after a beat.

Bucky laughed and shook his head. "Only child, I'm afraid," he said.

A moment later, Jones started patting Dugan on the back. "Dugan, we all know that she'd kick your ass. Hell, any woman would kick your ass," Jones teased.

They both smiled at Dugan's look. Bucky didn't bother saying that Vika could have kicked anyone's ass, including his own. "Funny," Dugan snapped at them.

"Maybe she's got a friend," Jones put in.

She wasn't exactly the kind of person that really had friends. She only had a few that she trusted. But she did have Agent Carter. "She does have a friend, actually. Agent Carter; a friend of hers that works with the S.S.R. just like her. British. Pretty dame," Bucky said truthfully. She was pretty. She was sweet, too. But she was nothing compared to Vika. "But I think she's trying to get my buddy with her."

He was no fool. He knew that Vika was trying to get Steve together with Agent Carter. She was probably bored without him and looking for someone to harass. "Thought she didn't like that kind of stuff?" Jones asked.

Bucky shook his head. "She doesn't. I think that she just likes to stir the pot," Bucky said. The other two smiled. "But I wouldn't mess with Agent Carter either. She might not be quite like Victoria, but neither one of them are good to start a fight with."

All Bucky could see was the first day that he had seen them. Agent Cater had punched one of the men and Vika had done... he wasn't quite sure what she had done. All he knew was that it was incredibly impressive. "Women are getting stronger and tougher," Dugan said.

Only some of them. Bucky remembered Connie and Bonnie from the night before he had deployed. They had been typical women. "Well they've always been smarter," Jones said.

The three men nodded in agreement. Some men didn't think so, but Bucky knew that the only way to really be happy in life was to recognize that your girl is always smarter than you are. They sat in silence for a while as they went back to cleaning their weapons. They had been ordered to give them a good once-over before starting on the foot march towards Azzano. Bucky had just finished cleaning the barrel and was now putting the weapon back together. Once he had it back together, he slipped it into his things and sat back on the grass, twisting the chain with Vika's pictures around his fingers.

He knew that Dugan and Jones were watching him. They weren't that focused on women. Dugan wasn't with any women at the moment, and Jones had been with his woman for a long time. He'd already had time with her. Not to mention that they had been on the rocks when Jones had left. He wasn't sure if she even wanted to see him again.

They were silent for a little while before Dugan spoke again. He had a mischievous look in his eyes. "Saw you eyeing that jewelry shop the other day when we were downtown, Barnes," he said.

A small smile fell over Bucky's face. They had been doing a quick run downtown the other day to check for German officers that might have been wandering around. They hadn't found any, but they had been walking back and forth to see what was happening. Mostly it was just a way to keep from having to go back to the camp early. They had walked by a jewelry store and Bucky couldn't help but stopping to look in the window. He had spotted a few engagement rings and had smiled. Not that he had been ready to buy her anything like that, but he had thought about the day that he would be ready to buy one.

He hadn't realized that the other two had seen him. Bucky shook his head at them. "Not ready quite yet. We haven't really even been together that long," he said.

"Considering the two of you grew up together, I think time's kind of irrelevant," Jones said. Steve had said the same thing before Bucky had deployed. They had known each other for so long. Time seemed to be a little different in their case. Jones motioned around them. "And look around you. Time might be kind of short."

A lump formed in Bucky's throat as he started nodding. "Write it in your letter. Just in case," Dugan offered.

Bucky smiled and looked at his two friends that were sitting on each side of him. This was going to work for the best. He'd see both Vika and Steve again. "I got you two watching my back?" Bucky asked them.

"Hell yeah," Dugan said.

"Damn straight. And that better go both ways," Jones said.

All three of them laughed and nodded. They would always protect each other. "We're not gonna need those letters. These Nazi bastards, they're going out," Bucky said, patting the other two on the back. "But I guess I'll write the letter anyways," he muttered.

Maybe it was just something that he wanted to get off of his chest. Maybe he just wanted a chance to write down everything that he was feeling towards her, and everything that he hadn't gotten the chance to say yet. Either way, he got up from the ground and headed into the tent that the men shared. The other two stayed outside as they began packing up their things. They would be leaving at first light. That meant that everything had to be packed up tonight. Bucky grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and took a seat on his mattress roll. He had to write all of the things that he wanted to tell her. Just in case something did happen.

Vika,

This isn't a letter that I wanted to write you. Everything that I'm going to write in this letter are things that I'd much rather tell you in person. But in a few days we're going out on a dangerous mission. We're trying to beat back the Nazi's in a town in Italy called Azzano. We don't really know what we're walking into. We've been warned to write letters just in case. We're really off the grid right now, so I can't just send the letter. They said in the event of a death, they'll send the letter as soon as they can. And, if not, the letter will never get to you. We'll hope for the latter.

Where do I even begin? There are so many things that I want to say to you. So many things that I can only hope that I'll still have the time to tell you. And I honestly believe that these are all things that I'll get to tell you at some point in our lives. So I'm not afraid to say this. As far as I'm concerned, this is just something to help me get to bed tonight. But - in the event that I'm wrong - you deserve to know all of this.

So let's start the entire list. Sorry that it's so long. I suppose that you'll forgive me. If something happens to me, I want you to move on. I know that this is going to be the one part that you ignore. But, please, for me, don't. Don't ignore this. I don't want you to be by yourself for the rest of your life. I really don't. I want you to find someone else to love and I want you to be with them. The one thing that I've always wanted - more than anything else - is your happiness. That's the only thing that matters to you. And I know that I'm not the only person that can make you happy. So find someone else. If something does happen to me, nothing would make me happier than to see you move on.

You have always been the best person that I knew. Now don't tell me that this is something that every man has to say to their woman. You know me, Vika. You know that I don't lie. You really are the best person that I know. In every single way. Maybe that's why I waited so long for you. Because I knew that once I'd met you, there would never be anyone that could ever live up to you.

There is nothing about you that I don't love. And I mean that. There isn't a single thing about you that I don't love. Your hair is different, and so are your eyes, but they're stunning. Everything about them is perfect. And the way that you dress? So some people make fun of you for not wearing 'womanly' clothes. Screw them. You're perfect just the way that you are. You're the smartest person that I've ever met, and I love that about you. You're so driven. You don't care if people say that a woman can't do something. In fact, I like to think that when you hear that, it just makes you want to do something even more.

Never let anyone get you down. Bad things happen sometimes, Vika. And people will use those moments against you. But I trust that you won't let it get to you. Because you're stronger than them. You're the person that I know can make it through anything. I know that you can make it past not getting a Harvard degree. I know that you can make it as a woman in a man's world. Because that's exactly who you are. You can do anything that you set your mind to. Just remember that you've got people rooting for you. Always.

Keep an eye on Steve. And make sure that he keeps an eye on you. You're both little punks. I swear that you're the exact same person, just split up into two separate bodies. You both get into things that are far bigger than the two of you. Getting into fights with people that are ten times bigger than you. I should talk, right?Either way, the two of you are siblings. Do me a favor and don't forget that. Protect each other, okay? And tell Steve and I love him, too. And never leave each other. He's been so glad to have you back. So stay with each other. Remember all of the good times and support each other.

I don't care what happened for all of those years. This is something that I think that you need to know. I don't care where you went and I don't care what happened to you. I don't care if you did anything bad. The only thing that I care about is that you came back to me. I know that whatever happened out there was something terrible. I could see it in your eyes every time that you spoke about it. And I never wanted to drag up all of those memories. I never did. Like I said, the only thing that mattered to me is that you came back.

Maybe something else that matters is what happened while you were gone. Not a day ever passed that I hated you. And not a day ever passed that I didn't think about a long time I was just worried about you. I was terrified that something had happened to you. But I should have known better. You're too strong for that. When I finally came to the realization that you were alive, but something had caused you to leave, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate you. But I couldn't. I was always in love with you. And the only thing that ever mattered to me was that you made your way back to me. For a long time I thought that you never would. I'd never been so glad to be wrong.

Every day that I've been out here, something has reminded me of you. I think that I'm constantly thinking about you. So, actually, everything that happened to me out here was your fault. I'm kidding, I'm totally kidding, please don't take that to heart. I mean when I'm walking. It's why I've walked into trees and holes and fallen over boxes. But as for the things that remind me of you... They're all over the place. The wind reminds me of the way that you speak. The sun reminds me of your smile. And those are just some of the many reasons that I'm not a poet. But I mean it, Vika. I see you everywhere out here.

Maybe this isn't something that I should tell you. But I feel like you do have the right to know. Because you've never had anyone that you really loved before me. That's what you said. And I believe you. I know that you and Howard Stark shared a kiss. And I don't care. I really don't. I know that the two of you are friends. That never bothered me. But you deserve to know that there was someone before you. Not... physically. Never that. I do still believe in waiting for the person that you're going to marry.

Her name was Betty. I dated her for over a year before coming to Camp Lehigh. But she started talking about marriage and I wasn't ready for that. So I called it off and told her that she deserved for someone else to be with her. I told her that she deserved someone else. I always thought that it was just my way of getting out of a relationship that I wasn't ready for. I just thought that I might have been too young. But now I know the truth. No one before you ever stayed in my life too long because it was just that...They weren't you. You were always the only person that I wanted. So, for all of those years, I waited.

So I suppose that leads me to the last thing that I wanted to tell you. Wow... Even writing it, I'm nervous. You should know that I've been saving up money since I first saw you again. I spent a good chunk of it on the Murano Glass that I got you for your birthday, but I've been saving up since then. I wasn't going to do it for a while. There were still things that I needed to take care of. But I was going to buy you a ring. I was going to ask you to marry I never get the chance to see you again, you should at least know how I really felt about you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.

There are so many other things that I want to tell you. There's so much that I could tell you that it would take up the rest of our lives. Just know that I meant every words that I wrote to you. Know that I'll always mean everything.

And since I'm going to see you again soon, this was just a test to myself to see how mushy I could be. And I passed with flying colors! Good for me. I really hope that you don't ever see this. Makes me feel like a little girl for writing all of this. But it is the way that I feel. Honestly. I just wish that I could see the look on your face.

Know that you're always in my mind. And even my last thought will be of you. You always have been the love of my life.

Make me proud. Even prouder than I am now.

From your love (I better be),  
James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes.

Placing the letter on his lap, Bucky read over it more than once. He read over it three times before finally deciding that he had to stop somewhere. He could have spent the rest of his life writing all of the things that he never got a chance to tell her. He folded up the letter once he was sure that it was satisfactory and pushed it into an envelope, scrawling Vika's name across the front. He gave a deep sigh and turned back. Jones and Dugan had reentered the tent and were heading to their own bedrolls. Like everyone else, they wore a grim smile.

"You writing a novel, Barnes?" Dugan teased.

Bucky smiled and shook his head, holding the thick envelope in his hands. "Just writing down everything that I was too much of a coward to say to her before I left," he said.

Jones shook his head. "You're wasting your time, Barnes. You're going to get back to her. We're all going to get back," he said.

But as the two men moved about their business, getting ready before the foot march to Azzano began tomorrow morning, Bucky noticed something with the other men. They were both carrying letters of their own. And they were just as thick as Bucky's. He let out a little sigh and shook his head. He wasn't the only one that was thinking that something was going to happen. Bucky stood and brought the letter over to the Colonel, praying that it would never be sent.

September 24th, 1943  
Azzano, Italy

It was the dead of the night as explosions echoed all across the field that the fight was taking place in. A flare was shot high into the air and Bucky turned back as the bullets began to fly near him. They were getting closer and closer. He knew that it would only be so long before the German troops would be right on top of them. Fires were burning everywhere from the explosions that were coming from the German troops and tanks. There were more soldiers than they had been expecting. That was why they were currently in the process of retreating. The fight was lost. They could only hope to have another chance to attack soon.

Even as Bucky ran from the hail of bullets, he found himself thinking of her. He knew that he wasn't the only one. As they ran, that was all that they could think of. Not the fear that a bullet would hit them or an explosion would dismember them. The only thing that they could think of were the people that they were running for. The fight was not over. Bucky knew that there was still a chance to at least beat back some of the troops. But as an explosion came very close to knocking him off of his feet, Bucky started to think that maybe she would be getting that letter from him. At least he had written everything that he wanted to tell her.

As Bucky and the rest of the troops began to retreat, dashing around a broken tank, an explosions rocked the ground. One man was thrown off of his feet and hit the ground roughly. Bucky didn't stop, knowing that stopping would mean his own life. As he ran, Bucky hopped down over a hill and ducked behind it, pushing back his Kevlar helmet. It would keep the bullets from hitting him. He had gotten lucky with his timing as a large explosion went off not far from the hill, spraying fire and dirt everywhere. Bucky turned back, gripping his rifle tighter, Dugan dove down next to him, covered in dirt and looking exhausted.

Dugan rolled onto his side and looked at Bucky. "There's got to be at least five more of the companies out there!" he shouted over all of the screaming and explosions.

"Radio B Company, tell them we need cover!" Bucky shouted.

A moment later, Jones dove under the small cover that they had as well. He was the one that had been carrying the radio, in the event that they needed backup. And it turned out that they definitely needed backup. But Bucky's hope almost immediately deflated. The radio must have been destroyed as Jones was running. It was smoking and had a large hole in the corner of it. There was no way that they were going to be able to radio anyone else for help.

"That might be tough!" Jones yelled.

Bucky and Jones stared at each other for a moment, wondering what they could do now. "Bucky, behind you!" Dugan shouted.

Without bothering to think about another answer for the radio, Bucky whipped back around. Dugan was firing at German troops that were now heading towards their hiding spot. Bucky placed his rifle up on the top of the small hill, got down on his stomach, and began to fire at everything that he could see through the darkness. It didn't take long before the explosive charges that had been laid out by the Germans began to set off, very close to where they were. They had to duck down, barely able to avoid the heat.

Dugan's hat was knocked off at the blasts. "Here they come!" Bucky shouted.

Bucky hopped upright and sprinted over to the other side of the raised dirt mound that they were hiding behind. He could see more of the German soldiers heading towards them in the distance. He could only hope that there were enough people to shoot at them. If they could kill them all before they got over to them, they might stand a chance. Jones joined him a moment later as they continued shooting at each other. Bucky simply shot one man down after another, unwilling to lose.

"I hate these guys," Dugan growled.

Placing his hat back on his head, Dugan ran after Bucky and Jones and got down in the dirt with them, his rifle in his hands. They started to fire once more, Bucky firing at soldier after soldier. One by one, they fell. But it seemed like every time they fired, more would take their place. Bucky was looking through the sight on top of his rifle to fire again when a bright blue light hit two of the German soldiers, evaporating them. Their skeletons were visible for a moment before they vanished. Gabe jumped backwards as Bucky watched with wide eyes, no longer firing. The Germans had stopped firing, too.

It didn't take long before more and more blue lights were fired. It was to the point that they were lighting up the entire field. The German forces were taken out within a minute, each man turning the startling blue before vanishing before their eyes. It was a minute later that all of the soldiers were gone. Shouts and cheers were echoing in the background as Bucky and the others looked up. People slowly began to get to their feet, wondering if someone had come to help them.

"What the hell was that?" Dugan asked.

No one answered him. No one could understand what had happened. Vika had once mentioned to him that there were all sorts of new weapons that were being designed for the war. But he had thought that she meant something like a new tank or new guns. He certainly had never heard of weapons that evaporated people. Men were screaming behind them - with fear or excitement, he couldn't tell - as Bucky, Jones, and Dugan got to their feet. They made a move to head into the battlefield and thank their saviors.

They had just stepped over the hill, with a few other men following them, when another one of the blue lights was fired over towards the mountain range that the German soldiers had come from. More and more of the blue lights were fired and the three men stopped in their tracks, wondering just who it was that had come and stopped the Germans. They weren't left wondering for long. A tank, almost three times the size of any other one that Bucky had seen, began to roll over the hill, the lights nearly blinding.

"That looks... new," Dugan said.

It wasn't just the three of them that were entranced by the giant tank. They all were. The nearly three hundred men that remained alive on the battlefield were all watching the new addition. Bucky looked all over the tank, but there was no indication as to who had helped them. The tank stopped moving at the top of the hill and Bucky watched curiously. He had a suddenly terrible feeling. Why had no soldiers come out to offer their help? Bucky watched as the barrel of the tank began to move. And it was moving straight towards their troops, something that Bucky realized almost too late.

"Down!" Bucky shouted.

But it was too late. He could hear the engine of the tank winding up. The light began to flood through the field as Bucky, Jones, and Dugan all hit the ground. The others did, too, but it only worked for so many of them. The explosion was deafening. The tank had been aimed slightly higher than where Bucky and the other two men had been standing, but they were blown backwards from the blast. Bucky hit on his back and rolled over, dirt and blood covering his entire body. His head was rolling backwards, trying to process everything. He had to get up and move. They had to get away. They could bring back help.

As Bucky looked up - managing to get his vision back after blinking a few times - he realized that it was too late. Bodies were strewn all around him. So many men had already died. He was glad to see that Dugan and Jones were trying to recover on either side of him. His ears were ringing as soldiers began to march towards them. They were circling everyone that was on the ground, trying to recover. Bucky could see the soldiers walking back and forth, shouting in what he thought was German. He watched people from his side, friends of his own, be killed right off the bat. Others were merely shouted at. All he could see was that they were being pushed together.

Bucky's heart was pounding as he looked around them. He caught sight of one of the soldiers not far from him, and coming straight towards them. Bucky unsteadily got to his feet and looked over the newcomers. He was wearing an all-black suit that had silver linings on it. They were carrying two large guns on each one of their arms. Bucky had a feeling that they were flamethrowers. Their masks completely covered their faces, but he knew who they were. The black octopus symbol on the chest of the soldier told him everything that he needed to know. They were Hydra. And they were incredibly dangerous.

Jones and Dugan were close on either side of Bucky. They were trapped in between five Hydra soldiers, about twenty of their own soldiers caught in the fold. Dozens more were caught on all sides of them. "Can we make a run for it?" Jones asked Bucky.

Bucky immediately shook his head. Running wouldn't work. Not with so many people around them. "I wouldn't. We're surrounded," Bucky advised.

"Auf dem boden! Auf dem boden!" one of the Hydra soldiers began to shout.

"Can you translate?" Bucky asked Jones.

He knew that Jones spoke German. He could only hope that the fact would work in their favor. "He's saying to get on the ground," Jones said.

All of the men were smart enough to follow their orders. They knew that they would have to cooperate in order to stay alive for a while longer. Two Hydra soldiers made their way over to stand in front of Bucky and Jones, seemingly knowing that they were the two that they could actually speak with. Bucky dropped onto his knees, wiping dirt and blood out of his eyes. They were all kneeling nervously as the Hydra soldiers walked back and forth, taking any of their weapons that they could find, and searching all of the men.

Finally they seemed to have gotten everything that they wanted. The same Hydra soldier that had spoken first turned around and glanced at Bucky. "Wo sind sie?" he asked.

Bucky glanced over to Jones. "He's asking where we're from," Jones said.

"The United States and its Allies," Bucky answered.

Obviously Jones didn't need to translate that one. The Hydra soldier laughed and shook his head. "Americans," he sneered in a very thick German accent.

"Ask them what they want from us," Bucky told Jones.

"Was wollen sie von uns?"

Jones's German accent wasn't that wonderful, but it was obviously enough for the Hydra soldier to understand. He glanced at Bucky before speaking to Jones again. "Ich habe noch nicht entschieden," the Hydra agent said.

Bucky could feel the tenseness in Jones's stance. He turned to Bucky. "He says that he hasn't decided yet," Jones said.

With a little hint of fear, Bucky realized that it had fallen to him to try and save the lives of all of the men that had survived the attack. He thought as hard as he could for something to say. Come on, Bucky... What would Vika say? "Tell him that he didn't kill us for a reason," Bucky finally settled on, feeling that it was the safe answer.

Jones nodded and turned to the Hydra soldier. "Sie haben uns noch nicht für einen grund getötet," he said.

"Sind sie der führer?"

There was a hint of amusement in the tone of the Hydra soldier's voice. Jones swallowed and nodded, turning back to Bucky. "He wants to know if you're the leader," Jones said.

For a moment, Bucky hesitated. If he said that he was the leader, they might just take it out on him. Or maybe they would kill all of the men and leave Bucky to watch. He wasn't sure what to say. "Tell him that we all work together," Bucky finally said.

"Wir arbeiten zusammen," Jones said.

"Dann werden sie gemeinsam sterben."

Jones stiffened slightly and Bucky felt a hint of fear seep into his stomach. Had he said the wrong thing? "He says that we'll die together," Jones repeated to Bucky.

But he was not going to die. No one was going to die. Not anyone else. So Bucky straightened up and looked in between Dugan and Jones, speaking loud enough so that the others could hear him. "We're not going to die. If they haven't killed us yet, there's a reason. They're looking for prisoners. They aren't going to kill us unless we fight. So we keep calm and wait it out," he announced.

No one looked happy about not fighting, and neither was Bucky as he saw all of the dead friends that surrounded them, but he knew that this was the only chance for the rest of them to live. "You're sure about this?" Dugan asked him.

"We can't run. We'll be shot the second that we move," Bucky said.

Another Hydra soldier walked up to the first one. "Sollten wir sie töten?" the first one asked the second.

"Nein. Sie an das werk senden," the second one said.

Bucky noticed that Jones was listening closely. Once they had stopped speaking to each other, Bucky turned to Jones. "What did they say?" he asked, only understanding the no from the second soldier.

"The one asked if he should kill us. The other said no. That we should be brought to a factory," Jones said.

"Bewegung!" the first Hydra soldier shouted.

"Move," Jones said.

One by one, everyone got to their feet. They were put into lines of two as they walked. Hydra soldiers outnumbered them at least three to one. Maybe more. There was no way that any of them were getting away from this. Not by running. Bucky walked alongside Jones, Dugan following with a dark-haired man. They were brought to a march by the Hydra soldiers and Bucky let out a breath as he glanced back. There must have been nearly two hundred men that were marching to this new factory. Bucky was terrified to move through the now-silent battlefield, stepping over the bodies of his allies. He might be alive, but he was now a prisoner of war.

September 27th, 1943  
Austrian Alps

They had spent the last three days hiking up into the Austrian Alps. No one was speaking. Hardly anyone had spoken over the last three days. They had learned the hard way that speaking would only earn them some form of punishment. Bucky had only been hit once, on the first day of hiking, after asking where they were going. But it was hard. Bucky was exhausted from the entire trek. He had a terrible feeling that he might have been falling sick during the trek. He found himself getting weaker, coughing more often, and nearly falling. But Jones and Dugan had been helping him along, ensuring that he wouldn't fall.

Some of them over the past three days had dropped from all sorts of different things. Some of them men had dropped from sickness or exhaustion. Something must have passed over the battlefield. If a man fell, they were shot in the head so that no one could find and save them. There had also been a few men killed simply because they had irritated a guard. It was something that had shocked the men the first time that they had seen it happen. A man had been shot in the head because he had refused to march. Bucky had seen about fifteen men die on their way to the Hydra base.

They had stuck mostly to the woods. Bucky had a feeling that it was too dangerous for them to go into the cities. It made escape impossible. If they ran, there would be no cover. Everyone was exhausted as they hobbled through the cold air. The Hydra soldiers had simply forced them to continue walking. They hadn't eaten or drank anything since they had left Azzano. It didn't help that they were only allowed to stop and sleep for two hours a night, in the coldest hours of the night.

"Barnes," Dugan whispered, not wanting to attract the attention of any of the guards. "You were saying the other day that you know who these guys are."

Bucky had told them that he knew who they were because Vika had told him about them. "My girl told me about them. Hydra. They're a Nazi Deep Science Division. The guy that leads these people, Johann Schmidt thinks that he's more of a god than a man. He's been trying to harness types of powers that were only known in legend," Bucky said.

"That thing that we saw the other day..." Jones trailed off.

The things that Vika had told him about were impossible. There was no way that anyone could actually make those things. It seemed that Dugan shared Bucky's sentiment. "Those are fairy tales. They aren't real. It's just some new kinda gun that they've got," Dugan said. They all nodded their agreement. "These Hydra... They're dangerous?"

"You tell me," Bucky said.

"Holy shit," Jones said slowly.

The building that they were looking at was towering over everything. Guns seated on top of bunkers were pointed out towards the road that the men were walking up. Lights were blasting out towards them, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. A gate was opened and they were allowed inside. Trucks rumbled back and forth, all carrying more and more weapons. The actual facility towered in the air, quite a few stories about them. On the far left side of the building was something akin to the skyscraper. There were even helicopter landing pads that surrounded the building. They were currently passing a security building.

They were almost immediately sent into the main portion of the building. They walked into the main floor that looked mostly like a weapons manufacturing plant. They must have been brought here to be workers. That was the only thing that Bucky could think made sense. They were led through the main section all the way towards the back of the building. There was a cat walk that was lifted about two stories up into the air and Bucky glanced up. There was a shadow of a man in the far corner.

The man walked back and forth for a moment before coming to a stop. He stood tall and proud as he looked over the men. He had a mustache very typical of German men and cold blue eyes that were shining down on the prisoners. He was wearing a Colonel uniform and Bucky stared at him. On his upper arm was the Hydra band. It was the same one that was on the soldier's uniform, but this one was bright red. He looked very amused as he began to speak. Bucky was very surprised to hear that he spoke English.

"Gentlemen. My name is Colonel Lohmer." He had a very thick accent but he was easy enough to understand. "I am in charge of this Hydra Weapons Facility. For those of you who do not know, Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. Some people think that we are bent on world domination. In some ways, this is true. But, in other ways, we are only here to help. To show humanity what the truth is. That you are not free. You need to be free from freedom.

"Hydra was formed in ancient times. We are a scientific branch of the Nazi Schutzstaffel. Most recently, our leader, Johann Schmidt has separated Hydra from Nazi Germany to start his own conquest of the world. That's why you saw us attacking German troops, saving your very poor attempt at an attack. You may think of us as draconian anti-freedom principles. It matters not to us. We are dedicated to this newfound political doctrine. World War II is won by Hydra. Do not think otherwise. The Reich shall win because we are unified. In blood as in purpose. While our enemies are the polyglot peasants of Europe and the mongrel masses of North America.

"And that is where you come in. You are now honored to have become some of Hydra's newest workers. This is the way that it works. You do what we tell you to do, and you live to see another day. You fight us, you die. We have taken it easy on you. Over the next few days you will be shown where you will work and where you will sleep. Perform satisfactorily, and we will treat you with respect. You will be fed and unharmed. Fail on your duties, and you will be treated accordingly to your failures," Lohmer said with a cruel smile. "This is Lieutenant Kleiber. He will be assisting with you all."

Bucky and the other men glanced over to see another man that had come to stand with Lohmer. He was wearing a typical German Lieutenant's uniform. He was younger than Lohmer and wore glasses. He had a curious face, rather than the cruel one that Lohmer had, but Bucky knew that neither one would be wise to cross. A hat with the Hydra symbol on it blocked Bucky's view of the rest of him. He came forward to stand with Lohmer on the cat walk.

"One by one, you will come and speak with us. We will be learning your names. We will also be assigning you to your spaces and your duties. Be prepared," Kleiber said before turning off and heading downstairs.

It was exactly as the men said. The prisoners were taken down to holding cells and tossed into barred cages. Bucky found himself being manhandled poorly, and it was not something that he liked. But he didn't fight to get away from the men. He knew enough to know that he had to keep calm. The men were taken one by one to go and speak with the German men. The rest of them were left in cells to wait until they were called in. In the meantime, as the hours passed, the men were fed scraps. It was enough to keep them alive, but not enough to make them strong enough to fight back against their captors.

Dugan and Jones were sitting with Bucky against the back corner of their cage. They had to speak softly so that none of the guards heard them. "Alright. What do we do?" Dugan asked.

"We wait," Bucky said, as much as the thought pained him. "We can't just leave immediately. There are almost two hundred of us. We can't all get out at the same moment."

They would be shot if they all tried to leave at once. "What if only a few of us leave at a time? Two or three of us leave. Get to a base and organize an attack to free everyone else," Jones suggested.

Bucky and Dugan exchanged a look. They'd be risking the lives of everyone else that remained at the factory. "And what happens the moment that they realize that some of us have gone?" Dugan asked, shaking his head.

They had to come to the conclusion that no one wanted to say out loud, but they'd all known from the moment that they were captured. "We can't get out. There are cameras recording every movement and guards everywhere. They're watching us too closely. We would have to organize an attack or something of the like," Bucky said.

"We don't know the way that they work," Jones put in.

And he was right. They would need to know the shift times, the men that worked and lived here, and the building layout. It was too dangerous to enact an escape for now. "They've promised not to kill us. So let's work with that for now. We do what they need. They obviously want us working on construction. That's a good thing. We can see what they're building. People got away from the fight. They'll let everyone know what happened and they'll come for us," Bucky said, a sinking feeling in his stomach telling him that it wasn't the truth. "In the meantime, we keep our heads down and learn everything that we can."

The men all nodded, knowing that they were going to have to bide their time. "How long before someone comes for us?" Dugan asked, leaning back against the bars of the cage.

Bucky shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered.

"We're going to get out of this. I'm not dying in this hell-hole," Jones snarled.

And neither was Bucky. He was going to live. "And I'm not gonna have a letter tell her everything that I want to say. We wait it out for a while. Get them to trust us. We make our move in a few weeks," Bucky said determinedly.

It wasn't just the three of them. There were a few other men in the cage that had been listening. They all nodded their agreement before falling silent once more. The guards were passing over the open air top of the cage so the men stopped speaking, not wanting them to hear their plotting. Bucky merely stared down at the dirty floor. He couldn't find it in himself to speak about anything. Not even just to hear something other than the German conversations above them. The situation might not have been the most hopeless that it could have been, but it seemed very unlikely that they would actually ever be able to get out of this.

September 29th, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Austrian Alps

Two days had passed since arriving at the Austrian Hydra Weapons Facility. It felt like there might have been months that had passed. They were only keeping the days because Dugan was scratching the days into their cell so that they could keep count. Bucky was glad to see that they were getting close to the end of the interviews that the Hydra agents had been conducting. Since they had arrived here, men would vanish for about five or ten minutes at a time to answer questions from the officers. There were only a few men left to speak to them. Bucky was one of the few that hadn't spoken to them yet. He had been trying to put it off as long as possible.

Two more men had been killed since arriving at the factory. Bucky didn't know why. No one actually knew why it had happened. He just imagined that they had said something unsatisfactory during their meetings. They had been warned to watch what they said to each other. They knew that something rude would earn them an early grave by this point. He had just been praying that the last shot that he'd heard during one of the meetings yesterday would be the last one that he would hear at all. Bucky, himself, was exhausted. He had been given barely any water or food, just like the rest of the prisoners.

Things had been so miserable that Bucky had come to simply trying to block out everything that was happening. He found himself preferring to just think about Vika. He just wanted to think about her. It was better than thinking about everything that could happen to them during their time here. He found himself constantly wondering if he was ever going to get back to her. It had become a harsh reality that even though he was alive right now, he might not ever get out of here. It broke his heart that the letter that he had thought was just a way to vent everything that he'd wanted to say might be the closest that he'd ever come to proposing to her.

As much as he wanted to think about her, he was sick of wondering whether or not he would ever get the chance to really be with her. So he forced himself to think about his interview with them. He was actually probably the last person to be called in. They had slowly been putting everyone into cells that had become their temporary homes. All that Bucky knew was that he had to be short and polite with his answers when he went back. Someone had been killed for giving a rude answer. Jones and Dugan had both been taken earlier in the day and Bucky was very glad that they had come back in one piece.

"You," a Hydra soldier called, pointing to Bucky. "Come with me."

Nodding at him, Bucky stood weakly, feeling a little dizzy. He had been feeling weaker and weaker with the passing days, but he was still pushing it off to just having not eaten or slept much over the past two weeks. He walked out of the cell with the guard and headed into a little room that wasn't far from the holding cells. It was just visible from the production floor, where the men that had already gone through their conversations were working. Bucky walked into the room and sat at a desk with another man that seemed to be in his late sixties. He glanced up at Bucky and nodded for the guard to leave the room.

Bucky knew that this was a test on whether or not he would attack the guard. He wouldn't, knowing that it would only get him shot. "My name is Alric Weber," the man said, opening a blank file. "What is yours?"

"James Barnes. Most people just call me Bucky," he answered.

Alric wrote his answer quickly before looking back up at Bucky. "Where are you from, Bucky?" he asked.

"Brooklyn."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six," Bucky answered.

He sighed softly. He had just recently turned twenty-five the last time that he had seen Vika. He would have much rather had another birthday at Coney Island. "What is your birth date?" Alric asked once he had scribbled down the other two answers.

"March 10th, 1917," he answered immediately.

Alric nodded and wrote down the answer. Bucky's stomach turned, wondering if his date of death might be coming soon. "Where were you serving?" Alric finally asked.

Bucky very nearly laughed and said something rude. But he managed to stop himself and take a deep breath, answering as politely as he could. "Here. With the 107th Infantry Regiment," Bucky said.

"How long have you been deployed?" Alric asked.

Way too long. "About a year and a half," he answered.

"Did you leave anyone?" Alric asked.

Bucky's heart lodged in his throat. He almost immediately wished that Alric hadn't asked that question. He knew that he should have told the truth, but couldn't bring himself to tell Alric about Vika. So he shrugged it off. "Some friends. Some family," Bucky said nonchalantly.

"Parents?" Alric asked.

A little twinge of hurt shot through Bucky. He tried very hard not to think about the parents that he had lost so many years ago. Bucky shook his head. "No. My mother and father both died a few years ago," he answered.

Alric nodded and made a note. "Siblings?" he asked.

Bucky nodded. "Two older sisters. One is married with a child of her own. The other is engaged to a man that is deployed. One younger brother. He works at a steel mill," he answered, not wanting to say their names.

He was very grateful that Alric didn't press the issue with his siblings. "A wife? Any children?" he asked.

Not yet. "I'm not married. No kids," Bucky said, glad that he didn't really have to lie.

Alric glanced up, surprised. "A woman, perhaps?" he asked.

"No," Bucky answered, maybe a little too quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

They both stared at each other for a moment before Alric nodded. Bucky let out a breath, glad that Alric hadn't continued the questioning. "Why did you join the war, Bucky?" he asked.

That question definitely threw Bucky. He hadn't been expecting them to say anything like that. "Because I wanted to put a stop to the fighting. I wanted to help the United States win the war and defend the people that I have, back at home," Bucky said, fiercely enough that he made his point, but not enough that he would be shot.

Alric gave a nasty smile. "And you are doing very well..." he trailed off.

Bucky realized that he wanted to know the ranking. "Sergeant," he answered.

Alric nodded and jotted down a few notes. "Sergeant Barnes. Did you bring anything with you?" Alric asked.

It was the exact thing that Bucky had been expecting, but praying that he wouldn't ask. "No. All of my things are back at my old camp," Bucky said, hoping that Alric wouldn't question it.

"Turn out your pockets," Alric ordered.

Sucking in a breath, Bucky nodded. Alric motioned for him to stand and he did so. He knew that this would happen. That was why he had placed the locket with Vika's pictures in his pocket. He should have known that this would happen. Bucky gulped and dug his hands into his pocket, turning them out. The chain slipped out of the pocket and hit the ground. Alric smiled and stood from his own chair. Bucky didn't make a move, knowing that it wouldn't own well. Instead, Alric crossed the room and grabbed the locket off of the floor. Bucky tensed as Alric ran his hands over one of Bucky's most prized possessions.

He placed his hand on the lock and gently pushed it open. "Sister?" Alric asked with a smile.

Knowing that it was not a wise choice, Bucky settled on staying silent. He hated that Alric was even seeing what she looked like, despite the fact that he would never see her. Vika was safe back in the States, and she would not be making her way out here anytime soon. Even if she did, she would stay far away from the Hydra camps. Bucky watched with clenched fists as Alric looked over the pictures. His grin eventually faded and something akin to recognition flooded his eyes.

"What is her name?" Alric asked sharply.

Something struck Bucky as being very odd. And a fierce nature to protect her kicked in. He would never let anyone hurt her. "Why do you care?" Bucky asked harshly.

"Her name, Sergeant Barnes," Alric hissed.

"No."

But the denial went over about as well as Bucky had been expecting it too. Alric grabbed a gun that had been strapped to his waist and pulled it out. Bucky thought that he might shoot him, but he needed answers. So, instead, he reared back and hit Bucky over the head with the barrel. It was much harder of a hit than he had been expecting, so Bucky was thrown to the ground. Bucky was laying on the ground as he blearily attempted to get back to his feet. Blood was sticky on the back of his head and some had welled up in his mouth. He spit the blood out as he stood back upright. The door to the room was open and the men were watching what was happening through the doorway.

"Her name!" Alric shouted.

He stumbled slightly as he faced Alric once more. He had already been feeling terrible. This only made things worse. "She's just a woman. What difference does it make to you, what her name is?" Bucky asked.

Alric seemed to know that he wasn't going to get anywhere by asking Bucky about her. Bucky would die before selling her out. "No matter. I know her name," Alric said. Bucky found himself standing with a straightened spine. He didn't know her name. He was just lying to get Bucky to say something. "Victoria, correct?"

It felt like Bucky's heart had stopped. He wasn't lying. Somehow Alric knew what her name was. "You stay the hell away from her!" Bucky shouted, moving towards Alric, forgetting about the punishment.

A Hydra officer moved into the room and grabbed Bucky's arms, holding him back. "Me?" Alric asked with a little laugh. "Oh, no, Sergeant Barnes. I am the least of her worries."

No... No. Nothing could happen to her. His heart was thumping rapidly in his chest as some of the other men were watching what was happening. Bucky was trying to fight back against the man that was holding his arms still, but he was unable to move. He was already weak and the man that was holding him was obviously larger than he was anyways. Alric turned around to leave the area, but Bucky realized that he was still holding the locket in his hands.

"Hey! Hey! Give that back!" Bucky shouted.

Alric laughed once more as the guard released Bucky. He made a move to run after Alric, but the guard acted faster. He was holding a broken pipe and reared back, hitting Bucky over the back of the head with it. Bucky collapsed to the ground as both men left the room. Alric dropped the chain and tossed it back to Bucky. He barely managed to reach out and grab the chain, tucking it back into his pocket. He groaned, watching the figures walk away through bleary eyes. He noticed two men - presumably Dugan and Jones - running into the room to help him back to his feet.

"Schmidt zu informieren. Wir haben ihren mann gefunden," Bucky heard Alric say to the guard.

Bucky was helped back to his feet as Jones blotted at the back of his bloody head. The two men were holding most of Bucky's weight until he could stand up himself. "What did he say?" Bucky asked, his voice shaky.

"Inform Schmidt. We've found her man," Jones said.

Schmidt... Johann Schmidt... What the hell could the Red Skull possibly want with Vika? It was obvious that it was nothing good. "Get back to work!" Lohmer shouted at the men that were standing around and watching.

They were forced to go back to work, but Bucky found himself staggering around the work site. The blows to the head had not helped with how terrible he was feeling. As much as the men tried to get Bucky to focus on his work, he couldn't. His mind kept slipping back to everything that had happened in the room. Bucky's stomach turned at every thought that went through his mind. There had to be something terrible that was happening here. What did they want with her? He was forced back to working on the parts of the plane that the men were being forced to build, the entire time desperate to know what they wanted with her.

Third Person P.O.V.

Doctor Arnim Zola was racing through the halls of the Hydra Weapons Facility as fast as he possibly could. Someone had to inform Schmidt of what they had just discovered. They had been wondering if her loved ones were out on the battlefield. They had thought that she probably did have someone in the war, but the chances of finding them had been so low that it was almost impossible. But the impossible had happened. Her loved one was right here, a captive in their home.

Zola burst into the weapons room that Schmidt spent so much of his time in. He ran up to the platform that Schmidt was standing on, breathing heavily. "Sir!" Zola called.

Schmidt turned back to him irritably. Everyone knew to never interrupt Schmidt when he was in deep thought. "What have I warned you, Dr. Zola, about interrupting me when I am thinking?" Schmidt asked, his voice becoming louder and more threatening.

It normally would have terrified Zola. But not this time. He knew that Schmidt would drop the anger the moment that he knew what was happening. "You may want to hear this, Sir," Zola said.

That seemed to have captured Schmidt's attention. "What is it, Dr. Zola?" he asked.

"You are aware of the two hundred soldiers that were captured from Azzano just last week?" Zola asked.

"Yes."

Dr. Zola smiled and moved towards Schmidt. "One of the men that was taken carries a locket. And inside that locket are two photographs of Victoria Davies." Schmidt's face fell. Not that he was angry. He merely looked impressed. He moved down towards Zola, a victorious look in his eyes. "He is her loved one," Zola continued.

Schmidt started to pace back and forth. He was wrapping his hands around each other. He had never heard news quite so pleasing. At least, not for a long time. "You are sure?" Schmidt finally asked.

"Yes, Sir."

Schmidt grinned before turning back. "Colonel Lohmer!" he shouted.

Lohmer appeared a moment later. "Sir?" he asked respectfully, his hands knitted behind his back.

"Please pay special attention to our friend..." Schmidt trailed off and looked down to Zola.

"Sergeant Barnes."

"Sergeant Barnes," Schmidt repeated.

A grin fell over Lohmer's face. "Yes, Sir," he said, saluting the Hydra leader.

Schmidt watched Lohmer leave before calling back to him. "Lohmer?" The man in question turned back. "Do not kill him. We need him alive. Miss Davies will be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Make his living conditions as deplorable as possible. Make him feel like he will die. The worse that he becomes, the more tempted that she will be to come for him," Schmidt instructed.

"Yes, Sir," Lohmer said, saluting him again.

They watched as Lohmer turned to leave the area. He walked through the doorway as Schmidt grinned to himself. Zola turned to Schmidt uncomfortably. He had just realized something that might not have been the best idea. "Sir?" he asked. Schmidt hummed at him. "Are you sure that you want her here?"

Schmidt whipped around to Zola, startling the smaller man. "Do not question me, Dr. Zola," he warned. "I am well-aware of the creature that I am antagonizing. But we have things to discuss, good doctor. It will only be a matter of time."

And so Zola followed Schmidt out of the room, both men knowing that it would only be a matter of time before Savage appeared at their doorstep - just as they had been hoping for. While Zola feared finally meeting the woman that was known to live up to her name, Schmidt felt a deeper pleasure settle over his body than he had felt in months. He was finally getting somewhere with all of his plans. Plans that had started just because of her existence. It was high time that she knew them.

Bucky's P.O.V.

October 1st, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Main Floor, Austrian Alps

The men were currently working out on the factory floor. There were pieces of metal in front of Bucky as well as cases of ammunition that they were supposed to be sorting. The men had given Bucky the job of sorting the ammunition, as he was becoming weaker and weaker by the day. But he did have to pretend that he was working on the actual project of constructing... whatever it was that they were constructing. He couldn't tell. He had to work on it whenever Lohmer walked by, as that was what he had instructed Bucky to work on. They were all in silence as they worked. They could only speak when the guards passed them. They couldn't risk talking when the guards were watching.

It appeared that they were working on something like an airplane. They were only building pieces and parts, so it was hard to tell what it was that they were building. All he knew was that it was way too big to be an airplane. At least, any one that Bucky had seen before. And he had seen some big airplanes. He also knew that there was lots of technology in the craft that he didn't understand. The guards only taught them enough so that it could be properly assembled. To Bucky's horror, he did know enough that if this was an airplane that they were building, it appeared that it was something like a massive bomber.

The guard that had been watching over them passed by and Jones leaned over to Bucky. "I don't get it, man, did she ever live over here?" Jones asked, referring to Vika.

They had been talking about her since they had realized that the officers obviously knew who she was. Bucky shook his head. "Not that I knew of. She was always in New York. They shouldn't know who she is," Bucky muttered.

"She ever maybe go steady with someone that was of German descent?" Jim Morita asked.

Once more, Bucky shook his head. "She said that she had never been with someone before me. So I wouldn't think so," Bucky said, feeling a little guilty that he was revealing that she had never gone out with someone before him. "She knew a German scientist, but he was on our side. He was murdered because of what he was doing against his home country."

The men were silent for a while. "So what does she mean to them?" Jacques Dernier asked.

No one spoke for a long while as another guard passed by and stopped behind the men. That was a very important question that no one had the answer to. Bucky would have been just as curious if it had been someone that he hadn't known. What could a woman from New York mean to them? The five of them - and James Montgomery Falsworth - were constantly batting back and forth the curiosity of who she was to them. Jacques Dernier and Jim Morita were some of the other Allied prisoners that Bucky had met. Their sleeping positions had been given, and they were the last to be sorted. They were either eight other men in their cage. That was the way that it went. Ten to twenty men per cage.

Bucky was very glad that there were men that he knew in the cage with them. Not that he wouldn't have gotten to know them. Living in such close quarters meant that they all got to know each other pretty quickly. Even the men that were in other cages had gotten to know each other. They were so close together that it was hard not to overhear conversations and get involved. Bucky was grateful that Dugan and Jones were in the same cage as him, as they'd all been keeping their promises to watch out for each other.

He had met some of the other prisoners that were in the same cage as he was. One of the men was Jim Morita. He was a Japanese-American soldier who was born in Fresno, California. It had taken Dugan some persuasion to actually attempt to get along with the man. Originally he had served in the US Army Nisei Squadron as a Ranger under the command of Captain Happy Sam Sawyer. He was a communications specialist. Bucky had thought that it was rather funny that he was born exactly a year and a day before Vika. October 20th, 1919. He did feel a bit badly for him that he would have to experience his birthday in this place.

There was also Jacques Dernier. It had taken a while for the men to manage to actually speak with him. After living in Marseille, Jacques had joined the French Resistance. He really got into combat when World War II began and France was occupied by German forces. He was one of the older men that had been captured. He was born on January 2nd, 1911, making him six years older than Bucky. To the amusement of the other men, he was an explosive expert, something that they intended to use in time.

The last of the men that Bucky had gotten to know was James Montgomery Falsworth. In some ways, Bucky really did like Falsworth. But, in other ways, he wanted to knock his teeth in. He was a rather nice man, but sometimes he was too stuck-up for everything that was happening. He was a member of His Majesty's 3rd Independent Parachute Brigade of the British Armed Forces. Bucky had asked if he knew a woman named Peggy Carter, but he claimed that he did not.

They had also gotten to know Colonel Lohmer a little bit better, much to Bucky's displeasure. He held a strong hatred for the man in his heart. He wasn't particularly nice to any of the prisoners, but he seemed to hold a special hatred for Bucky. He had singled him out time and time again to beat him mercilessly and viciously. It was the reason that Bucky was covered in bruises and cuts, and felt like he might die at any point. He knew that after everything that had been done to him, he was now one of the weakest prisoners here. He constantly felt terrible.

"Chatting, gentlemen?" Lohmer asked as he walked by.

The men all straightened up, unaware that Lohmer had been around them. Bucky turned back, fury settling in his chest. "Just getting to know each other, Colonel Lohmer. Might be here for a while," Bucky said.

The comment was not well-received. "I don't like your attitude, Sergeant Barnes," Lohmer snarled.

Very much surprising Bucky - as they were rarely threatened with guns - Lohmer yanked out one of Hydra's strange guns and pressed it underneath his chin. Everyone tensed and dropped what they were doing to watch the exchange. Lohmer merely smiled and slowly put the gun back into his holster. Bucky relaxed slightly, but it didn't last long. A moment later, Lohmer reached past Bucky and grabbed a panel about the size of a car window, smashing Bucky over the head with it. He grunted and fell to the ground, rolling onto his back as pain shot through him.

He was groaning and trying to blink back the tears of pain. He felt terrible. His head was spinning and killing him. Some of the men made their way to help Bucky, but they were shoved back into line. "Leave him! Get back to work. Jetzt!" Lohmer shouted at the others.

Regrettably they moved back into line. Bucky wasn't angry. They knew what was happening. They knew that they couldn't get beaten themselves because they were trying to help Bucky. It took him a few minutes before the pain had subsided and he was able to pull himself back to his feet. He rubbed the back of the head in pain. His hair was soaked with blood and there was a lump forming on the back of his head. He weakly stumbled back over to his work station, gripping the edge of the desk, trying to keep himself upright. He was no fool. He knew that he was getting sick. It wasn't surprising with the way that he had been living during deployments, meeting so many people, and the beatings.

Once the guards had passed by them once more, Jones walked over to Bucky and gently pressed against the back of his head. Bucky cringed in pain. "Concussion. Watch the head. We'll watch over you tonight," Jones said.

Bucky nodded at him. "Thanks. I'm not feeling so hot," he admitted.

He hadn't seen his reflection in quite some time, but he imagined that he couldn't look that good. "You're not looking too hot," Jones said.

"Take a break. We'll watch out for the rest of them," Jim offered.

Bucky opened his mouth to thank them, but nothing came out. He began a coughing fit as Jim and Gabe helped Bucky down to the ground. Bucky hit the ground and leaned back against the table. Gabe stayed underneath the table to help him stop the coughing fit. He was the closest thing that they had to a doctor. Bucky spit out some more blood and leaned back against the table leg, ignoring the look in Gabe's eyes. He sighed sadly and closed his eyes, motioning for Gabe to get back to work. For the first time since being captured, Bucky was starting to think that there really was a good chance that he would never see Vika again.

October 17th, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Sub-Levels, Austrian Alps

Things had gotten no better in the past two and a half weeks that the men had been at the Hydra Weapons Facility. Colonel Lohmer was still in charge of the Facility, and Bucky wished desperately that he wasn't. He was a terrible man that had taken no shortcuts when it came to beating down Bucky. He had done everything that Bucky could think of. He had beaten him to the point where Bucky couldn't walk, he was sure that he had a few breaks, and he had threatened Bucky more than once to tell him everything that he knew about Vika. But Bucky always remained silent. He wasn't sure what they wanted to know about her. But he was saying nothing.

During the few times that Lohmer wasn't trying to maim Bucky, he was trying very hard to keep divisions in the men. He had devised a strategy to reduce the potential number of mutinies among the prisoners of war that had been captured and enslaved inside the factory, based on his beliefs that the Third Reich would win World War II because its members were unified, while the enemies of the Reich were of different nationalities and ethnicity, and that would cause conflict among them.

As such, that was part of the way that they had been locked together. It was something that had taken the prisoners a few arguments to understand. After a particularly nasty fight, they'd all understood what was happening. Lohmer split the prisoners by nationality, keeping members of different factions and brigades within the Allied Forces in cages together, and trying to keep friends apart. It was all in the hopes that they would all be too busy fighting each other rather than trying to fight their jailers.

Lohmer thought that his plan was brilliant, obviously. He had put in the same cell, a British member of the Third Independent Parachute Brigade, James Montgomery Falsworth, a member of the French Resistance, Jacques Dernier, a member of the 92nd Infantry Division, Gabe Jones, a member of the 69th Infantry Regiment, Dum Dum Dugan, and a member of the 107th Infantry Regiment, Bucky Barnes. This must have seemed like the perfect plan at the time as a joke made by Dum Dum while they had all been introducing themselves had raised tension between the cellmates, and a brawl started, proving Lohmer's point.

But little did he know that they had started to get along easily, upon realizing their precarious position. He didn't understand the the 92nd and 69th Infantry Regiments had been working together for months. That was how Bucky knew Dum Dum and Gabe. While the men might not all have loved each other, they had been managing to get along well enough so that they weren't constantly at their throats. They had frequently been pulled together because of Bucky's injuries, teaming up to help him.

They were once more working on the airplane that they had been constructing since arriving. Bucky had finally learned that it was an airplane that the men were all building. It was to be called the Valkyrie and seemed to be something akin to a super-bomber. It made Bucky sick that they were having a hand in building it. Bucky was still stumbling around as he tried to get everything together. The men were all smart enough to know that Bucky was getting extremely sick and there was no medical care to help him. They simply had to hide the fact that he was sick from the guards, so that they didn't take him away.

It had just been lucky that none of the other men had fallen sick. They had been unable to plan an escape since the first time that they had spoken about it. The gates were constantly locked, there were cameras everywhere, and all of the guards were armed. They'd be dead before they took two steps. They had lately just been trying to keep each other in high spirits and reminding each other that they weren't dead yet. They would survive. There was a way out of this. They knew that there was a way out. There had to be.

"Sergeant Barnes?" Colonel Lohmer's voice cut through the air. Bucky tensed and turned back, feeling the world spin for a moment. "I'd like to speak with you."

"I wouldn't," Bucky said.

Some of the men looked like they were in between laughing and hitting Bucky. He knew that he shouldn't have said anything, but Bucky was unable to stop himself. He already felt so terrible that he was inclined to think that things couldn't get much worse for him. Lohmer smiled and moved towards Bucky, who knew that nothing good was coming. Just as he thought, Lohmer grabbed onto his hair and ripped Bucky's head off to the side, slamming his head down onto the table. Bucky groaned in pain.

"I think that we're going to talk, Sergeant Barnes. Come," Lohmer hissed in Bucky's ear.

He had no chance to argue that he wasn't going to tell him anything. Lohmer yanked Bucky upwards and began to drag Bucky with him. They marched down the hallway and Bucky found himself barely able to stand upright. He wanted to fall over and die. But he couldn't. He had sworn to Vika that he would be back. Bucky was taller than Lohmer, so he had to lean down from the older man's grip on his hair. They crossed the building into a room where Lohmer locked the two of them in a room. Bucky was thrown into a chair as a guard proceeded to tie him up. Lohmer stood on the far side of the room with a small metal table.

Lohmer waited until the guard had tied up Bucky and moved to stand in the corner. "Let's start easily," Lohmer said. Bucky stared him down, knowing that he was going to question him on Vika. "Where did you meet Miss Davies?"

He must have known her for a long time. She hadn't gone by the name of Davies since she was eight. Maybe they had known each other... Bucky knew almost nothing about her childhood. "How do you know her?" Bucky asked.

Lohmer grinned. "I don't think that's what I asked you, Sergeant Barnes," he said.

He turned back to the table and Bucky watched closely. His gaze was blurry and it was very difficult for Bucky to focus. But he did manage to focus long enough to realize that Lohmer was placing something on his hand. And Bucky's stomach turned when he realized what it was. A pair of brass knuckles. Lohmer smiled as he turned back to Bucky, walking up to him, rearing backwards, and punching Bucky dead across the face. Bucky was knocked to the side as his head started to spin, pain spreading over him. He doubled over as far as he could, spitting out blood.

Lohmer rubbed the brass knuckles. Bucky could see that there was a little streak of red on the metal. "Where did you meet Miss Davies?" Lohmer asked.

"Go screw yourself," Bucky growled, spitting out more blood.

"Wrong answer."

Just as Bucky expected, Lohmer moved closer to him again. Bucky tensed as much as he possibly could, knowing that Lohmer was going to hit him as hard as he could. And he did. The only good thing was that this hit was not to his face. Instead, Lohmer punched Bucky directly in the stomach. Bucky bent over double, wheezing for breath, trying to suck as much air as he could back into his lungs. Bucky began to cough up blood, knowing that Lohmer had ruptured something.

By the time that Bucky finally managed to right himself, he could see Lohmer pacing impatiently. "You know not of what she is," Lohmer hissed at Bucky.

"I know what she is. And I know what you are," Bucky said, barely able to breathe.

Lohmer scoffed at Bucky and shook his head, wringing the brass knuckles. "You think yourself brave, Sergeant Barnes. How will Miss Davies feel when she knows that you died to protect her?" Lohmer snarled.

"I'd die for her. Any day," Bucky said.

"Would she do the same?" Lohmer asked.

"Yes," Bucky said, without hesitation.

She was not a normal woman. He knew that she would give her own life for his. He found himself very grateful that it was the other way around. He couldn't bear something happening to her. It was the exact reason that he was taking all of this. If he died to protect her, he would be okay with that. She was worth every beating.

"Let's see how far we can push her," Lohmer said, moving towards Bucky once more.

There was almost no chance that Bucky got to ponder Lohmer's words. He reared back and struck Bucky across the face again. But it didn't stop there. He was hit over and over again, never slowing down. Lohmer's brass knuckles hit against every inch of his body. His stomach, his chest, and his face. Bucky could feel everything soaked in blood and he was positive that Lohmer had broken something. Multiple somethings. It must have been nearly five minutes before Lohmer ceased his assault on Bucky. Both men were breathing heavily. Lohmer from frustration and Bucky from the excruciating pain.

Lohmer shifted the brass knuckles on his hand. Bucky could see that there were bruises forming on his hands. "Have we had a change in heart?" Lohmer asked Bucky.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing."

Lohmer sighed irritably. Bucky was not going to make this easy. "You really won't speak?" Lohmer asked. Bucky shook his head, blood dribbling from his chin. "Not even to tell me where you met her?" Bucky stayed silent. "When you met her?" He still didn't speak. "How much do you really know about her past?"

There was very little that Bucky knew about her past, but he wasn't going to say a thing. "Screw yourself," Bucky sighed.

"Did you know that she murdered her own parents?" Lohmer asked.

And suddenly the pain faded. The only thing that Bucky could feel was shock. Her parents had died in a house fire. Vika had told him that. He knew that. She hadn't murdered them. She would have never done something like that. Sure, Vika had always hated her parents, but that didn't mean that she had committed a felony against them. She was only eight years old when it had happened, anyways. He knew that Lohmer was just trying to get him to break. He didn't believe him for a second.

So Bucky shook his head. Lohmer smiled at him. "Sergeant Barnes... You know not of the woman that you care so deeply for. You have no idea just what she is capable of," he said.

"I know that she's ten times the person that you could ever have the potential to be," Bucky snapped.

"Funny wording," Lohmer said.

It was very obvious that Bucky didn't understand what Lohmer had meant. It did not sit well with Lohmer, though. He had clearly gotten to his wits end with Bucky. So he reared back and clocked Bucky across the jaw. It was so hard that Bucky was sure that his jaw had been broken. He leaned over in searing pain, feeling his hair that had grown longer brushing across his neck. Bucky groaned and straightened up once more, refusing to let Lohmer win.

"One last time, Sergeant Barnes. Tell me about Miss Davies," Lohmer demanded.

"Not a chance in hell."

And that comment was the final straw. Bucky was hit so hard across the head that the chair went flying. The legs were lifted up from the ground and Bucky hit the ground as it toppled over. He was coughing at the sudden impact, blood running down over his eyes. Lohmer dropped the brass knuckles and marched over to Bucky, carelessly cutting him out of the chair. Bucky hissed as the knife slashed into his limbs. Lohmer yanked Bucky off of the floor, feeling his head spin. He was thrown to two guards that held him carelessly between the two of them. His legs were barely touching the ground, which was a good thing. Bucky was sure that he couldn't hold up his own weight.

"Bring him back to the cell," Lohmer ordered.

He was essentially blind as the men dragged him throughout the compound. Bucky could only see flashes of color as he was brought back and forth. His feet were dragging against the floor as they marched him through. He had no idea how much time had passed, but considering that he no longer heard the buzzing of drills and slams of hammers, he assumed that the work day had ended. Bucky could feel himself being brought down the stairs and heard the clink of the cell door. The guards opened the door and tossed Bucky to the ground. He rolled onto his back, coughing in pain, as the door was slammed closed.

"Barnes!" Bucky heard Dugan shout.

"Step back. Give him some room," Jim warned.

"What happened?" James asked.

The men all came to kneel next to Bucky's limp form. "Lohmer. Questioning me about my girl," Bucky said, spitting out more blood.

"What the hell does he care so much about her for?" Jacques asked.

"I don't know," Bucky muttered.

He noticed that Jones was trying to push the others out of his way. "Let me take a look at you," Jones said. Bucky nodded his consent, not wanting to speak. "Any spare cloth that anyone has! We need to stem the bleeding. With pneumonia, he can't afford to lose any more than he already has," Jones shouted to the other prisoners.

Bucky's head started to roll on his shoulders. "Barnes, man, come on. Wake up. Come on, man," Dugan called.

But his voice sounded like it was echoing. The darkness began to cloud around him as the men began to fade away. It wasn't long before they vanished. He felt like he was on his own in the darkness for a moment before he spotted a flash of white. Slowly forming was Vika's figure. She leaned above him and smiled. Suddenly he no longer felt cold. He only smiled, trying to reach for her. But he couldn't touch her. So she merely pressed a cold hand against his chest and leaned down. She pressed a small kiss against his cheek, and then he remembered nothing.

October 21st, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Holding Cells, Austrian Alps

By now Bucky was staggering around constantly, feeling absolutely terrible. He knew that he was essentially on death's door. He knew that he was going to die very soon if he wasn't allowed to stop working. He had managed to avoid any more brutal beatings, which was probably a good thing. He knew that more beatings would only bring him closer to death. He was no fool. He knew that he was lucky to have survived as long as he had. He could tell that the men were shocked.

The men were still working on the Valkyrie. The airplane was only becoming bigger and bigger with each passing day. As sick as he was, Bucky tried to remember everything that he could about it. In the event that he could get out of here, he needed to let the Allies know exactly what it was that Hydra was planning to do. He knew that even Germany needed to know. Hydra was planning on eliminating everyone. Not just the Allies. The other prisoners were doing the same thing. But Bucky knew that they were losing faith. They had been here for almost a month with no indication that they were getting out of here anytime soon.

Bucky knew that he had made a terrible mistake the moment that he spoke to Lohmer. "I think I caught pneumonia on the battlefield. You wouldn't happen to have a doctor in this dump?" he asked snappily, uncaring of what he would do.

"What was that, Sergeant Barnes?" Lohmer asked.

Despite himself, Bucky opened his mouth to say something to Lohmer, but he didn't get the chance to say anything back. He was hit over the head, Lohmer's hand clapping over Bucky's ear. He hit the ground, his ears ringing. Bucky saw the other men watching. They all looked very tempted to make a move. Lohmer hit Bucky over and over again until his eyes were rolling backwards in his head. Finally, Lohmer stepped back and ordered Bucky back to his feet. He did so, but very nearly fell back to the ground.

Bucky tried to work with Lohmer watching over him, but he was only nervous for what the German man would think of everything that he was doing. For a long time, he was yelled at to move faster. He was the only man that was working without a partner, at the request of Lohmer. Bucky knew that the restrictions of his ailment meant that he was unable to satisfy the quotas of production. And that always led to a shortage of food. Not that it mattered to Bucky. He was barely given food anyways. The men banded together to give him theirs. It wasn't long before Bucky let some munitions fall while moving a cart.

This action did not go over well with Lohmer. Shouting at Bucky for messing up such a mundane task, Lohmer marched over to where Bucky was down on his hands and knees - feeling very much that he was going to cough up a lung - and immediately shoved a boot into Bucky's back. He hit the ground and groaned as Lohmer picked up a large shell casing. It was the size of Bucky's thigh. Lohmer immediately reared back and bashed Bucky's entire body with the shell casing, over and over again until Lohmer was finally called away by a smaller man wearing glasses. Lohmer dropped the shell casing with the order for Bucky to clean up the mess.

It was only with the assistance of the other prisoners that Bucky was able to get back to his feet. He was leaning up against the table, almost unable to stand. He would not be able to fill their quota for the day. He merely leaned against the floor and laid his head against the table leg. They were going to kill him. He was unable to stand. He couldn't work. Not any longer. Not today. He couldn't do anything more. He could tell that something was broken. There was probably more than just one thing that was broken.

Jones came to his side after a few minutes, trying to pull Bucky back to his feet. "Come on, Barnes. Come on. Get up. Pretend that you're alright. For now," Jones muttered to him.

They were trying to move as fast as possible under the watchful eyes of the guards. "Remember your girl. You're getting back to her," Dugan said.

That was all that it took for Bucky to nod and let the other men walk away from him. He was given a chair to work in, but it didn't do much. It just kept him from falling to the ground. Although he still felt like he might collapse backwards and fall from the chair. Bucky was suffering the entire time, from more than just the pain of the beating. He had a bad cough that was echoing across the workroom, a fever that kept him constantly sweating, chills that seriously contradicted the fever, and difficulty breathing. There was a sharp pain in his chest every time that he took in a breath. It didn't help that there was a shortness of breath and fatigue.

He stumbled around the workplace for most of the day. His thoughts were consumed with the one person that he was trying his hardest to protect. Vika... Every time that he moved around or looked up, he wished that he could see her. He didn't even need to be with her. He knew that he was going to die. He was no fool. He just wanted to see her one last time. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted to know that in his last moments, she was proud of him.

They were finally allowed to go back to the cells for the night. Bucky was sure that it was the longest workday that they had ever had. He was brought back between Dugan and Jones. The rest of the men were watching him closely, making sure that he was alright. Once they walked into the cell the men allowed his arms to fall from around them. That was all that it took. Bucky collapsed to the floor, the cool stone feeling good against his face. The men all gathered around him to check on him. Jones, being the best medic, pushed everyone back so that he could look over Bucky and check that he was okay.

The men were silent for about five minutes before Dugan spoke. "What's going on?" he asked. Bucky could hear the note of panic in his voice.

Jones shook his head. "Nothing good. Contusions and broken ribs. Potentially a few other breaks," Jones said, rubbing a hand over his face. "All of that coupled with the pneumonia... If Lohmer makes you go back out there and work tomorrow, you won't see the next day."

Bucky nodded. It was the conclusion that he had been expecting. "He won't let me stop working. They kill the men that can't work," Bucky said.

"Is there a way to get him out of hard work?" Jacques asked.

Jim immediately shook his head. "Not with Lohmer around," he said.

Bucky knew that there was no way out of this one. He was going to die. "Lieutenant Kleiber might actually let him out of the hard labor," Dugan said. The other men nodded their agreement. Kleiber had recommended Bucky be taken out of hard labor before. "But we'd need to get rid of Lohmer. He'll never let him out of the hard labor. He'll kill him first."

"He can't go back out on the floor tomorrow," Jones argued.

Bucky shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I can make it," he said determinedly.

Jones shook his head at Bucky. "You can't, Barnes. You go back out there tomorrow and you'll die. Rest will at least stave off the sickness for as long as we can," Jones suggested. It was something but it was no solution. "Hopefully until we can get out of this place."

"Even with proper rest. How much longer does he have?" James asked.

"A few weeks," Jones said softly.

James nodded. Bucky could practically see a light bulb go off in his head. They were planning something. But Jones was right. Bucky was only going to last a few more weeks. There was no way that they would be rescued in that amount of time. "I've got a plan. I'm a strategy expert. That's what I'm used for with His Majesty. We get rid of Lohmer," James suggested.

The men exchanged a look with each other. "How?" Dugan finally asked.

So James delved into the explanation of everything that he was planning to do. They had to stop and start the conversation over and over again to ensure that no one heard what they were talking about. Bucky listened to the plan, but he felt like he was listening from underwater. James devised a plan to get rid of Lohmer that would require Dugan, Jones and Dernier to work as a team using their respective expertise's. It was a dangerous plan, and if they were caught, things would only become worse for the rest of them.

And that wasn't something that Bucky could live with. He didn't want other people risking their life for his. "I'm not gonna survive this. Even without the hard labor, it'll kill me eventually," Bucky muttered, his head rolling back and forth.

"Shut up, Barnes. We're trying to save your life," Dugan said.

"You need to get some sleep. That's all that will help at this point. As much rest as you can possibly get," Jones advised.

Bucky nodded. He felt like he was definitely about to pass out anyways. "No way for medicine?" Jim asked.

Jones shook his head at them. Bucky knew that it was useless to hope for medicine. "I don't know where it is and we'd make things even worse if someone got caught stealing them," Jones muttered.

"Here. Get some blankets on. Try to keep your head off of the floor," Jacques recommended.

"We'll save you as much food and water as we can," James added.

Bucky shook his head at them. "Don't worry about it. Take it for yourself. You guys need to get out of here. I'm not sure if there's anything at this point that can save me. Even if this plan works," Bucky said.

Dugan shook his head. "You aren't dead yet, Barnes. You've got a woman to propose to. Hit the hay," he said.

And despite everything that had happened, Bucky found himself smiling at them. He glanced over at the scratches in the wall, doing a mental count of the date. He hadn't been bothering to count the days, but he did so at that moment, not wanting to face the harsh reality of everything that had happened. He realized that today was October 21st. It was her twenty-third birthday. Bucky smiled. He had promised her that he would be home for this one. It was a lie. He knew that now. And, deep down, he knew that there was no way that he would make it to the next one, either. He would never get to see another one.

It wasn't like pneumonia was something that people couldn't recover from. People got it all of the time and were always able to make recoveries. But that was with the proper medication and treatment. With the lack of food, water, poor living conditions, and constant physical strain, along with the brutal beatings, he had no way to heal. It was only a matter of time before he could no longer work on the Valkyrie. And he knew that it meant that he would be taken to solitary. A place that no man returned from.

Victoria's P.O.V.

October 21st, 1943  
New York City, New York

Today felt like any other day. Even though I was sure that Steve was planning something stupid for the two of us to do together, I found no significance for the day. It was my twenty-third birthday, but I really wasn't fond of celebrating things like birthdays. There was no need for me to make a big deal about them, considering that I would have an innumerable amount. But it was a good excuse for Steve and I to spend the day together. At least until he had to do the show tonight. As usual, they were getting larger and larger.

In almost every moment that Steve wasn't doing one of his Captain America shows, we were training. Steve had gotten to the point that he was so determined to make it out to the war front, that he was doing anything and everything in his power. Between training with me and on his own, he had become quite the master combat specialist. He had even managed to get a hit in on me the other night - something that was practically unheard of. It had never happened before. Steve had seemed quite proud of himself. Until I had kicked him in the ribs so hard that I had broken them.

But things were good. The USO Tour was coming to an end anyways. I had lately become very paranoid though, considering that I hadn't heard from Bucky in months. It was the end of August, the last time that I had gotten a letter from him. This was now the longest that I had ever gone without hearing from him. But I couldn't panic about things. He was fine. He was just somewhere off of the grid and he was unable to write to me. I had known that something like this might happen.

There was a knock at the door to the adjoining room that Steve was in. I called for him to wait just a moment as I pulled on the rest of the suit that I was planning on wearing for tonight's performance. Once I had everything in place, I crossed to the door and opened it. Steve was standing with a flower in hand. I laughed and took the flower from him as he grabbed me in a hug, effortlessly lifting me from the ground. He placed me back down a moment later and the two of us walked into the room. I dragged Steve with me to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Happy birthday, Vic," Steve said.

"Thank you."

"What do you want to do today?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I began to pick at my nails. They had become very jagged from the recently developed habit. "Oh, I don't know. We can go out to eat if you want?" I offered.

Steve's brows furrowed. "You alright?" he asked me.

Forcing a smile on my face, I nodded. "I'm fine, Steve," I said.

Steve sighed at me and placed a hand on my own. "Still no letter?" he asked.

The other day I had shared my concern that I hadn't gotten a letter from Bucky with Steve. I shook my head at him. "No. It's been almost two months. The longest that I've ever gone without hearing from him was just over a month. And he always sends me a letter if they're going on a mission," I said, feeling sick at the thought.

He's not dead. He promised me that he was not going to die. "They might be out in an area too far from a post office," Steve said.

"You're worried about him, too."

"Stop reading my mind."

"I'm not," I snapped. "I can feel emotions on people. I can feel the worry on you. And it's not for me. There's only one other person that I can imagine that you'd be worried for."

Steve sighed again and brought me into a hug. I knew that I'd been a little quieter lately, and it was all because of my concern. "He'll be fine, Vic. He's always fine," Steve said.

"Tell me that when you actually believe it," I snapped at Steve.

He laughed under his breath, reaching down a hand to pull me back to my feet. I took it and came to a stand. "Come on. Smile. We're spending the day together and we're going to have fun. We can't change anything so let's be happy," Steve said.

He was poking at me and I smiled, pushing his hand away. "Okay. Let's go out," I conceded.

So the two of us went out to dinner together. I found myself genuinely enjoying myself for the first time in a long time. It didn't even matter that people thought that Steve and I were going steady. I couldn't have cared less. It was just nice to have a friend. It wasn't particularly happy when we finally had to head back to the hotel to get ready for the show. Steve and I headed upstairs to my room so that we could chat until Brandt came to collect us, probably yelling at us that we were going to be late again.

We sat in silence for a while as I sipped on the glass of wine that I had gotten from the bar downstairs. "You know he promised me that he would be here for my birthday this year," I muttered.

"If he could have been here, he would have. You know that," Steve said.

I nodded at him, twisting my hair around my fingers. "I know. Maybe Christmas?" I asked jokingly.

Both Steve and I smiled. The thought of having Bucky back by Christmas was appealing. "I miss him, too, Vic. But he's going to be back. He's got unfinished business here," Steve said, giving me a small smile.

They thought that they were so clever. But I knew. I knew what Bucky's unfinished business was. "I do know what you're talking about, just so you know," I told Steve.

He looked very affronted. "Would you stop -"

"I'm not reading your mind, you brat!" I shouted over him. "I'm a woman. We know these things."

Steve laughed and shook his head, taking a drink of his own glass of wine. "He knew. Even when we were kids - he knew. He always knew that it would be you," Steve said.

"So you would be okay with it?" I asked.

Steve nodded at me. "Of course. You're like my sister. Trust me, Vic. I wouldn't have liked anyone that you were with. No matter if you could handle yourself. No one would have ever been good enough," Steve said, making me smile. Even the protective older brother. "But, Bucky... I think he might be."

Blushing softly, Steve laughed as the pink tinge flooded into my eyes. "I do, too," I whispered. And I really did. If there was someone that I could see myself with for the rest of their lives, it would always be Bucky.

Bucky's P.O.V.

October 28th, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Factory Floor, Austrian Alps

"Up and at 'em gentlemen!" Lohmer shouted.

The men slowly rose to their feet as they stumbled out to the weapons manufacturing floor. Bucky found himself barely able to move. By managing to avoid the strenuous work over the past week, Bucky had somehow managed to survive. But things were only getting worse. He was getting weaker by the day. Lohmer shoved Bucky out onto the floor and he collapsed over the table, sure that he was going to die at any second. Jones was right. He couldn't keep going like this.

So he sat at the desk and kept his head in his hands. He couldn't do much more. Anything more and he would die. He was impressed that he had even managed to stand upright. But it didn't matter, because that day, Falsworth's plan was carried out. Some other men had been causing distractions over the past few days so that Dugan, Jones and Falsworth could smuggle components for Dernier so he could make a substance to melt the chain of a crane carrying scrap.

It was not a pretty plan that they were working with, but it was everything that they needed to happen. It had to look like an accident. Bucky was grateful that Kleiber had considered him far too sick to work, just as according to plan. Unfortunately, Lohmer didn't seem to share in that sentiment. Bucky was sitting against one of the cranes so that he could stay out of the way of the workers so that the men could carry out their plans. A few hours had managed to pass before Lohmer spotted him not working.

"Get to work, Sergeant Barnes," Lohmer said, kicking Bucky's boots.

Lieutenant Kleiber made his way over to the two men and shook his head. "He is too sick to work, Colonel," Kleiber said.

That comment did not go over well. "He'll die working, then!" Lohmer shouted, wrenching Bucky to his feet and shoving him onto the floor. He then glanced at the crane. "Why is this not up and running? Get this crane moving! We have a schedule to keep!"

The men all smirked. Lohmer had fallen right into their trap. And he would never see it coming. Bucky just wished that they could make him suffer a little bit more than they were going to. The crane was started by one of the prisoners and shifted right above Lohmer. But the sudden movement caused the already melted chain to break. It gave way without warning and Lohmer was unable to move. The bits of junk that it was carrying fell over on Lohmer as he passed, crushing him. Blood splattered all over the floor, showering some of the workers.

People were screaming in horror as Kleiber sprinted over to the fallen man. "Colonel!" Kleiber shouted.

Everyone was gathering around the mess to see if the broken chain had killed Lohmer. They could only hope that it would. They knew how dangerous this plan was in Lohmer was not killed. Judging by the bloodstains on the floor, Bucky had a good feeling that Lohmer was dead. The man was not moving and blood and brain matter were sprayed all across the floor. Bucky knew that someone would have to clean that up. The prisoners were all trying to suppress grins. Their plan had somehow worked. And it wasn't just for Bucky. Lohmer was awful to all of the prisoners.

A Hydra soldier turned back to their large ground. "Return to your cells! Sofort!" he shouted.

There was no arguing with that. Within minutes, all of the Hydra soldiers made every prisoner return to their cell. Bucky was being carried back to the cell by a few of the other men. The second the doors were closed behind them, Bucky was gently dropped back to the ground. It took nothing more than that. He had passed out immediately. He knew that a few hours had passed before he was shaken awake again. The men only let him sleep for a few hours at a time to ensure that he was still alive. Bucky didn't like the planning, but he did appreciate that they were all taking such care to ensure that he was alive.

Dugan was leaning over him. "Lohmer is dead. He's not going to cause you any more harm. Our role in his death can't be proved, so they can't take it out on us. The punishment is just reducing our food rations for a week. We'll all be alright, Barnes," Dugan reassured him.

Bucky merely smiled at him. "Do me a favor. Stop calling me Barnes. Just Bucky," he said.

Stunned at the request, Dum Dum nodded. "Get some rest, Bucky," he told the other man.

And, with that, Bucky fell back asleep. It was almost useless for him to try and stay awake. He simply couldn't. So his head lolled backwards as the men began to speak softly between them. He was out like a light within seconds. He kept picturing Vika as he fell into the darkness. He smiled at the sight of her. Maybe without all of the hard labor that Lohmer would make Bucky do, under the slightly less cruel Kleiber, Bucky had a chance at a full recovery over the next few weeks. Maybe he wouldn't need that letter after all.

November 2nd, 1943  
Hydra Weapons Facility, Factory Floor, Austrian Alps

But those hopeful thoughts didn't last long. It wasn't just the sickness that was taking its toll on Bucky. It was from the vicious beatings that Lohmer had given Bucky before his death the week prior. Between everything that had happened to him, Bucky was now unable to perform his duties. He knew that the soldiers were talking about bringing him to solitary. His condition hadn't worsened, but it certainly wasn't getting better, either. In the middle of attempting to weld a piece of metal, Bucky collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Dum Dum sprinted over to him. The men had been desperate to keep Bucky alive over the past few days. "Bucky. Come on, Bucky. Get up. For Victoria, alright?" Dum Dum asked.

Whenever they felt that Bucky was losing hope, they would always bring her into it. But he couldn't do it anymore. "I - I can't," Bucky muttered, barely able to breathe.

"You can. Get up. Come on," Gabe said.

Off in the distance, Bucky could hear Kleiber speaking with someone else. "He needs to be off of the floor. He can't continue working like this," he said, referring to Bucky.

"Then he won't work at all," the soldier said.

Dum Dum and Gabe were pushed away from Bucky as the Hydra soldier aimed one of the strange guns straight at him. Bucky nodded and closed his eyes, prepared for his life to end. He had fought so hard. He knew that the men would tell Vika that he had tried his hardest to get back to her. She would at least be able to live with that knowledge. But he still hated himself for not being there for her. He was supposed to always be there for her. But just before the soldier pulled the trigger, a smaller man wearing glasses stepped in front of Bucky and held up his hand. Bucky's eyes widened at the change of events.

"Remove yourself, Dr. Zola," the soldier shouted.

The smaller man named Zola shook his head, staying in front of Bucky. Bucky had never been so grateful to a German. "I can use him. Schmidt does not want him dead. Allow me to take him," Bucky said.

As much as the thought of Johann Schmidt wanting Bucky alive unnerved him, he was grateful to stay alive a little longer. The soldier sighed and dropped the gun. "Fine. We will humor you. He is weak. He may not survive much longer," the soldier warned Zola.

"I know this," Zola said.

Even though Bucky was not going to die, he knew what was about to happen. He was going to be taken somewhere that he would never return from. Bucky, still on the floor, called out. "Dum Dum. Come here," he said.

Dum Dum darted over to him. "What's up, Bucky?" he asked.

Bucky reached down into his pocket and took out the locket with Vika's pictures in them. He saw the horrified look in Dum Dum's eyes. "You're gonna make it out of here. You all will. Find Victoria. Sergeant Victoria Phillips. Her father is Colonel Chester Phillips. Give this to her," Bucky pleaded with him.

She deserved to have them. "Bucky -"

"Please. Give it to her. Tell her that I tried. Tell her that I love her," Bucky pleaded.

Dum Dum stared at Bucky for a long time before nodding. "Okay," he conceded.

"Thank you," Bucky said. He watched as Dum Dum took the locket and slipped it back into his pocket, giving Bucky a sad nod. All of the men were watching him with sad eyes.

Far too soon, Bucky felt four hands grab onto him from two different soldiers. The men were watching him, giving Bucky salutes and nods as he was dragged away. Bucky was unable to raise himself back to his feet. He didn't need to, anyways. The soldiers were doing it for him. They yanked him off of the floor and dragged him down the hallways that he had never been down before. Bucky tried to make a mental map, but he was unable to do so. He was brought into a small, dark, and cold room and strapped down onto a metal table. He was unable to move as he simply stared up at the stone ceiling.

The man named Zola that had saved him earlier came in not long after Bucky got gotten into the room. He had a team with him that immediately began working on him. Hours passed... Or was it days? He didn't know. All that he knew was that he was being poked and prodded at. Things stopped hurting after a while. It just felt like Bucky was moving towards death and things were becoming peaceful. He could feel himself being given injections rather frequently and he heard men speaking to each other in German. But Bucky tried desperately to tune them out.

He wouldn't let them dictate his thoughts in what would be the end of his life. So he looked up at the ceiling, blocked out everyone that was standing around him, and let the world fall away. The pain was fading. He didn't feel anything. He didn't even feel himself. It just felt like he was floating on a cloud. Darkness began to surround him and Bucky sighed. He knew that death was coming for him. At least he would no longer be in pain. Before letting himself fall, he let out one last thought.

"I'm sorry, Vika..."

Victoria's P.O.V.

November 6th, 1943  
New York City, New York

More and more days had passed. Things seemed to have just slipped into a dull and monotonous life. Training was getting boring - as there was only so much that we could teach each other - the tour was getting to the point that I wanted to gouge out my eyes, and talking on the telephone with the others wasn't enough. It also didn't help that Bucky still hadn't given me any indication that he was alright. The letters from him had halted, something that made me sick to my stomach.

The show finally ended and I made my way to the back of the room so that I could nap until it was time to leave. I really wasn't in the mood to watch Steve kiss babies, flirt pathetically, or kiss Brandt's ass. But just as I made my way to leave, Brandt caught my arm and motioned for me to walk with him. I nodded and watched as Brandt shut down the meet-and-greet stand, much to my confusion. That was always the most popular time of the show. He claimed that Captain America was sick before grabbing Steve and I, ushering us outside and into the car. Steve and I exchanged a very confused look.

He was no more in on this than I was. We were seated in the car before Steve gave Brandt a scrutinizing look. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Got news for you two," Brandt said.

"What news?" I asked.

"We're going overseas."

My jaw dropped. I had to have heard him wrong. There was no way that I'd heard him right. But a glimpse into his mind told me that I had, indeed, heard him correctly. "You're joking," I muttered, knowing that Steve wouldn't speak.

Brandt shook his head at us. "I'm not. We head out in the morning. We're going to Italy. There are some troops that have just returned from combat scenarios. It'll be a morale-booster," he said.

My heart fluttered. Italy. Bucky... "Do you know what camp we'll be staying at?" I asked.

Brandt missed what my excitement was for. "You'll get to see your old friends. The S.S.R." I smiled anyways. It might not be with Bucky, but at least we would see them. "You aren't there to become soldiers. At the end of the week we'll be heading back here and we're going to get back to touring. Head to sleep. The flight is early in the morning," Brandt snapped.

The car ride was made in silence as everyone processed what we had just been told. I could tell that Brandt was upset that he was losing money, considering that the show overseas would be done for free. Martin didn't seem to care. He got paid no matter what we were doing. I knew that Steve had ignored what Brandt had said about not going over there to be soldiers. He was going to go over there and prove himself. And as for me... I would get the chance to see Howard, Chester, and Peggy again. And that was what I wanted. I smiled brightly and got out of the car as we arrived at the hotel, walking upstairs with Steve.

We headed straight into my room. Steve and I stood in the middle of the room, neither one of us speaking for a while. "Steve?" I finally called. He looked at me, still surprised. "I think things are finally starting to look up."

The two of us stared at each other for a long while, not even daring to believe what had just happened. We had just had a major turn of luck. We might have been going out there to have a show, but it didn't matter. We were going to go out there and show Chester that we both deserved to be out there. Not just me. The two of us began to smile as laughter escaped us both. We wrapped each other in an excited hug, knowing that things were about to get better. Our luck was changing.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

The air was ice cold as I wrapped myself a little tighter into the coat that I was wearing. There was no sun out and I sighed. Italy was not quite as happy and bright as I had thought that it would be. Of course, I should have been expecting that, considering that we were only about five miles from the war front. It was the middle of November, too. That didn't help with the cold weather. Steve and I were making our way out towards the stage where Steve was supposed to be making his appearance in a few minutes. I narrowed my eyes as I glanced out towards the audience, made up mostly of soldiers. The troops looked exhausted.

This still seemed extremely inappropriate to me. It felt insensitive. But I was in no position to be arguing with Brandt. I glanced over at Steve. He looked the most nervous that I had seen in a long time. "You ready for this?" I asked him.

"Still think that the troops aren't going to react well to me?" he asked.

"Honestly?" Steve nodded at me. "No, I don't. Look at them, Steve. They've been through hell. They don't want to watch some guy prance around in a spandex suit talking to them about freedom. They know. They've been fighting for it," I said.

Steve started to shake his head at me. I noticed that he was wringing his hands together. "I don't think that I've ever been this nervous for a show," he said, fighting back a laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Get on and off of the stage and then we can go," I said.

Steve raised his brows. "Go?" he repeated.

Smiling at him, I folded my arms over my chest. I had already checked where Chester would be. I had a plan in mind. He was going to take Steve. There would be no more of this stupidity. "The S.S.R. tents aren't far from here. We're going to speak with Chester. He's taking you into the battlefield, one way or another," I said determinedly.

Steve smiled and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Thanks, Vic," he said.

"No problem."

The electricity in my veins began to spark again. I'd found that it was something that happened when I was nervous. "You can ask him to check where Bucky is. If anyone will know where he is, it'll be Colonel Phillips," Steve offered, knowing that it was the thing that kept bothering me. The fact that I still hadn't heard from him.

"I'm not sure that I want to know," I muttered.

"Think he's out in the audience?" Steve asked.

For a moment I hesitated. But I quickly shook my head. "Not a chance. Look at those posters," I said, pointing to the ones that had Steve mimicking Uncle Sam. "Anyone that knows you would know that you're Captain America. And we would have heard both of our names very angrily shouted by now."

Steve laughed at me. We both knew that it was the truth. "I suppose that's very true. We'll have quite the time explaining this one to him," he said, motioning to his own body.

"We?" I asked, shaking my head. "Oh, no. This was all you. I'm telling him that I tried to talk you out of this."

"Useless," Steve muttered.

"What was that?"

He merely grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him. He was going to pay for that comment. I launched after Steve, who was unable to stop the assault. I used his shoulders to pull myself up and over him. My legs wrapped around his neck and I brought him down to the ground, laying over him. My legs continued to constrict around his throat. He was trying to wiggle out of my grip as the two of us rolled into the mud. He was obviously unable to get out of the vice grip.

"Come on! Tap out! Tap out!" I shouted, tightening the grip with my thighs.

His face was slowly turning blue as he tried to fight away from me. "Show time!" I could hear Brandt yell in the background. He gasped when he saw us. "What the hell are the two of you doing?"

Letting my legs drop around from Steve's neck, I rolled backwards and back into a stand. Steve hopped up from the ground, rubbing at his throat. "Just fooling around," I told Brandt, smiling softly.

Brandt rolled his eyes and glanced over at Steve. "You shouldn't patronize her by letting her win," he said.

"Excuse you?" I hissed.

Steve stepped in before I could say anything too nasty. "She could beat my ass, yours, and anyone else's. I'm not patronizing her," Steve snapped. I smiled at his defense.

But this really wasn't the best time for us to be fighting. I pressed my hands on their chests and gently pushed them away from each other. "Claws away, boys." I turned to Steve and grabbed him. "Come on. Let's get the Star Spangled Man up on stage," I teased.

As we walked off, I noticed that Steve was extremely tense. "How do you deal with that?" he asked me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I gently kicked my feet against the dirt. "Years of practice. And the knowledge that I'm better. Knowing that one day Brandt will know just how much better I am than him. It's patience, Steve. Something that everyone has to learn," I told him.

Steve smiled at me. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"Goes both ways." We stayed together for a moment until the song began to play. "Now march," I said, shoving him onto the stage.

Steve ran up the stairs and I watched from the far corner to see what was happening. It was the same kind of song and dance routine that it normally was. But this time there were no fireworks and the song wasn't that loud. I had a feeling that they didn't want to give away where the base was. The men were whistling and cheering for the girls, but any time that Steve came on, I noticed that they suddenly looked infuriated and bored. Just as I'd been expecting. The girls finally finished their part of the show and came backstage. Steve moved on to the next part of the show, looking as nervous as he was before the first one.

"So how many of you are ready to help me sock ole' Adolf on the jaw?" he said into the microphone. I cringed as no one responded. The men simply sat and watched. "Okay. I need a volunteer," Steve continued.

"We already volunteered, how do you think I got here?" one man shouted.

The men that were standing on the tanks started to laugh. Steve looked very nervous. I shook my head and sighed. "Bring back the girls," a second man shouted.

The soft laughter turned into loud cheers as the men began cheering and pumping their fists into the air. Steve turned back to me and I shrugged my shoulders, unsure of what he was supposed to do. "I think they only know the one song. But, um... Let me... I'll see what I can do," Steve said, coming to walk backstage.

"You do that, sweetheart," someone shouted.

"Nice boots, Tinkerbell," another man added. I glanced out into the audience and realized that it was Hodge. I rolled my eyes and ground my teeth together. Idiot.

"Come on guys. We're all on the same team here," Steve tried.

"Hey, Captain," a fifth man shouted. He stood up over the seated audience and turned so that he was facing away from Steve. "Sign this." The man dropped his pants as the audience roared with laughter.

Groaning softly, I turned backwards, not wanting to see that. But my attention was called back to the stage when I realized what was happening. One man immediately stood up and threw a tomato straight at Steve. I gasped as he raised the shield, barely managing to avoid the tomato. Another man threw a second tomato, Steve once more managing to deflect it. The men were all cheering happily as Steve turned back and marched off of the stage. The girls began to sprint back up to the stage at Brandt's insistence that we had to do something to keep the audience happy. I rolled my eyes at him, darting over to Steve.

"You alright?" I asked him.

Steve nodded at me, pulling off the cap. "I'm fine," he said.

Martin was waiting around the back of the stage and pat Steve on the back as we walked past him. "Don't worry about it, pal, they'll warm up to you. Don't worry," Martin tried to insist.

We had just walked away from the stage where the women were waving and blowing kisses to the men on stage. I rolled my eyes. Simplistic minds. "I'll be back in a minute, okay?" I told Steve, grabbing his arm.

"Okay," Steve muttered.

The two of us split off. I had a feeling that Steve was going to try and find some place to hide. It was definitely embarrassing with everything that had happened up on the stage. I turned off in the direction of the tents that belonged to both the workers and the soldiers. I had a feeling that Chester would be around somewhere. Nowhere near wherever Steve was, though. He'd probably be at work. It would probably get to the point that I would have to ask someone where he was. I'd been walking around for a few minutes before someone came up to my side. I turned back, wondering what they wanted.

"Victoria?" the man asked.

I stared at him for a moment before recognition dawned. It was one of the recruits that had been in Bucky's class. "Oh. Jeremy! Good to see you," I chirped. I ran up to him and caught him in a tight hug. We hadn't started off on the best terms, but we had come to respect each other by the end. "How are you?"

We separated and I realized that he looked very defeated. "Had better days," Jeremy said. It started to rain, but neither one of us made a move to leave. "How are you?"

"Moving along, day by day. The war might not be over today, but it'll be over soon enough," I said, shrugging at him.

Jeremy pushed back his wet hair. He had bruising underneath his eyes. "I'm sorry about everything, Victoria. I really am," he said.

"Excuse me?"

My heart rate began to speed up. I froze, wondering what he meant. I'd never seen Jeremy look quite so serious. "When's the last time that you spoke to your father?" he asked me curiously.

"Last week. Why?" I asked.

Jeremy swallowed a lump in his throat. He shifted nervously on his feet, looking unnerved at my piercing stare. "You might want to ask him about the audience that you were just performing for," he told me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Jeremy merely shook his head at me. "Jeremy. Please," I begged.

Jeremy merely continued to shake his head. My heart was pounding in his chest. I knew that look. "I'm the wrong person to tell you about all of this. I'm sorry, Victoria," he said before moving off.

Rain continued to pour down onto me. It had turned from a gentle drizzle into a full downpour. The rain was barely hitting my skin before coming to a sizzle. The fire in my veins was threatening to come to the surface. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure that everyone could hear it. I stormed off through the camp, hell-bent on finding Chester. I knew why I hadn't gotten a letter from Bucky in months. He was dead. And Chester had known. That was why he had seemed so out of it during our last conversation that we had had before we'd come over to Italy. I marched into Chester's tent the moment that I had found it.

Two men were walking around in the background of the tent. Chester barely looked up at me. "I was wondering if I'd have to send out a search party to bring you here," he quipped at me.

Normally I would have smiled. But not right now. "Get out. Now," I snarled at the men.

They looked affronted that I had dared to say something like that to them. They glanced up at me, looking in between frightened and annoyed. Chester looked up at me. His teasing grin fell. "You heard the woman. Out," he said.

Giving Chester a quick salute, they walked out of the tent and into the rain. Chester sat behind the wooden desk as I marched up to him. "How long have you known?" I growled at him.

"Come again."

"Don't you bullshit me," I snapped angrily, my voice a little louder than I had meant for it to be. "How long have you known?"

Chester sighed and placed down the papers that he was writing on. "A few weeks," he said.

He had the decency to look ashamed that he hadn't told me what had happened. "What happened?" I asked, blinking back tears. Chester didn't speak. "Tell me what happened!"

If he was bothered by the way that I was speaking, he didn't show it. "A battle at Azzano. Over two hundred men were deployed to fight back against German troops. Schmidt sent a division of Hydra troops to kill everyone. German and Allied. Fifty men came back. The 107th was one of the Infantries that were deployed to that battle. He is on the list of casualties. I'm sorry," he told me softly.

The blow was horrible. I stumbled backwards. He couldn't be dead... He couldn't... "You spoke to me on the telephone just last week. And more before that. You never thought that this was something that you should have told me?" I asked him, my voice cracking.

"I'm no fool, Victoria. I know what you would have done," Chester said.

"More than you."

I could have done something. I could have stopped this. And now... Bucky was dead. Chester sighed and looked up at me. "You think your words will change anything - they won't," he said.

Shaking my head, I tried to stop myself from breaking the desk that he sat at. "I don't know why I'm asking you, but are you planning a rescue mission?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Chester shook his head at me. My only hope that Bucky might still be alive and we could save him had deflated. "The survivors are thirty miles behind enemy lines. We can't just cross over. I'd lose more soldiers than I already have. I love you, but I can't risk that many men. Not even for you," he told me.

And I understood that. "Then I'll go," I said, turning to leave.

"You will not," Chester barked.

"Try and stop me," I warned.

Turning backwards, I made to leave again. But I didn't make it very far before Chester's voice called me back. "Victoria. Get back here," he said, sounding very serious.

Whipping back around to him, I allowed my eyes to light up a brilliant red. "If you try to stop me, I'll kill you myself," I snarled, not really meaning it. "It's not just him. There are a hundred and fifty good men, soldiers, with families, out there. You want to continue signing those letters, or are you going to do something about it?"

Chester did not seem to appreciate that comment. "I am doing something about it. I'm ending the war. You might be a fighter but you are not a soldier. You don't know how these things work. They're delicate," he snapped back at me.

I laughed a humorless laugh. "You're a coward. You're going to let a hundred and fifty men die," I said.

We had squabbled before. But it had never been quite like this. "Would you care this much if Barnes wasn't one of the men?" Chester asked me.

That question floored me. Would I have cared if Bucky wasn't one of the men? No. "Colonel Phillips," Steve called.

He marched into the tent with Peggy at his heels. He looked as concerned as I felt. He must have found out. "Well if it isn't the Star Spangled Man with the plan. What is your plan today?" Chester asked, adopting his usual careless attitude.

"I need the causality list from Azzano," Steve said.

"You don't get to give me orders, son," Chester barked.

"I just need one name," Steve said. He turned to me quickly. "Vic?"

I knew that he was asking if I knew about what had happened. I nodded at him. "I know," I muttered.

"Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th," Steve said.

Chester glanced up and looked over at Peggy. She gave me a very guilty look. "You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy," Chester told her, pointing his pen at her.

"Please tell me he's alive, sir. B-A-R -"

"I can spell," Chester interrupted. Chester stood up and started to place down the letters that he was writing. Steve, Peggy, and I followed him. "I've signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But... The name does sound familiar. I'm sorry," he said, looking genuinely sorry.

But that didn't matter to me. Steve looked heartbroken but I merely glared at Chester. "Who were you sending it to? Me? You didn't even have the decency to tell me," I hissed at him.

"Like I said. You wouldn't have listened to reason," Chester said.

"That's not in my nature."

"What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, it's called winning the war."

"But if you know where they are, why not -?"

"They're thirty miles behind the lines. Through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save," Chester said, effectively ending the argument. My eyes narrowed at him. He really wasn't going to do anything, even knowing how much this meant to me. "I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl."

A fury shot through me. He had always underestimated Steve, despite showing more than once that he was perfectly capable of being a soldier. "He's stronger than you are," I snapped.

"I think I understand just fine," Steve said.

Chester took a seat at his desk. "Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you've got someplace to be in thirty minutes," Chester said carelessly.

I'd almost forgotten that we were supposed to do another show. "Yes, sir. I do," Steve said.

And I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was doing. He was going to go after him. I turned back to leave with Steve and Peggy when Chester's voice rang out. "Don't you dare go out there," Chester warned.

"You don't get to give me orders."

And I marched off, easily meeting pace with Peggy and Steve. Peggy turned back around to me and gave me a heartbroken stare. "Victoria, I -"

"Did you know?" I interrupted her.

She looked taken aback. I could see the horrified look in her eyes as she nodded at me. "He told me that he wanted to be the one to tell you when the time was right," she told me, her voice very quiet and ashamed. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to keep it from you. I've only known for a few days."

Nodding at her, I tried to push back the anger. I knew that she would have told me had she actually been able to. "I believe you. Next time... Tell me," I warned her.

She nodded at me. Steve and I both moved off into a march. "What are you doing?" Peggy asked, following us.

"Going after him," I said, earning a long look from both Steve and Peggy. I gave Steve a scrutinizing look. "You wanted to be a soldier? Time to prove yourself."

Steve stared at me for a moment before nodding. He looked a little sick at the thought, but we both knew that we weren't leaving all of those men there. "Let's go," Steve said, walking the both of us out of the main area of the camp. "If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself," he told Peggy.

She was practically running to keep up with us. "What do you two plan to do, walk to Austria?" she asked us.

"I'll fly," I said.

"If that's what it takes," Steve added.

Either one of us would do absolutely anything for Bucky. That was the way that we had always been. "You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead," Peggy said. I whipped back to her, flames licking at the end of my hair. She jumped backwards. "I'm sorry Victoria, but Hydra aren't exactly known for being kind. You can't risk your own lives to go after him."

Shaking my head at her, I made to move towards the edge of the camp again. Peggy grabbed my hand gently. "I'm going, Peggy. Even if he's dead, I'm bringing back his body," I told her, feeling sick at the thought.

"You don't know that he's dead," Steve put in.

Peggy continued to shake her head. I could tell that she wanted to help, but also didn't want us to risk ourselves. "Even so, he's devising a strategy, it takes time," she argued.

"By the time he's done that, it could be too late," Steve said.

She still looked horrified at the thought that she couldn't stop us. "I can't die out there, Peggy. You're not risking any soldiers. It makes no difference to me. He would do this for us," I told her, turning to leave.

"Victoria. Steve."

We both turned back to her. Before I could say anything, Steve spoke. "You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?" he asked her.

They must have spoken while I was with Chester. "Every word," she said.

"Then you gotta let us go," Steve said.

Peggy stood for a moment before nodding. "I can do more than that," she said, seemingly realizing something.

It was a second later that I came to the same conclusion. "Howard..." I muttered. Peggy nodded quickly at me. "Get ready to go. I'll find him. Where is he?" I asked, already backing away.

"Far side of camp. He's normally by the air field," she called.

"Does he know?" I asked her.

She nodded at me. I was very surprised that he hadn't told me anyways. "We didn't tell him until you two had already left New York. Colonel Phillips knew that he would tell you," Peggy explained.

So that explained why Howard hadn't told me. I nodded at her. "Smart man. I'll meet you both on the air field in half an hour," I said.

They both nodded at me before turning to speak with each other. They would only be able to chat for so long before they would have to separate and get ready to go. Steve and I would go in while Peggy and Howard would keep the plane in the air. I went darting through camp, ignoring the strange looks that I was getting and the slippery ground. I sprinted into the air field, running back and forth, desperate to find Howard. It took me almost two minutes before finding Howard off in the distance. He was working on a plane engine.

"Howard!" I shouted.

He glanced back at me and smiled. He quickly hopped down from the plane, dropping everything that he had been doing. "Victoria!" he called excitedly. The two of us sprinted towards each other, slamming into an almost painful hug. We stood together for a moment before backing off. "Victoria. I need to tell you -"

"I know. I know."

Peggy was right. Howard was going to tell me everything the second that he saw me. I grinned. He certainly was my best friend. "What do we do?" Howard asked me.

"We?" I asked, thrown off.

Howard placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're my best friend, Victoria," Howard said, making me smile slightly. He was certainly the one person that was willing to do anything for me, other than Bucky and Steve. "And it's more than Barnes out there. There are over a hundred good men trapped behind the enemy lines. You are my family. I'm willing to help you save yours."

"Thank you," I said softly.

"So what are the plans?" Howard asked.

He had been explicitly ordered to not do anything in regards to the men that were trapped behind enemy lines. I knew the extent of what I was asking. "I'm asking you to commit treason," I admitted.

Howard shrugged his shoulders, as if I was telling him that we were just sneaking out of our house at night. "I'm rich. I'm the Army's biggest benefactor. I design the airplanes and bombers. They can't touch me," he said.

Even with everything that was happening, I laughed softly. "Can you get a plane out of here in the next twenty minutes?" I asked. Howard nodded at me. "Not too large. Enough for four people. Big enough so that we can bring back anyone that desperately needs medical attention. Small enough to go undetected and unnoticed by Hydra."

"Already got one in mind," Howard told me.

I wanted to make sure that he knew what he was doing. This wasn't just a little come and go mission. Someone could very well die if we weren't careful. "You know that I'm asking you to fly right into Hydra territory?" I asked him.

We wanted to get as close as possible. That meant that we were going to have to fly right into the middle of Hydra air space. "Victoria, I know what you're asking me to do. And I'm telling you that I'll do it," Howard said.

"Thank you," I repeated.

"It's out there. See that plane all the way out in the distance?" Howard asked me.

He was pointing to a large silver plane off in the distance. Mostly unmarked. It might be able to pass as a German airplane. That was a good thing. We might actually manage this. "Yes."

"We're taking that one," Howard said.

If he said that he knew how to operate the plane, I believed him. He was probably a better pilot than I was. "Good. I'm going to go see if I can steal a tactical jacket or something. I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes with Steve and Peggy," I said.

These clothes weren't enough. I needed something a little more durable. "Wait! Wait!" Howard stopped me before I could actually walk off. I turned back to him curiously. "My tent is off to the far right side of camp. It's the only black tent. Inside it is a black duffel bag. It's underneath the bed. Grab it."

My eyebrow raised. "Do you need something from it?" I asked.

Howard shook his head. "No. You do," he said. I stared at him, unsure of what he meant. I didn't need a weapon. That would come in time. "Remember that uniform we discussed?" I nodded at him. "I get bored out here. Had to do something to amuse myself. Take this." He handed me the oversized coat that he was wearing. "Wear it over the uniform."

Tossing it over my arms, I gave Howard a long stare. He had promised me that it wouldn't be that strange-looking. "It look that strange?" I asked him, slipping on the coat.

Howard smirked at me. "It's got a Stark flair on it," he said.

"Awesome. It better not have any pink on it," I said.

Howard grinned at me. "I'll get the plane ready."

We both turned away from each other. I saw Howard dash over to the plane out of the corner of my eyes. No one was walking around in the air field so I knew that we would get out of here without a problem. We just had to get everything together. I ran over to Howard's tent quickly. Thankfully no one stopped me. Just as Howard had said, he was the only person with a black tent. I darted into it and closed the flap, slipping off the coat. I ducked under Howard's bed and grabbed the black duffel bag.

Yanking it open, I stared down at the suit. It looked like it was made of some type of flexible Kevlar. I pulled all of my clothes off quickly before pulling the new uniform out of the bag. There were a pair of black pants that clung to my legs. It made them almost impossible to pull on. But they were flexible, moving with me. It wasn't like the normal beige pants that I would wear. I could move in these, without worrying that they would tear or get caught on something. I pulled on the shirt afterwards. It was the same material, also skintight. It was like a normal scoop neck, t-shirt. Just like the pants, it was black. It was made of the same Kevlar material. It fell slightly short on my stomach, showing off the very bottom of my muscular abdomen.

Scoffing at the sight, I rolled my eyes. There's the Stark flair. I pulled my hair out of the hold that it had been in previously, allowing it to fall over my shoulders. I pulled my black boots back on, tucking the pants into them. I stared down at the uniform and realized that there was a little symbol of a circular shield. I smiled. There were two green lines down the back of the legs, probably where the stitching was held together. I should have known that Howard couldn't keep the entire thing black. It didn't matter. It would be easy to blend into the darkness. There was a thigh holster that I used to slip in a Colt M1911 that Howard had left in the bag. Just in case. I slipped the coat back on and turned from the tent.

Without taking a moment to hesitate, I darted back towards the others. Howard, Peggy, and Steve were already waiting for me. "Ready to go?" Howard asked me as I slipped off the coat.

"Yes."

The four of us got into the plane. Howard took a seat behind the front, as Peggy, Steve, and I remained in the back of the airplane. Steve seemed to have finally noticed what I was wearing. "What the hell are you wearing?" Steve asked.

"Ask Howard," I said.

Howard turned back. He was clicking away at all of the different buttons, getting the plane ready for takeoff. "It's flame retardant, so don't worry about that," Howard called back to us.

Grinning broadly, I found myself becoming quickly accustomed to the uniform. "I like it," I admitted.

Howard was wearing an 'I-told-you-so' kind of look. Steve gave the costume a scrutinizing stare. He didn't seem to like that part of my stomach was bared. Peggy was giving me an appreciative glance. "You definitely look like a real soldier," she said. I smiled at her, letting her know that I wasn't angry for keeping Bucky's predicament from me.

Howard and Peggy were wearing mostly civilian clothes, with a few Army emblems on them, to make it clear that they belonged on the base. Steve was still wearing his Captain America suit, but he had donned a brown leather jacket, one of the blue helmets with a white 'A' that the Star Spangled Singers wore, and normal brown boots. The plane gave a sudden lurch as it roared to life and I sat back against the seats on the wall of the plane. Steve was on my right and Peggy was across from us. I took a deep breath, preparing for entering the facility. It wouldn't take us long to get into Hydra air space.

My head gently fell back against the edge of the plane. I'd never felt as sick as I did right now. I knew that I should have tried to search for Bucky's thoughts. I knew that it would have made things easier. I could either know one way or another if he was dead or alive. But I couldn't bring myself to learn. I would have rather gotten there and found out. The only thing that I knew was that I needed him to be alive. He had sworn to me that he would be back. He couldn't have died... He had to still be alive. Maybe he was just being held as a prisoner. There was a chance that he, and all of the rest of the captured men, were still alive.

Peggy came to sit across from Steve and me, leaning forward to show us a small map that she had managed to swipe. "The Hydra camp is in Krossberg. It's up between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind," she said.

Steve and I were leaning over the map, staring at it. "Weapons," I muttered.

"What?" Peggy asked.

"It's a weapons facility. That's the only reason that it would be that far behind enemy lines. They put it in one of the hardest places to infiltrate," I told her.

She nodded at me, looking rather impressed. Howard turned back and shouted back to us. "We should be able to drop you two around the doorstep," he called over the roar of the engine.

"Just get us as close as you can," Steve called back to him. He then turned to me. It was the first time that anyone had spoken to me since getting on the plane. I knew that neither one of us wanted to irritate the other at a tense moment like this. "You know you don't have to come. I can do this," he told me gently.

My head snapped up to him. There was no way that he was going in there without me. "If you try and stop me... You'll see just how easy I was taking it on you during our training sessions," I warned him.

Steve's face drained of color slightly. "Right then. Just stay behind me," he muttered.

"You are aware that I can't die?"

"Doesn't mean I want to watch something happen to you," he snapped at me. He then turned back to Peggy. "You know you two are going to be in a lot of trouble when you land."

"And you won't?" she retorted.

"Where I'm going if anybody yells at me, I can just shoot them," Steve said.

"And they will undoubtedly shoot back," Peggy pointed out.

Steve merely sighed. She was trying to talk him out of what he was going to do, but it wasn't going to work. "Well let's hope this is good for something," Steve said, gently tapping the shield that was sitting next to him.

Peggy then turned towards me. I knew what she was doing, and it wasn't going to work out. "I'm not concerned about them shooting me. They should be concerned what I do to them," I snarled.

"You're quite frightening when you're angry," Peggy said.

A small snarl fell over my face as I cracked at my knuckles. "I'm nowhere near angry yet," I hissed.

No one knew what to say back to that. It was probably for the best. The air was tense and extremely thick. "Agent Carter," Howard called back. Everyone turned back to see what he was talking about. "If you're not in too much of a hurry I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late night fondue," he called back.

I rolled my eyes at him, realizing that Peggy looked extremely uncomfortable. "You're choosing now to flirt?" I hissed at him.

"Just trying to lift the mood," Howard said.

Once more, I rolled my eyes. Peggy awkwardly glanced down at the floor of the plane. It was also rather amusing that she hadn't replied to him. Because she definitely had eyes for Howard. "Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brave this air space. We're lucky to have him," she told Steve, before nodding over to me. "And he'll do anything for Victoria."

Smiling softly at her, I nodded. "How about you, Victoria?" Howard called back.

I whipped around and snarled at him. "This is seriously the wrong time," I snapped.

"So you two?" Steve asked, motioning between them. "Do you?" He trailed off again and I rolled my eyes. Peggy simply stared at him, wondering what he meant. "Fondue?" he finally managed to spit out.

"You're pathetic," I said.

Steve glanced over at me with an irritated glance. "Thanks," he barked.

The plane went silent once more as Peggy leaned forward, pulling out something that looked a little bit like a radio. "This is your transponder, active it when you're ready. And the signal will lead us straight to you two," Peggy said.

Steve took it from her. "Are you sure this thing works?" he asked Howard.

"It's been tested more than you, pal," Howard called back.

Shrugging my shoulders at Steve, I realized that Howard was right. Even if the transponder had been tested once, it would have been tested more than Steve. And I had a feeling that Peggy would never give us something that she would think might not actually work. There was a flash of light out of one of the windows and I glanced up. A second later the explosives began to fire straight at us. Hydra knew that we were in their air space. The plane was shaking from the impact of the blasts. We were lucky that it was such a dark night. They couldn't see well enough to actually hit us. Steve and I jumped to our feet.

"We need to go now! The plane won't make it all the way to the base!" I shouted at Steve.

He nodded as we ran over to the emergency door that was against the back of the plane. "Get back here, we're taking you two all the way in!" Peggy shouted, following us.

Steve wrenched open the door and sat on the edge of the plane, a parachute on his back. I hadn't bothered getting one. I didn't need one. "We're jumping from this plane. As soon as we're clear you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here," Steve said.

He was sitting, about ready to jump, as I stood behind him. Peggy was standing at my side, leaning over Steve. "You can't give me orders," Peggy yelled at him.

"The hell I can't. I'm a Captain," Steve said.

And, without warning, he jumped. I turned back to Peggy and grabbed her hand. "He might not be able to give you orders, but I can. I'm a Sergeant. Go back to the camp! We'll meet you there!" I shouted at her.

Without giving her a chance to say anything else, I ran forward and dove out of the plane. The ground was rapidly approaching as I dove like a bullet straight towards the woods. I could see the plane turn back and I nodded as the bombs ceased, Hydra thinking that their potential attackers had turned around. I passed Steve on the way to the ground and waited until I was about one hundred feet from the ground before bringing up columns of wind to slow down the descent. I hovered for a moment before dropping, waiting for a few minutes for Steve to fly down with the parachute.

He finally landed next to me and detached the parachute, nodding at me that he was ready to go. The two of us slowly slunk through the woods. It was a dark and quiet night. Fog was settled over the ground and air, making it a little hard to see. It didn't take us long to make our way out to the road that led to the Hydra facility. Steve and I stopped dead in our tracks. It was huge. It could take us hours to find the prisoners. Not to mention that there were guards and spotlights everywhere. We couldn't just walk in. We needed to find a way to sneak in. There were too many people for me to risk controlling them all, too. What if I missed someone that raised the alarm?

We were going to have to do this the old fashioned way. "We can't raise the alarm. We could risk the life of every soldier in there," I whispered to Steve, who also seemed to be looking for a way in.

"What do we do? They've got search lights," he said.

The two of us ducked down as an engine began to roar further down the road. I glanced up and saw that it was a convoy of four trucks. "The trucks," I whispered, motioning for Steve to follow me.

We crouched down as close as we could to the road without being seen by any of the drivers. Thankfully they were open air trucks that had material covers draped over them. They would bring us right through the gates. We waited for the four trucks to pass before I nodded at Steve. We ran out of the cover of the woods and followed the last truck. Thankfully they weren't moving too fast. Steve jumped up first, rolling into the truck. I followed a moment later, grabbing the back of the truck, yanking myself over, and landing on all fours on the inside of the truck.

I was about to glance over and see if Steve was alright, but I quickly realized that we weren't alone. Two Hydra soldiers were sitting on the back of the truck wall. All four of us stared at each other. "Fellas," Steve said.

It didn't take much more than that for everyone to jump into action. One soldier ran after me as the other one ran after Steve. I ducked forward and swept out the feet of one of the soldiers. He hit the floor of the truck and I rolled forward, punching him in the face once, cracking the helmet that he was wearing. Steve and I both picked up the respective soldiers before ramming them into each other, effectively knocking them unconscious. Once I was sure that they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, I kicked them out of the truck, dumping them onto the road. The cars began to drive through the gate as Steve and I ducked down.

"Well done," I whispered.

Steve smiled at me and patted my leg. "Learned from the best," he said.

"They'll be there to check on the trucks. Hit him with the shield," I said.

Steve nodded at me and we shifted around. He held up the shield to the opening of the flap, hiding himself behind it. I stood back behind him, ready to pounce if it didn't work. I felt the truck slow as it was turned to the side. A second later it began to back into what I assumed would be the loading bay. The engine stopped and Steve and I waited, tense, for someone to come and check. Just as I thought that, the flap opened. I tapped Steve on the back and watched as he slammed the shield into the face of the soldier. He went flying back at the impact and the two of us hopped out of the truck, running down the side of the facility.

We were very nearly caught by two of the guards that were walking back and forth, but we managed to turn around the corner before they could spot us. The two of us ran off through the outdoor weapons storage facility. We were weaving in between the tanks that were all lined up, large Hydra emblems stamped on the side of them. I could see searchlights blaring back and forth and some alarms going off. But they seemed to be warning for the incoming shipments, not an emergency. They hadn't been alerted to our presence yet.

Steve was just ahead of me as we ran. At his insistence, he had wanted to go first. Despite everything that I was, he always wanted to be the man and protect the woman. We slipped by a moving truck and soldier before darting through an open path, barely stepping out of the way of two guards. Thankfully the masks that they wore blocked their view of us. We quickly crossed to a tank that was parked outside of one of the buildings that led to the main part of the compound. I nodded at Steve. If they were going to be anywhere, it was there. He hopped up onto the tank and I followed, jumping onto the roof of the building and sprinting down it.

The two of us had to be extremely careful as we ran into the building. There were guards everywhere. But they didn't seem to actually be standing guard anywhere. They moved back and forth, making it very easy for the two of us to stop and wait before running again. We finally arrived at a bolted door. The guard on the other side seemed to be watching over a manufacturing floor. Steve knocked on the door and the two of us stepped out of the window. The guard turned back to check what had made the noise. He opened the door and looked in. Idiot. Steve slammed the door closed on his head before opening the door back up. He punched the soldier in the head before dragging him away.

Once we were sure that he was out of sight of anyone that might be walking back and forth, checking on the security of the building, the two of us darted out onto the factory floor. We waited to make sure that everyone was looking away from us before darting past the runway and behind a few tanks of what I assumed was propane. Steve was holding out his gun as we slowly slipped through the place. But as we passed the propane tanks, we both spotted something sitting on a table, glowing blue. I froze before making my way over to it. This was the thing that Schmidt was so determined to use.

"What is this?" Steve asked, picking it up.

I grabbed another small disk, unsure of what it was. There was only one thing that I knew. "This is the power that Kruger was talking about. It powered his submarine," I whispered.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked me.

I shook my head at him. "No." Looking through it, I quickly realized that this wasn't made up of any element that I could detect. "But I do know one thing... It's not from Earth," I said.

That unnerved us both. "Come on," Steve said.

He pocketed the little weapon that he had picked up as I put back the disc that I had been holding. As much as I wanted to stop and figure out what this was, I knew that we had come here for something else. To free the prisoners and get Bucky back. The two of us ran to the back of the facility and that was when I spotted it. The open air cells were almost directly below us. There were two guards that were pacing back and forth above them, each holding their own glowing weapons. Even from here I could see how many prisoners were sitting in the cells below.

Chester would have let all of them die... They were here and alive. Maybe not healthy, but they were here. Steve and I exchanged a look. I motioned for him to take the close one and I would take the far one. Steve ran after the one guard and easily knocked him unconscious on top of one of the cells. The other guard turned back, and before he got the chance to yell, I ran after him. The men in the cells were chattering softly as I launched myself onto the torso of the second guard. I placed one hand over his throat before shoving him backwards. As we hit the ground I gave a sharp tug, snapping his neck, before rolling off of him.

Steve gave me a long look as he grabbed the keys from his guard. I knew that he was asking me if I had to kill him. I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't like he was innocent. "Who are you supposed to be?" a black man asked Steve.

The men were all getting to their feet, staring at us. "Um... Captain America," Steve answered.

"I beg your pardon?" a French man asked.

Moving over to Steve, I yanked on his arm, letting him know that we couldn't just stand here. We had to move. "We'll come down to you," I called to the men.

"You're a woman," a British man said, sounding shocked.

I could see the looks on their faces. They were very surprised to see a woman here, and even more surprised to see that I had just killed a man without hesitance or difficulty. "Well spotted," I deadpanned.

The man looked like he might have apologized to me, but I didn't give him a chance. Instead, I grabbed Steve's arm and tugged him with me. The stairs were only about fifty feet from us and we sprinted over to them, nearly throwing ourselves down the stairs. Thankfully no one was standing guard on the lower levels. We dashed into the cell block and started opening all of the cells. It didn't take us long to get to the back of the room, opening us the last of the cells. The men all began crowding around Steve and I. My eyes were darting back and forth, desperate to find Bucky. But he wasn't here.

It felt like I was about to cry. He couldn't be dead. Not when we had just come to rescue him. "What are we taking, everybody?" a red-headed man asked as a Japanese man stepped out of the cell.

"I'm from Fresno, ace," the man said in a typical American accent, holding up his dog tags.

"There anybody else?" Steve asked, stepping past the arguing men. "I'm looking for a Sergeant James Barnes."

Our large group began walking. If they hadn't spotted us yet, they were about to. "Victoria..." the red-headed man said, stepping up to my other side.

My head snapped over to him. Did I know him? "Excuse me?" I asked.

"You're Victoria, right? Sergeant Victoria Phillips."

"Yes. That's me," I said. That was when I realized that I did know him. And the black man that had spoken to us when we had knocked out the guards. I knew them both. They were here... Where was Bucky? "Dum Dum Dugan. Gabe Jones. Bucky sent me a picture of you two."

Dum Dum nodded as Gabe stepped up to his other side. Steve was watching us closely. Dum Dum gave me a long look. "That's us. Holy shit... He said that you were quite something. Breaking into a Hydra facility?" he asked me.

In any other circumstances, I would have smiled. "Where is he?" I asked.

This time it was the British man that spoke. "There's an isolation ward in the factory. No one's ever come back from it," he said.

Steve and I exchanged a terrified look. "All right," Steve said.

"When was he taken?" I asked.

Dum Dum exchanged a look with some of the other men. "A week or two ago." Steve and I nodded before moving off to find him. "Hang on!" Dum Dum said, calling us back. "He had pneumonia. That's why he was taken. He gave me this before he left. Told me if I ever saw you to tell you that he loves you. And to give it back to you," he said.

He pulled out the locket that held my pictures. My heart jumped into my throat. He had known that he was going to die. I reached out to Dum Dum's hand and closed his fingers back around the locket. "Hold onto it for me. Please," I said.

He nodded at me, tucking it back into his pocket. "The tree line is northwest, it's eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast, and give them hell. We'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else we find," Steve said.

Steve and I made a move to leave when Dum Dum spoke again. "Wait. You know what you're doing?" he asked.

"Yeah. I knocked out Adolph Hitler over two hundred times," Steve said, much to the confusion of the prisoners.

We both made another move to leave when we were called back by Dum Dum again. "Hang on. Victoria, you should come with us," he said, motioning to the rest of them.

Always trying to protect the women... "Not until I find him. Trust me, I can manage," I said.

And without letting the prisoners call us back again, Steve and I ran off. Even as we bounded out of the cell block and back into the main are of the facility, I could hear Dum Dum's voice. "Where did Bucky find her?" he asked.

A little grin fell over my face as Steve and I sprinted into the factory. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Hydra knew that their prisoners were making a break for it. If nothing else, they would draw the guards away from us. It would make our task of finding Bucky a lot easier. Steve and I made our way into the lower levels at my insistence. If there was an isolation ward, it would be underground. They always were. That was where Stryker had kept me. It didn't take us long to start hearing the gunfire and explosions. The men had made their way to the outside of the facility. Only seconds later, an alarm began to blare.

Steve was in front of me and I watched as he took down soldier after soldier. He would merely hit them over the head. These men didn't seem to be overly trained. The moment that they were hit, they went toppling to the ground. He was also hitting them with his shield. I slid underneath one of the guards legs as Steve knocked them out with his shield. We quickly made our way back up to the catwalk and glanced down. Men were running everywhere, trying to get outside. Steve and I dashed down the catwalk, trying to find the lower levels.

They knew that we were here. But I wasn't stopping. Bucky was here. It might just be his body, but I wasn't leaving him here. Two guards came sprinting up the stairs that we were running down to try and stop the attacks. Steve made a move to go after them but I was faster. I jumped the last ten stairs and caught both men around their throats. I reached my legs up around the man on the right's neck and wrapped my arm around the other man's neck. Using their weight against them, I wrenched them backwards and toppling down the staircase. We went falling backwards and I gave a sharp twist, breaking their necks as I landed in a tuck and roll.

Steve simply stared at me for a second. "You gonna stand there and stare at me or are you going to help?" I asked.

That got him back into action as three more guards came sprinting towards us. Steve ran towards one of them as I took the other two. I dove past them before dropping to my knees, sliding past them. I yanked the leg of one of the men out. He hit the ground as the other man ran towards me. I ducked out of the way of a punch thrown towards my head. As his arm was still out, I grabbed it and yanked myself onto him. My legs wrapped around his throat as I swung over him, ripping him off of his feet, and threw him across the floor, landing on my feet, ducking down slightly. The guard was thrown into the man that Steve was fighting. They both collapsed to the floor, knocked out.

The third man that I had knocked to the ground a moment beforehand had managed to get back to his feet, only to have me rear back and send a kick into his head, crushing the helmet. The man collapsed to the floor, attempting to get up. Staring at him for a moment, I raised my booted foot and jammed it down into his face. His nose broke under the force as he was knocked out.

Steve was staring at me like I had lost my mind. "So... You really were taking it easy on me before?" he asked weakly.

"You tell me," I said, motioning to the three men.

We made a move to leave before I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a faint ticking off in the distance. Steve stopped walking and turned back to me. "What's the problem?" Steve asked me.

"There's a timer going," I said.

"For what?" Steve asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I glanced around us. There was nothing visible. "Presumably explosive charges that are buried in the building. Come on. We don't have time for this," I said, yanking Steve with me.

The two of us continued to sprint down the stairs until we were down in the sub-levels. I imagined that most people were attempting to evacuate the building at this point as we ran past no more soldiers. We were in something that looked like underground tunnels. There were offices that were pushed back into the walls so we slowed down, gradually checking through them. We were running down the hall when we spotted a small man walking out of a room. I immediately recognized him as the man, Dr. Zola, from my dreams. We broke into a run after him when I reached out to stop Steve.

As much as I would have loved to kill him, he wasn't the person that we were looking for. And we only had a limited amount of time. "He's not who we came for. We're running out of time," I told Steve.

He nodded at me as we wandered into the room that he had just come from. My heart immediately jumped into my throat. There he was, on the table. Bucky was alive. He was strapped down and staring up at the roof. Steve and I exchanged a horrified look as we sprinted over to him. I nearly let out a tear. He was alive. We weren't too late.

"Sergeant... James Barnes... 3-2-5-5-7-0-3-8," he muttered.

He hadn't even noticed that we were here. "What's he doing?" Steve asked me.

That was when I realized that something terrible must have happened to him. My heart gave a painful twinge. "It's what soldiers are trained to do under torture," I whispered softly.

"Bucky," Steve said as we ran over towards him. Bucky glanced up but still didn't seem to realize who we were. "Oh my God." Steve moved down to the straps on Bucky's feet and yanked them off as I tore the one at his chest. Bucky finally turned towards Steve. "It's me, it's Steve," Steve said, laying his hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"Steve," Bucky said, smiling.

He was back. As I stood at his other side, I laughed breathlessly. "Oh, thank God," I muttered.

Surprise clearly written across his face, Bucky turned back to me and smiled. "Vika..."

He must have thought that this was still a dream. "It's me, Bucky. We're here," I said, pushing the hair off of his forehead.

"Come on," Steve said, shaking Bucky's shoulder.

"Steve," Bucky repeated as Steve yanked him off of the table and brought him back to his feet. Bucky was very unsteady. I could tell that he was slowly starting to realize that this wasn't just a dream. It was real. And that was when his head snapped back to me. "You brought her here?" Bucky asked Steve, his voice adopting an accusing tone.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "She didn't exactly give me a choice," he said.

"Wrong time, boys. We'll chat later. Let's go," I said, motioning for them to walk.

Steve gently patted Bucky on the side of the face. I could see the pain in his eyes. We had all thought that Bucky was dead. "I thought you were dead," Steve said, panting slightly.

Bucky's eyes were wide as he stared at Steve. "I thought you were smaller," he said.

Steve and I smiled at Bucky as something exploded in the distance. We exchanged a look. That couldn't be good. As I turned back to Bucky, I realized that there was a map on the far corner. Steve was staring at it, too. We looked very closely at it, committing it to memory. We were about to destroy Hydra, once and for all. It was the map of where all of the other Hydra bases were.

Once I was sure that I knew it, I nodded at Steve. "Come on," Steve said, putting Bucky between the two of us. He obviously hadn't stood in a while as we were practically dragging him along.

"What happened to you?" Bucky asked, barely managing to hang onto us.

I didn't bother stopping to check over him. We would have time for that later. "I joined the Army," Steve said as we wandered back into the hallway.

"I told you that we were working on a secret project. Operation Rebirth. Meet the world's first super-soldier," I told Bucky.

At least this was a good time to tell Bucky. He was still a little too out of it to chew either one of us out. "That's impressive," Bucky muttered. We had released him as we walked. He was managing to stay upright, but he was staggering. "Did it hurt?" he asked Steve.

"A little," Steve said.

"Is it permanent?"

"So far."

I bristled at the thought that this might not be permanent. This had been Abraham's last move. It had damn well better not reverse itself. "It better be," I snapped angrily.

The three of us made our way out of the lower levels. I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to leave from the front of the gates. It seemed like everything downstairs was blowing up. It might make things a little tough to get out of the factory. It didn't take long for us to make our way out of the sub-levels. We headed upstairs back towards the catwalk and I could already hear all of the fire roaring. There was no way that we were going to be able to make our way out of the front gates. We'd have to find another way out. Explosions began to rock the building and I staggered, knowing that the charges had just been set off.

"What's happening?" Bucky asked, staggering back and forth.

"Hydra knows that they've been infiltrated. These buildings have explosive charges in them so that everything will be destroyed upon discovery. They're blowing everything up, probably hoping that we'll be caught in the cross fire," I said.

We turned another corner and I was very surprised to see two guards running towards us. They must have been some of the last guards in the building. Bucky and Steve froze. "Wait here," I warned them.

"Vika! Don't!" Bucky yelled in horror.

But I wasn't going to wait for Bucky and Steve to take care of this. Bucky was too weak and I needed Steve keeping an eye on him. I could manage two men. I ran after the man on the left, reaching for his shoulders and pulling myself up onto him. I threw one foot out, catching the man on the right in the side of the head, before spinning around on the man's shoulders, keeping one leg on either side of his shoulder. I leaned down and grabbed the other man under the shoulder and yanked downwards. Both men were flung over themselves - their necks snapping free from their spines - as they hit the ground, allowing me to roll backwards, back to my feet.

The men were out cold as I looked back to the boys. Steve looked impressed while Bucky looked like he had never seen me before. "Relax. I got it handled," I said, walking back to the boys.

Bucky and Steve followed me, both looking shocked. "Remind me not to get in a fight with you," Bucky said.

Turning back to him, I winked. He merely smiled at me. I'd never felt so good to have him back in my life. The three of us made our way back out to the catwalk. Steve and I hit the catwalk first, Bucky following us. I glanced down in horror. Everything was blowing up downstairs. We wouldn't be able to get through there without me giving away my secret. Another explosion came very close to us and we backed off, turning and running upstairs. It was our only chance to get out of the area. The moment that we got upstairs, I realized that there was a platform that we could cross to an elevator on the other side.

"Captain America," a thick German accent called out. The three of us turned back. On the other side of the platform I saw that Johann Schmidt was handing a briefcase off to Dr. Zola. "How exciting. I am a great fan of your films." Steve and Schmidt both walked up onto the platform. I stayed with Bucky on the side. "So Doctor Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but, still. Impressive."

The men met in the middle when Steve threw out a punch, making Schmidt stumble back. I grinned, knowing that I had been the one to teach him to punch like that. "You've got no idea," Steve snarled.

Schmidt looked back up to him. I could see something red underneath his eye. "Haven't I?" Schmidt asked.

Without warning, Schmidt reared back. I gasped as Steve raised the shield in front of him at the last second. Bucky held onto my hip, keeping me stationary next to him. The shield dented from the hard impact of Schmidt's punch. Steve glanced down at the shield before reaching for his gun. Schmidt knew what he was doing as he punched Steve across the face, knocking Steve to the ground, losing his grip on the gun. Kick him backwards, I thought to Steve. Schmidt walked up to Steve, who leaned back and kicked Schmidt so hard that he went flying back on the platform. Zola pulled a level on their side, separating the platform between the two men.

Schmidt managed to pull himself back to his feet. "No matter what lies Erskine told you. You see I was his greatest success." Schmidt then turned to look at me. My stomach turned as Bucky's grip on me tightened. "I would count you, my dear, but you are not one of his. Look at you! Pretending so hard to fit into their lives. We are above them, you and I," Schmidt said.

Bucky and Steve exchanged a look with each other as they glanced back at Schmidt. "You don't know me," I snarled at him.

The dreams weren't just dreams. Somehow he did know me. "No, you see, I do know you. You are a monstrosity. You are not natural," Schmidt yelled. I pulled myself out of Bucky's grip and gently pushed Steve behind me as I walked to stand across from Schmidt. "But you can control it. Yet you sink down to their level. You are above humanity."

"No one is above humanity," I said.

"I would have thought that William Stryker would have taught you differently," Schmidt said.

It felt like my heart had stopped. Did Stryker know Schmidt? How? They weren't even on the same continent. Schmidt grinned, knowing that he had gotten to me. "How do you know him?" I asked furiously.

"William had good ideas. He knew to use people like you. But he was so small-minded. You've wondered how I know you, Miss Davies. I've known you since you were fourteen! I've been excited to meet you. Someone as strong as you are should not bow down and lie with creatures so much less than yourself," he said, motioning to Bucky.

"The only person here that I deem as less than myself is you," I snarled.

Schmidt laughed at me, shaking his head. I found myself shaking, the fire threatening to rise to the surface. Had Schmidt been the one to tell Stryker about me? Was he the reason that I had been taken? "You do not see your true potential. You've deluded yourself. You should ask your friend what he went through to protect you while he was here. He protects you as if he knows you!" Schmidt shouted, motioning back to Bucky. What had he gone through to protect me? Bucky gave me a long stare as I turned back to him. "Why don't you tell him the truth? Tell him how your parents died, tell him why you vanished, and tell him why we're having this conversation."

This was the wrong time to have that conversation. I would tell him everything. I knew that I would tell him everything. But on my own terms. Not like this. Not when I couldn't explain. "What did William Stryker tell you about me?" I asked.

"Tell me?" Schmidt repeated, grinning. "Everything, Miss Davies. Recognize this?" He reached into his pocket and grabbed a vial of green liquid. My heart dropped. It was Chronicle. From me. "Why do you think that he constantly took your... What do you call this, again?" I stayed silent, not willing to admit what it was. "William used your oddities against you. Everything in this building? It's thanks to you."

Staring down at the flames below us, my heart began to pound. All of this couldn't have been from me... That couldn't have been why I'd been taken. "Is that why Stryker took me?" I asked.

Schmidt smiled once more. "To learn about you. All of you. And to assist us," he said. His face turned to look at Steve and Bucky, both of whom were lost. Even though Steve knew, he didn't know everything. "Look at the men who stand with you. They do not know what they have befriended. They know not of the danger that you pose. You are above them. They should fear you."

And they should have feared me. It was the same thing that I had been thinking for my entire life. I would have never blamed anyone for being afraid of me. But I couldn't just continue to live my life, terrified that everyone would find out what I was. No one had run from me. Only Stryker and his men had run. Peggy, Howard, Chester, Abraham, and Steve had all taken it well enough. And I couldn't just rely on their thoughts about me to control me. I wasn't hiding it anymore. If Schmidt wanted me to show him just how powerful I was, I would. This had all gone on long enough.

"I can't control their fear... I can only control my own," I said lowly.

Schmidt was watching me curiously. I glanced down at the flames before darting my eyes back up to Schmidt's face. He was smiling once more, as they faded from yellow to a vicious red. I reared back, bringing the flames to my hand, before throwing a fireball straight at Schmidt's face. It hit him straight in the cheek as he dropped to the ground, screaming in pain. Zola shouted as he ran after his master, helping to peel off the mask. It almost immediately revealed the true Red Skull underneath it.

"Oh my God..." Bucky muttered. I turned back to him, letting the red eyes glow. No point in hiding it now. Bucky took a step backwards. He was terrified of me. "V - Vika?" Bucky breathed out.

But I had already started this. And now I was going to finish it. I brought up a gust of wind and shot over to where Schmidt was standing. Zola immediately backed away in fear. Schmidt had managed to get over the pain from the fire as he stared at me. He threw a punch at me that I ducked from, responding with one of my own. It hit directly in his face and he stumbled backwards. The two of us were locked together as I grabbed his hand. My foot jammed down into his knee and he groaned, falling to his knees. I brought up a current of electricity and shot it straight across Schmidt's face.

There was a good chance that I had just blinded him in one eye. He howled in pain as the black char marks ran over the side of his face. He wasted no time in punching me in the chest, making me stagger back towards his briefcase. There were two pages of notes that were sticking out of the top. I wrenched them out of the case and folded them up, stuffing them into the back of the pants that I was wearing. I moved back to rip out Schmidt's throat when I heard Steve call out to me.

"Vic! Let him go! We've got to go!" Steve shouted.

Torn in between leaving Schmidt to finish him off later or stay and risk the building collapsing and killing the boys, I hesitated for a moment. That moment was all that it took for Zola to grab a gun and fire it straight at my chest. I could hear Bucky screaming in horror, only caught by Steve to keep from trying to get to me. My head slowly turned to face Zola, who looked petrified as the bullet kicked out of my chest. My eyes darkened to turn completely black. I let the blood in his chest come to a boil and watched as he hit his knees.

But it didn't last long. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Schmidt move to raise one of Hydra's strange guns at Steve and Bucky. The two boys ducked behind Steve's shield as I gasped, leaving Zola. I shot back over to the boys as Schmidt pulled the trigger, bringing up a force field, very nearly missing them. The blast from the weapon was so tough that I was knocked out of the air, hitting the platform in between them.

Bucky and Steve ran over to me, helping me back to my feet. I noticed that Bucky didn't keep his hands on me for long. "Vika... You two don't have one of those, do you?" Bucky asked.

"Not one of those," I said.

"Thank you, for your assistance, Savage," Schmidt told me, obviously pleased with the turn of events. "You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier. But in reality you are just afraid to admit, that we have left humanity behind." He turned to leave the building. "All of us. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. No fear."

"Then how come you're running?" Steve called after the two.

The two men got into the elevator and I watched as it closed. The doors sealed and we stared at them for a moment. But it wasn't long before another explosion came very close to where we were standing. We'd wasted too much time. We had to leave before the building collapsed. I glanced up and saw a door at the top of the building. It was on the other side, but about two floors above us was a beam that Steve and Bucky would be able to cross over. I could manage to fly over it.

"Come on, let's go. Let's go. Up," Steve said, pulling us to the stairs.

"Vika -" Bucky tried.

"Later. We're getting out of here first," I interrupted.

I knew that there was a lot that we had to talk about, but this was the wrong time. We had to get out of here. The three of us made our way up to the floor with the beam and over to where it was situated. It was extremely precariously perched. Steve looked over at me and I nodded to Bucky. "Let's go. One at a time," Steve said.

Bucky gave us a long look at I nodded at him. "I can hold it. Go," I said.

Bucky very slowly climbed over the railing, keeping a tight hold. We had to be very careful to ensure that he wouldn't fall. Steve and I kept our hands on his arms as he managed to straighten himself out. We held him for as long as possible as he began to cross the beam, finally getting out of our grasp. I had a grip on the beam, keeping it in place, but it was beginning to slip from the other side. It gave a huge drop on the other side but Bucky managed to hold himself. As he got halfway over the beam, it began to shake from all of the explosions, very nearly knocking him off. He ran the last half of the beam, just barely able to keep himself upright as the beam gave way.

He jumped onto the bars on the other side as I released my end of the beam, letting it fall. I let out a breath. At least Bucky was safe. He pulled himself onto the other side and stared back at us. "There's gotta be a rope or something," Bucky said.

"Just go, get out of here!" Steve yelled.

"Go!" I added.

Bucky smacked the bars. "No, not without you two!" he yelled.

Steve and I exchanged a look. I did a quick look at the gap. We could make it. I knew that Steve could make it. "Do you trust me?" I asked Steve.

He nodded. "Always."

"Jump."

Steve stared at me for a moment before nodding. We stepped backwards and I watched as Steve bent one of the bars so that we could make the jump, unobstructed. We moved all the way back from the platform as Bucky watched. Giving each other a quick look, I nodded. Steve and I immediately started into a sprint, jumping off of the end of the platform. We were up in the air, my hand in Steve's in the event that I needed to fly, as flames erupted all around us. It was a very near miss as we hit the railings on the other side. Bucky grabbed onto our arms, just barely able to pull us over and onto the other side.

Checking to make sure that Steve was okay, I nodded for the boys to head to the door. We sprinted towards the door as the building began to collapse. I could see the escaped prisoners down below, trying to kill the rest of the guards. Many were able to escape, but it seemed like a few of them were captured, unable to fight back without risking being killed themselves. The men must have managed to kill most of the soldiers. The three of us sprinted down the stairs, narrowly missing a few shots from the remaining Hydra soldiers.

We quickly made our way downstairs and I stared at the seven remaining soldiers. Two had flamethrowers while the others were being protected by the men with flamethrowers. The escaped prisoners were trying to figure out what to do. "Move!" I shouted.

The men turned back to me and did move. Steve and Bucky hesitated. I saw Bucky try to move after me, but Steve grabbed him, keeping him still. The two men with flamethrowers aimed them straight at me, but it did nothing. The prisoners were screaming as the flames shot up around me, but I continued to march towards the soldiers. They eventually realized that the flames were doing nothing. The brought the flamethrowers back down and merely shot at me with their pistols. The bullets hit my shoulders and chest, pushing them back, but I continued to advance on them. The men stopped screaming, simply watching me in horror.

I grabbed the throat of one of the men with the flamethrowers as the flames continued to lick over my hands and hair. I easily melted the mask off of his face, watching as it dissolved into his face. The other man ran after me but I was easily able to burn through his esophagus, letting his body drop. And that left the five soldiers that had been protected by the men with flamethrowers. They all stepped forward towards me and my eyes faded back to black. Schmidt wanted to see a monster... He would get one.

Running up and off of the edge of the tank that sat near the soldiers, I jumped off of it and onto the shoulders of the first soldier. Shoving him downwards, his head smashed into the concrete, knocking him out. I tucked into a roll as I jumped back upwards. A second man ran towards me and I slid under his knees, yanking his leg out so that he collapsed onto his hands and knees. I used his back to jump forward to another approaching soldier, swinging over myself and wrapping my legs around his throat. Using him to swing myself around, I ripped him off of his feet and back to the ground. He fell to the ground as I turned backwards and swung out my leg, crushing the side of his skull.

The second man jumped back up to his feet as I ducked down, swept out his legs, flipped over myself, and jammed my foot into his face, shoving the cartilage in his nose up into his brain, effectively killing him. And then there were two... One of the men ran up to me and threw out his fist, which I was easily able to catch. I wrenched his arm backwards, forcing him to drop the gun. He cried out as the bone snapped and I ducked down, kicking him in the stomach. He flew backwards and smashed into the building fifty feet away. The last of the men ran from behind me and grabbed my torso. I let off a burst of flames, burning him, but to his credit, he didn't let go. I grabbed underneath one of his arms, and wrapped my spare hand around the back of his neck. Jumping upwards, I used all of my weight to fling back down to the ground. He was thrown forward as I hit on my back, throwing myself back to my feet.

The man was attempting to get back to his feet as I motioned for one of the prisoners to toss me a baton that he must have stolen from the guards. With wide eyes, he tossed it to me. I turned back to the Hydra guard that was attempting to get back to his feet unsteadily. Grabbing the baton I swung it backwards, cracking it over his head. The guard fell backwards as brain matter and blood splattered. I breathed out heavily, flipping my hair out of my eyes, and tossed the baton back to the man.

As I turned back to the prisoners, I realized that two hundred eyes were deadlocked onto me. They had all been watching me like it was a movie. Even the men that had been in the tanks had popped out to watch. Calming myself down, I let my eyes fade back to yellow. Steve and Bucky were staring at me like I had lost my mind. Which I probably had. Some of the men looked like they were debating on shooting me, others looked like they wanted to scream, and there were even a few that looked like they might either laugh or cheer. But one thing was for sure; everyone was staring at me in shock.

Another loud bang alerted me back to the collapsing building. We were too close. "Move!" I shouted, my voice echoing.

"Get down!" Steve yelled.

We were too late to get out of the area. Shoving a few men out of the way, I placed myself in front of the building, just barely fifty feet away. I could hear Bucky shouting for me to get away, but I knew what I was doing. I brought up the largest force field that I had ever done, knowing that it was going to save the life of every man that we had just rescued. The force field wrapped around the building just as it began to implode on itself. Bangs and explosions rattled the earth, but the force field stayed strong as the building finally exploded. Huge chunks of metal hit the force field as my feet dug back into the dirt. Each blow was only pushing me back further and further, but I wasn't going to let the shield drop.

The building took nearly two minutes before it finally caved in on itself, hitting the ground and shaking it. I waited for the metal to stop breaking free of the building before dropping the force field, knowing that we were out of immediate danger. The explosions had ceased. Now - with the exception of the crackling of the flames - the air was silent. The building was destroyed, the Hydra agents were dead, and the men were safe. But I had done it with great cost to myself.

Turning back to the men, I brushed my hair off of my face, staring back at them. "Bucky?" Dum Dum called, drawing all attention to him. "I like your girlfriend."

Somehow that was all that it took. The men began to laugh and cheer. I smiled at them before turning and heading towards the men that we had brought from the cells. Steve and Bucky were watching me closely. "Is anyone hurt?" I asked.

"There are quite a few injuries. No one that's in immediate danger though," Gabe said.

I nodded at him, turning to Steve. "The transponder?" I asked.

"Broken," he said. He showed me the transponder and I nodded. There was a large chunk taken out of it from one of the blasts and the wire was bent.

"I'm not going to call them back. Chances are that they're already back at the base," I told Steve, referring to Howard and Peggy. "We march back. There's about thirty miles to the base. Bring everything that wasn't destroyed in the collapse. Howard can take a look at it all. We march now and we'll be back by midday tomorrow. I'll explain everything when we're back."

The men all nodded. "You heard the woman. Let's move!" Dum Dum called.

The men turned back and began the march back to the base. They were taking all of the weapons and vehicles that hadn't been destroyed in the fight. Steve, Bucky, and I took the lead, speeding up slightly so that no one else could hear us. I turned to them guiltily. "I promised you both that when the time was right, I would share everything with you. I think it's about time," I muttered.

Bucky laughed, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah... I think that's a good idea," he said.

It wasn't just telling them everything. If I wanted to share everything with them, I would have to show them. I found myself walking in between Bucky and Steve. "If you let me touch you, I can share memories with you. You'll be watching them, almost like a movie. Don't worry. I'll make sure that you don't walk into anything," I teased.

Turned out that they still appreciated the joke. Bucky smiled at me and nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Do it," Steve added. Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands and gently pressed against their temples. Their eyes mimicked the way that mine went, white with black swirls, as I showed them everything.

Bucky's P.O.V.

It felt like getting sucked through a drain. It was almost impossible to breathe until Bucky found himself and Steve thrown into something that must have been one of her memories. Bucky spotted a woman lying in a hospital bed with a baby in her arms. A man stood over her, smiling down at the baby. Bucky turned back and saw the date on the clock. October 21st, 1920. It was the day that she was born. These were her parents. They looked nothing like her. Her mother had brown eyes and hair while her father had red hair and green eyes.

Everything flew by. But he felt like he was in her mind for days, just watching everything happen. He watched her parents wondering about her as an infant. They were wondering about her white hair and curious if her yellow eyes meant that she was blind. He watched as men burst into the room, murdering the doctors, explaining to her parents that she was not human. They told them that they had brought a monster into the world, not a human being. He watched as the men shot an infant Vika in the chest, her parents screaming in horror as the bullet was pushed out of her chest and she came back to life. Never once had she cried. Her parents were horrified as the men offered to help raise her.

Time passed as they saw the next memory. She was begging her parents to let her go to school as she'd been kept in the house for her entire life, never allowed outside or to speak to anyone. He cringed as her parents called her an it and shouted at her to go back to her room. He heard her parents shouting that no one would ever love her. All he could remember was the day that he had deployed, telling her that he loved her. This was why she had had such a hard time saying it back. Because she'd been told that it would never happen.

The scene shifted again and he saw her down in the basement. He saw her strapped down to a table, fear evident in her eyes. He saw her parents offer to sell her corpse to the scientists. He saw them try to execute her. He watched as she wrenched herself free of the restraint, burning everything in her terror. He watched as she burned her house to the ground, accidentally killing her parents and the doctor. She had killed her parents. But it had been an accident. And they had deserved it. He watched as she ran from the sirens... Straight into his life.

There was another large skip through time. He saw Johnathan Harper with her out in the hallway just a day before she vanished. He heard Johnathan call her a Curve and felt his hands bunch together. But it was just a memory. He was just here to watch. Nothing could be changed. He watched Johnathan taunt her over her parents. He was not surprised to see her attack Johnathan, tearing his knee from the socket.

Then came the day that she had vanished. Both he and Steve straightened up to watch her storm from the school and into the alley. He watched as Johnathan and three of his friends had attacked her. He watched her attack them without any injury to herself. She had done that to them. He saw the way that she had stumbled back in fear when she'd thought that she'd killed them. He saw an older man come to her rescue and beg her to come with him. He saw her hesitation as the man explained to her who he was and why she should come with him. He knew how hard it had been. He'd even heard her mental promise to come back to them.

He watched as the man named William Stryker explained to her what she was. A mutant. He could just remember her talking about mutation to him. She was one... He heard the classification of mutants. He watched as she met people like herself, looking amazed. He even heard her ask about himself and Steve. He watched as she explained her powers and showed some of them. He cringed in horror as she was betrayed by Stryker. This was what had happened to her for all of those years.

He watched all of the terrible things that had happened to her over the years. He watched as she was brutally beaten and starved. He saw her be treated like an animal. It made everything that had happened to him in the Hydra facility look like a joke. He watched her attempt an escape, having to look away when he saw what had happened to her. He saw how nothing worked. She was constantly beaten but never died. He knew that she wanted to die. He saw it in her eyes. He watched as she slowly looked less and less human.

It got to the point that he saw everything that she was forced to do. All of the brutal ways that she had been trained by all of the men that took out their anger on her. He watched bashfully as she was forced to sleep without clothes on the metal floor and had ice cold water poured on her. He watched as she was shot for refusing to kill another mutant, only to be killed anyways. He watched everything that had happened to her in that building. He watched the horrible food that she was fed and heard her warning to her trainer.

They both watched closely as she stumbled into the wrong room and met a man named Logan. He watched their tense exchange before the scene shifted to the next day in the hydro-chamber. He knew that they both felt awkward watching her without clothes, but Bucky tried to brush it off. He watched her go through the fusion of the Adamantium skeleton. He watched Logan go through the same thing and smiled at their daring escape. He saw the radiation blast that she let off, killing the guards. He heard Stryker call her an Omega, the strongest known mutant. He watched as they escaped the facility and dropped from the waterfall.

Her panic was obvious as she hunted for Logan and her relief when she found him. Bucky watched as they pulled each other up onto the land. He felt a little roil in his stomach as he watched their exchange. He hated that someone had looked at her like that. But at least he had saved he did smile when he realized that even Logan had picked up that she was in love with him. He watched as the separated with the promise that they would see each other again one day.

With a horrible feeling of guilt - and exchanging a pained look with Steve - they watched as she returned to the apartment, hope in her eyes. He saw the hope die when she questioned the old woman on where he and Steve had gone. He watched as she left and wandered right onto Colonel Phillips's property. He watched him take her in and give her a real home.

She even showed them the process that Steve had gone through. Bucky saw everything from the USO Tour - that had made him laugh - their little training sessions - which had also made him laugh - and the assassination that Heinz Kruger had gone through with. He even saw some of the conversation where Steve had been told what she was. She even showed them the moment that she had found one of her old trainers and very nearly beaten them to death. Bucky watched as Steve begged her to let him live. He saw as they were brought overseas and he watched the tense exchange between her and Colonel Phillips as she left to free him.

And suddenly it felt like they were being squeezed back through a pipe about ten times too small for them. Bucky and Steve stumbled back as it felt like they were thrown into their bodies once more. Bucky realized that they had been marching the entire time. It was now daylight. He saw Vika's eyes were white with a little black swirl through them. She blinked once and they faded back to yellow. She had her hands knitted behind her back, giving them both a very nervous look.

"Well... The two of you deserved to know the truth. There it is. All of it," Vika said. Bucky could hear her voice breaking. As he stared at her, he realized that she suddenly looked very different. She looked like someone that had been through everything that he'd seen and so much more. Vika took their silence the wrong way. "I'll go now."

She turned to leave as Bucky and Steve both took a step towards her. "Hang on," Bucky said.

"Come back," Steve added.

She turned back to them with a stunned look on her face. Bucky was hyper-aware of the other men watching them. "You can't seriously still want to be anywhere near me?" she asked.

It felt like she had slapped him. He was stunned. He had just found out a hell of a lot about her life that he had never known, things that might have made other people run, but he was in love with her. He would never leave her. "Are you that stupid?" Bucky asked.

She looked floored that he had dared speak to her like that. "Are you? Did you gather nothing from that?" she snapped back at him.

Steve stepped forward, trying to diffuse the tension between the two of them. "Don't be an idiot, Vic. We told you years ago that we were always going to be there for you. I told you a year and a half ago that I wasn't going to leave you. No one is leaving you," he said.

They would need time to understand everything, but they weren't going to leave her. "I'm not leaving you," Bucky promised. "You are -"

"Not human, Bucky," she interrupted.

His eyes narrowed at her and she shook her head. She had never made him angry before, but he was angry now. He wasn't going to walk away from her, no matter what she thought. He would always be here. "Really?" he asked her. He stepped towards her as she watched. His hand gently pressed against her upper chest. He felt her heart beating steadily underneath his hand. "Because I feel your heart beating. I've heard you laugh. I've seen you smile."

"I'm dangerous," she said.

"Maybe to them. Never to me," he pointed out.

"You're scared of me."

Bucky laughed at her. "Yes, Vika. I have always been afraid of you. I used to just think that you were different. You've given me a real reason to be scared of you now. But I'm not walking away from you. Not after everything," he said, grabbing her hand.

She felt warmer than she used to. "You don't know what you're walking into," she whispered.

Bucky shook his head at her again. "I do. You don't get it. Vika... You spent so long being terrified of everyone finding out your secret that you never let anyone come close to you. You've forgotten what it's like to actually have someone that loves you. You're so terrified of yourself that you refuse to think that someone else might not be afraid to be around you," he said.

He could see the realization dawn in her eyes. "There are so many reasons that you shouldn't," she said, sounding less convinced now.

"Name them. Come on," Bucky prompted.

"Your life will be like the blink of eye to mine."

And that was the truth. She would never age. He could tell that it bothered her. But he didn't care. He wanted to spend every moment with her that he could, before he no longer could. "Then let me spend mine with you. Because I might just be a part of yours. But you'll be all of mine," he told her.

Her eyes briefly flashed a deep blue before returning to their normal yellow. "There's no future with me," she whispered.

But there was a future with her. He had always known that there was a future with her. She had always been his only future. "Yes there is. I've always known that there was a future with you," he told her.

Her eyes hardened. "I murdered my own parents," she said.

Bucky shook his head. He had seen them. They were not her parents. They were horrible. "They were not your family. We are. You, me, Howard Stark, Agent Carter, Colonel Phillips, and Steve... Family," he told her.

"I could kill you."

Bucky laughed at her. "I've always known that," he said.

The corners of her lips turned up. "You really don't care?" she asked quietly.

Bucky sighed and shook his head. He cared. But he didn't care enough to leave her because of it. "Well... It's a lot to take in at one time. I think I'll have questions for the rest of my life. Yes, I am terrified of you," he told her. She merely smiled at him. "But I'm not going to leave you. Never."

"You're insane."

"Wonder where I got that from?" he teased her.

She smiled at him as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Thank you," she said.

He pressed a kiss into her hair. He was dirty and probably didn't smell very good, but she didn't seem to mind. One of her hands traveled over to his stomach. "So you've always been like this?" Bucky asked.

"Always."

"And there's no undoing it?"

"Not that I know of."

Bucky glanced down at her and saw a few holes in the shirt that she was wearing. There were two in the shoulders and three in the chest. He was reasonably sure that there was one in her stomach, too. "You took a bullet to the chest and kept going..." he trailed off.

She shrugged her shoulders at him, as if being shot was no big deal. Maybe, to her, it wasn't. "Like you heard, I can't die. I'll never age. No pain receptors. Dismemberment is effective but I can grow back limbs, too," she said. He cringed at the thought. "Essentially you could do just about anything to me and I'll keep coming after you."

"I never wanted to get into a fight with you before. Now I really don't want to get in a fight with you," Bucky said.

"Trust me when I say that you would lose," she warned.

After watching her attack the soldiers inside and outside of the Hydra facility, Bucky knew that she would win any fight that he ever picked with her. So he settled on never picking a fight with her. "So you've always taken it easy on us?" Bucky asked her.

She laughed and nodded. "So easy," she said.

All of the rest of the men laughed, too. They were watching as the three of them walked ahead of everyone else. Bucky still had his arm over her shoulders as she looked up at him. She turned towards him as he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her mouth. His stomach gave a little jump. It had been too long since he'd kissed her. The men all hooted and howled as they stayed together for a few minutes. She finally pulled away from him and pressed one more, small kiss, against his mouth.

Bucky caught Steve smiling at them from their other side. "Nice to meet you... Savage," Bucky said slowly.

She smiled at him and nodded. Steve finally walked back up to them, knowing that the tense discussion had passed. He looped his other arm over Vika's shoulders. "No more secrets," Steve said.

She shook her head at them. "No more." They continued to walk as Vika let out a soft breath. "I think that this is the best that I've felt since I was born," she said, tucking herself in between the two of them. Right where she belonged.

Victoria's P.O.V.

It felt like someone had lifted an anvil off of my chest. I'd never felt so good as to have the two boys know the entire truth about me. And it wasn't even that they knew that I was a mutant. It was the fact that they knew everything. And that was what I'd always needed. I'd needed them to know everything about me. This wasn't exactly the way that I'd wanted to tell them, but at least it was out in the open. It was nice to find myself once more in between Steve and Bucky as we walked back to the base.

The British man that had pointed out that I was a woman down in the cells walked up to me. "James Montgomery Falsworth. Just James. Well done, Miss," he said.

I shook his hand and smiled. "Just Victoria. Thank you."

Dum Dum walked back up to us and gave me a hug. "And officially, Dum Dum Dugan. Just Dum Dum. I believe this is yours," Dum Dum said, handing Bucky back the locket. Bucky took it with a thanks and slid it back over his neck. "Hell of a girl you've got there, Bucky."

"Thank you," I said.

"That I do," Bucky said, pressing a kiss into my hair.

"Gabe Jones."

"Nice to meet you."

"Jim Morita," the Japanese-American soldier introduced himself.

"Hello."

A French man stepped forward after he had cleared out of the way. "Jacques Dernier. Good to meet you," he said.

"You as well."

The five of them stepped off so that they were walking behind Steve, Bucky, and I. Bucky turned towards me and motioned back to the men. "They helped us out in the Hydra camp," he explained to me.

Turning back to the five men, and all of the other soldiers, I called out to them. "When we get back we need you all to tell us everything that you know about Hydra," I said.

"We can do that," Dum Dum said.

Thanking the men, I turned back to walk with Steve and Bucky. His arm was wrapped over my shoulder and I had a feeling that it wouldn't be removing itself at any point soon. "What are you smiling at?" Bucky asked me.

"You," I said.

Bucky smiled down and pressed another kiss to my forehead. "I love you," he said softly.

Smiling at him, I gently tapped against the scruff on his chin. "I know," I teased.

The men laughed as we continued walking. "I do have a question," Bucky said.

"Just one?" I asked.

Bucky laughed at me. I knew that his questions would last for the rest of his life. "Lots. But I think that I need time to gather them all," he told me. I nodded in understanding. "Do you read my mind?"

Turning towards him, I shook my head. "No. Out of respect for my friends, I never read their minds," I said. He looked very relieved to know that. I thought about just letting it go, but I knew that I couldn't just say nothing. "Just know that sometimes your thoughts are so loud that I don't need to read your mind. So, yes, I have heard some of the things that you've thought about me."

Bucky's face turned a bright red as the men standing near us began to laugh. "I - Uh - I..." Bucky trailed off.

"Am not angry," I picked up. He smiled at me, still trying to brush off the comment. "I actually appreciate it."

The men once more hooted and howled as they patted me on the back. I smiled. I really could get used to this. Bucky glanced down at me, seemingly finally noticing what I was wearing. "What are you wearing?" he asked me.

I would have pulled the suit away from me, but it was too tight. "Howard designed it. It's flame retardant. Mostly Kevlar. He demanded that I wasn't allowed to run around in the rags that I normally wear. So he made this suit," I said.

Bucky raised his brows and nodded. "I like it," he said. I rolled my eyes at him. He only liked it because some of my midriff was showing and it was lower cut than most of the other things that I wore. "And look at you!" Bucky tapped Steve on the chest.

"Thank, Vic. And Abraham Erskine," Steve said.

"So now you're the little guy," I said, nudging Bucky.

Bucky smiled at me. I knew that he was going to say something that I didn't like. "That's okay. We're both still taller than you," Bucky said.

Grinning sideways, I pulled my foot up and yanked Bucky's knee out. He stumbled as I grabbed his back, rolling the two of us forward. Bucky went splaying to the ground as I flipped over myself, continuing to walk. The men all howled with laughter. "I'll live longer. And I'm not the one in spandex," I pointed out as Bucky got back to his feet.

Both Steve and Bucky glared at me. They had to know that now that they knew what I was, I was never going to let them forget it. "Think you can ask Stark to make me one of those?" Steve asked me.

We all laughed once more as we continued the march. I could see the base coming up in the distance. I patted Steve on the back. "I think that you look rather spiffy," I teased him.

Bucky smiled at us. "I think we all look rather spiffy," he said.

And I nodded at him. We were quite the little trio, but we worked well enough. Dum Dum came up to our side and stood by me. I looked over to him and smiled. "Hey. No one's ever gonna be scared of mutants after this. You don't have to hide, Victoria. We've got your back. As long as you've got ours," he told me.

"Always," I said, meaning it.

Our large group marched on the camp and I smiled as we passed through the gates. The men looked stunned as they ran to greet us. There was already a large crowd waiting for us. They moved off to both sides as we walked through the gates and onto the base. I heard everyone whispering about a woman being with them. It didn't take long for those watching to start clapping and cheering. Of course, these were their friends. I was in the front of the line with Steve. Bucky was off to our left. The three of us exchanged a smile as Steve patted both Bucky and I on the back. We all made our way through the camp as we met up with Chester; Peggy was standing right behind him. Steve saluted Chester.

Men surrounded us on every side. The ones from the base were pointing at the rescued prisoners. "Some of these men need medical attention. I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action," Steve said.

The men were all laughing and hugging each other. Chester turned over to me. Bucky was watching from behind us. "I'm not surrendering for shit. But I will apologize for everything that I said to you before. It was uncalled for," I admitted.

Chester nodded at me. "I should've listened to you," he told me. I smiled at him and nodded. We would be fine. Kids and parents fought all the time. He then looked at Steve. "That won't be necessary."

I could have sworn that Chester almost smiled. "Yes, Sir," Steve said.

"Do they know?" Chester asked me.

Heads slowly began to turn to me. "They know," I said.

Chester nodded before passing both Steve and I to stand in front of Bucky, who saluted the Colonel. Chester merely stared at him for a moment. "You hurt my girl... She's the least of your worries," he warned.

"Yes, Sir," Bucky said.

Chester turned back and passed by Peggy. "Faith, huh?" he asked her.

She almost immediately stormed up to me. She launched herself into my arms so hard that I did take a step backwards. "There you are! Why didn't you just call out to me?" she hissed.

"We had things to talk about," I said, looking back at Bucky.

"They know?" she asked.

"They know."

Peggy smiled and gave Bucky a little nod. They exchanged a brief smile. I could feel her guilt at having thought that he was dead. "I told you that he wouldn't leave you," Peggy said. And she was right. We grinned at each other before I allowed her to move off and stand in front of Steve. "You're late."

Steve held up the broken transponder. "Couldn't call my ride," he told her.

She glanced down and smiled at the transponder. Before either one of them could speak again, Bucky shouted out for everyone to listen. "Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America!" he yelled. "And Savage!" he added.

The men all moved forward and began to clap and cheer. Steve and I exchanged a bright smile. Here we were... After everything, we were finally real soldiers. I gave Steve a little nudge and received one in response. Bucky raised his eyebrows at us as if to tell us that this was everything that we had always deserved. The men continued to cheer for us as I felt myself being patted on the back. It wasn't long before Howard broke through the crowd, marching up to me.

He gave me a sweet smile that I responded to. He almost immediately glanced down at the suit and narrowed his eyes at me. "You've already put a bullet hole in it," he sighed at me.

"It's war, you moron. Make a bulletproof suit next time," I snapped.

"Don't need one. I've got a bulletproof soldier. And it's a god thing I made five," he added.

I laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek as he turned back to allow us to celebrate. I turned back to Bucky and smiled at him. "Hey. Thanks for coming back," I said softly.

"Thanks for coming to get me. And thank you for not breaking my nose," he said.

I laughed softly and shook my head. "Not until you break that promise," I told him. I stared at the cheering men around us and smiled. "You ready to go home?"

Bucky's arm wrapped around my back. "I am home," he said.

As the men around us continued to clap and cheer, Steve and Peggy watching us with a smile, Bucky pulled me into him. I threw my arms around his neck as his arms constricted around my waist. His hand was on the back of my head, pulling me into a rough kiss. I could hear Peggy squealing, practically see Steve smiling, hear Howard planning our wedding, and hear Chester's thoughts about how Bucky needed to keep his hands off of me. But I didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that Bucky was back. He lifted me from the ground and I laughed as the men began to let out wolf whistles and catcalls. It still didn't matter. The only that matter was that, for the first time in a long time, everything was right.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Big Ben began to chime out in the distance of London and I smiled. It was signaling that it was now midday. Steve and I glanced at each other and smiled. Even though we were down in the Army base, underground and inside one of the large office buildings, we could still hear it. It also meant that we were officially late. After everything that had happened with the Hydra Weapons Facility, the world had finally learned of the truth of Captain America and Savage. It also meant that Brandt - who loved any chance to be in the papers - had worked with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Queen to award the both of us the Medal of Honor for saving four hundred men.

Not that we were planning on attending. Mostly because we wanted to embarrass Brandt. But also because Steve wanted to be off of the press circuit, and I had made the decision to stay out of the public eye for a while. One of the soldiers that we had rescued must have taken a video of me during the explosion of the Hydra facility. Because just mere hours after the men had returned to the base, newspapers had been printed about everything that I could do. The world had gone into a sudden panic.

Knowing that there was nothing that I could do to change the fact that the truth of mutants had been revealed, I'd merely sat with a reporter and explained everything that I knew about them. The man had promised me that he would make me out to be a hero rather than a creature to fear. And the article had done well explaining the science and history behind our existence. I had appreciated it. The newspaper had been received with quite a bit of bad backlash. We had all been smart enough to know that I needed to stay out of the spotlight for a while, to give the world time to realize that there were things like me that existed. And, despite what so many people thought of me, the men stood by my side, as did the Army. I was officially Sergeant Victoria Phillips, and the Omega mutant, Savage.

In the meantime, Steve and I weren't the only ones with changing lives. While he had become a real Army man, and I was becoming a respected member of the Army, the men that had been rescued from the Hydra facility had gone through a change, too. They had been released from active duty after everything that had happened to them. Most of the men had taken the news better than I'd heard them take any other news. I was happy that so many of them weren't going to die in battle. They would get to go home.

All of the four hundred men that Steve and I had rescued had been fixed up from their experiences. We had lost only a few men that had been killed during the escape. Once they had gotten back to the base, all of the men had been shipped off to London with us to have blood tests done, while we began planning the attack on Hydra. No one came back with any concerns in their blood tests, thankfully. I was extremely glad to see that Bucky was getting back to health. He'd gained back the weight that he had lost and the bruises and cuts had healed. He still looked tired, but he looked better. Some of the men had gone home to their families while others had elected to stay in London and wait it out to see if they would return to active duty. Bucky was one of them.

We had been spending quite a bit of time together since his rescue a little over a week ago. We'd barely left each other's sides, only to sleep, for the first three days after he had come back. He made sure to tell me everything that had happened to him during deployment. I noticed that even now, he still wouldn't tell me about the hard battles or the incidents in the Hydra facility. I spent much of my time explaining to Bucky and the other soldiers everything that they wanted to know about mutants and mutation. We had also spent a few days bouncing conversations off of each other about everything that they knew of Hydra and their plans.

Standing down in the bunker that the S.S.R. was using for their plans, Steve and I were pointing out the other Hydra bases that we had seen to Peggy. Another man was off to the side, watching and listening to us. I knew that he was one of the cartographers. He would draw up an edited map. Bucky was in the background, watching us. He wasn't originally going to come with us, but I'd wanted him to be involved with the planning. I knew that he felt like the odd man out right now, and that wasn't what he needed after everything that he had been through.

Steve was leaning over the map and marking where the Hydra bases were. "The fifth one was here in Poland," he said as he marked the map, "and there was one in the Baltic. And the sixth one was about... here." He made another mark and leaned back, motioning over the page. "Thirty, forty miles west of the maginal line. I just got a quick look."

Peggy sighed and nodded at him. She was sitting on the edge of the table, watching him closely. I noticed that she hadn't really been paying attention to the map, more to Steve. "Well nobody's perfect," she finally said, as the other man took away the map.

"I am," I said, bringing the man back to me.

He laid out the map once more as Steve, Peggy, and Bucky laughed at me. "Humble," Peggy told me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned over the map and began to look back over it. "It was thirty-two point eight miles off of the maginal line," I corrected, crossing out Steve's marking and rewriting my own. My hand traveled over the map as I realized another one of the bases were off. "And you're off three point six miles for this one."

Once I had corrected that one, I allowed the man to take the map. He nodded at me before rolling it up and walking off. Steve turned to me and rolled his eyes. "Leave it to the mutant to show off," Steve said.

"Leave it to the super-soldier to be wrong," I shot back.

Steve narrowed his eyes at me. "You're hilarious," he said.

"I like to think so."

As we turned to head over to the main map, Howard passed us, walking the other way. I smiled at him. "Hey. Aren't you two supposed to be picking up a medal right now?" he asked Steve and I.

"When have you ever known me to like the public?" I asked.

Howard shrugged his shoulders. "Fair point," he said.

"I think we've both decided that I am officially off the press circuit," Steve said, exchanging a look with Peggy and I. We both smiled at him.

"Rogers. Victoria," Chester snarled off in the distance. Everyone turned back to him as he walked up to stand in between Howard and I. He did not look happy. "You two just embarrassed a United States Senator in front of a room full of reporters and ten members of Parliament." His lips turned upwards and he began laughing as he handed us the medals. "You deserve a medal just for that."

Smiling at him, I handed my medal to Bucky. If anyone deserved it, it wasn't me. He smiled at me and tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks, old man," I said to Chester.

Steve was smiling brightly as Chester turned back and glanced at Howard, who was spinning the trinket that Steve had taken from the Hydra facility. "You figure out what that is yet?" Chester asked him.

Howard was holding it up in front of his face. "Well if you believe Rogers and Victoria, it's the most powerful explosive known to man," Howard told Chester.

"If?" Steve asked, affronted.

"Excuse you," I bristled.

Howard gave me a sweet smile as he looped his arm over my shoulder. I let off a soft blast of flames and Howard hissed in pain as he wrenched his hand back. I noticed that Bucky and Steve were smiling brightly as Howard brushed the char marks off of his suit. "Well either you're wrong or Schmidt's rewritten the Laws of Physics," Howard finally said.

Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed it from Howard, looking it over. I had no idea what it was. "Kruger told me about this when we captured him. He said that it was some type of ancient power that had been hidden in the earth. Brought here by the old gods. It's not from Earth. Immeasurable power. They're developing weapons with this. Schmidt fired a weapon at a force field that I had up and it knocked me straight out of the air. Nothing does that," I explained to him, handing the weapon back.

We both stared at each other. I had no idea what it was, but I knew that it was powerful. It was the only way that it could knock me out of the air. "You said that this wasn't from Earth?" Howard asked curiously.

"I can run a scan on that thing just by looking at it. It's not made up of any kind of technology or element that I recognize," I said.

"You're sure?" Howard asked.

Staring at it for a moment, I nodded. "It draws some type of cosmic energy. It emits a radiation level very similar to Gamma levels. This is only a very small part of it. If I'm right, this acts almost like a gate," I said. Howard gave me a questioning look. "Kruger told me that Schmidt wanted to find a great power. And what better power than to be able to cross from one part of the universe to another?" I asked.

Everyone started to exchange looks, wondering if that was possible. "You can pick all of that up by looking at it?" Chester asked me.

Glancing over at him, I nodded. "The same way that I can look at you and tell you exactly how you'll move. Yes. All I need to do is look at something. I can feel the energy that it emits," I explained to him.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Bucky watching me curiously. "You believe that it can do that?" Howard asked, drawing my attention back to him.

For a moment I merely stared at him. I wasn't sure if I could believe that it could open portals, but I believed that it did something strange. "Science and legend typically tell us two very different things. But sometimes they coincide. In ancient times, the god Odin spoke of a creation called the Tesseract. Immeasurable power that allowed them to travel from our dimension to theirs," I said.

Howard scoffed at me. I assumed that he'd heard these stories before. "Those are old Norse legends," he pointed out.

Turning towards him, I narrowed my eyes. "Don't legends stem from the truth?" I asked.

The two of us stared at each other before Howard nodded. "We'll have a chat about this later," he said as he turned back, pocketing the weapon.

"Don't go poking at that thing without me around!" I shouted after him,

He turned back to me and gave a quick salute. The five of us that remained walked back over to the larger map. "You're very much in your element around here," Bucky said, walking up to me.

I shook my head at him. I didn't like all of this planning. I just wanted to go out and have a good fight. "No... I don't like all of this planning and chatting. I'd much rather just go straight for them and attack them. Faster and slightly more effective," I said.

Steve walked up to my other side. "That's what someone who works alone does. You're part of a team now. We work together," he told me.

"Right on, Captain," I teased.

The five of us walked to stand at the edge of the map. This one had all of the Hydra facilities raised on the map. "These are the weapon factories we about," Steve said. Chester was watching him, nodding. "Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map."

Moving off to the side slightly, I allowed Bucky to walk up to the map and look it over. "No. It's not on here," he said after a few minutes.

"What were you building?" I asked.

Bucky looked surprised that I had asked him that. He shook his head at me. "It looked like an airplane. But it was huge," he said. I raised my brow, wondering just how big this thing was. "Bigger than anything that I've ever seen before. Looked like it might have been a bomber. They just told us that it was called Valkyrie."

My hands started to knit together. "Well that's unnerving," I muttered.

"What is?" Bucky asked.

I realized that I had drawn everyone's attention to me. "Valkyrie. It's something else that's from Norse mythology," I said. Obviously no one knew what I was talking about. "They're hosts of female figures - usually warriors - who choose those who will die in battle and who will live. Definitely sounds like a bomber. Choosing who lives and dies?" I asked, hoping that they would realize what I was getting at.

It appeared that Chester understood what I was getting at. He nodded and turned to one of the men that were standing with us. "Learn as much as you can about this unknown base," he said. The man nodded and walked off. "Helps to have a mutant sometimes."

"Sometimes?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Chester rolled his eyes at me. "You drive me out of my damn mind," he said. I smiled at him and nodded. "Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base," Chester said as he walked off.

The rest of us quickly make a move to follow him. "What about us?" Peggy asked.

Chester stopped walking as he turned back to us. "We are going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass," Chester said. I smiled at him as a woman walked up to his side and handed him a file. It took me a moment to realize that it was Lorraine. I noticed both Peggy and I narrow our eyes at the woman. "What do say, Rogers? It's your map. You think you can wipe Hydra off of it?"

The men were oblivious to the tense exchange. "Yes, Sir," Steve said, glancing backwards.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Lorraine send Bucky a small smile. My hand immediately shot over to his arm, gripping him around the bicep. I sent Lorraine a deep scowl, warning her to watch herself. She gave me an uncomfortable look before turning to look at Steve. I rolled my eyes at her. She just went from one man to the next. My grip on Bucky's arm tightened slightly.

"Vika," Bucky said, sounding strained.

"What?" I asked through my teeth.

"You're going to break my arm," he said.

Starting slightly, I realized that I was increasing the pressure on his arm. "Sorry," I said, releasing his arm quickly.

"I'll need a team," Steve said.

Chester was glancing down at the papers, only looking up for a moment to speak to Steve. "We're already putting together the best men," he said, looking back and the paper once more.

Bristling slightly, I cleared my throat. "Pardon?" I asked.

Chester glanced back up at me and nodded. "And woman," he added.

We both knew that I was going to be a part of the team. I would be able to keep the men safe while they were destroying the bases. "With all due respect, Sir, so am I," Steve said.

Chester gave him a long look before nodding. "Gather your men, Captain," he said. Steve nodded and we all turned to go about our business for the day. Before we could get too far, Chester called back to us. "Sergeant Barnes. A word."

Bucky looked very surprised. "I'll see you in a few minutes," I told him.

"Okay."

I walked back over to Chester and narrowed my eyes at him. "Be nice," I snapped.

Chester glared at me. "When have you not known me to be nice?" he asked. I laughed and nodded, leaving the two men to their devices.

Bucky's P.O.V.

Bucky found himself unsure of what to do. He was simply awkwardly shifting on his feet as Vika, Steve, and Agent Carter walked off. Bucky was hoping that whatever Colonel Phillips wanted was something to do with the Army. He really didn't want to have to discuss Vika with him. He loved her, and it was very obvious that Colonel Phillips did, too. Even though they weren't technically related. All he knew was that he was very nervous. He had only spoken directly to Colonel Phillips once, after attacking a few of the recruits for what they had said about Vika. And he had been dismissed with only a warning to treat her well.

They stood in silence for a few moments as the three left the building. Once Colonel Phillips was sure that they were gone, he nodded for Bucky to follow him away from everyone else. "How are you doing, Sergeant Barnes?" Colonel Phillips asked.

The comment shocked Bucky. He wouldn't have thought that the Colonel would have cared. Especially not to take him in private to ask him. "Better, Colonel, thank you. Sometimes I forget that I'm not in the Hydra base anymore," Bucky said, knowing that he needed to answer.

"Victoria went through a lot to get you back," Colonel Phillips said.

Bucky nodded, knowing that Colonel Phillips would have brought up Vika at some point. "Yes, Sir. She did," he said carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"And she showed you what she is," Colonel Phillips continued.

"Yes, Sir."

"That doesn't matter to you?" Colonel Phillips asked.

Bucky had had a feeling that Colonel Phillips might have asked that. "No, Sir. I've been terrified of Victoria since the day that I met her," Bucky admitted. He was glad to see that Colonel Phillips might have thought that it was a little funny. The edges of his lips turned upwards. "I've always known that there was something different about her. To finally know the answer... I'm glad that she told me. It's unnerving to know everything that she can do, but I trust her with my life."

And Bucky meant every word that he had said. He would always trust Vika with his life. He'd shown her enough reasons to trust her. Colonel Phillips nodded, seemingly pleased with that answer. "I hear that you were told to write letters before you went to the battle at Azzano," he said, staring at Bucky.

Bucky felt his heart jump into his throat. Had he read the letter? Had he gotten the letter? Vika had never mentioned it, so Bucky had just assumed that the letter had never gotten to her. "Yes, Sir," Bucky said slowly.

"If the letters are not able to be sent directly to the recipient, they're sent to the next of kin," Colonel Phillips said. Bucky nodded nervously. "Victoria had left New York and had no permanent mailing address. So the letter was sent to me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the thick letter. "I did read it," Colonel Phillips admitted.

"Yes, Sir," Bucky said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

He was positive that Colonel Phillips would give him a good talking-to for what he had written. "I did not give it to Victoria to read. I wanted to know for a fact that you were dead before giving it to her," Colonel Phillips informed him.

It felt like a lead weight had been lifted off of his chest. Bucky had not wanted Vika to read that letter. They were all things that he wanted to tell her face-to-face. "Thank you, Sir," Bucky said.

Colonel Phillips nodded and handed the letter back to Bucky. "I think that you should have it back. The things that you've got to say to her shouldn't be said in a letter," he said.

"I've never wanted to say them in a letter. It was just in case," Bucky said.

Colonel Phillips nodded and released his grip on the letter. "Here you are." Bucky took the letter and gently slipped it into his coat. "She's in love with you. Take it from an old man. Remind her of why she loves you all of the time. It'll work," Colonel Phillips said. Bucky nodded and made his way to leave, but before he could, Colonel Phillips added another thought. "And take your time with the ring."

Bucky was sure that he turned slightly red. "Yes, Sir," he said, sounding much less confident than he had before.

For a moment the two men just stood and looked at each other. "You should know, Sergeant Barnes, that you're not going to have a normal life with her. She'll never age. She's going to look like that for all of eternity. You don't get to grow old with her. I'm not sure how she feels about kids, but I know that she's not willing to potentially bring another mutant into the world. Not after everything that she's been through," Colonel Phillips said seriously.

Those were all things that had occurred to Bucky. He'd already thought about all of those things. He knew what it meant to be with Vika. He knew that being with her meant that he might have to give up things that he had always wanted and things that he had always thought that he would have. Bucky had always wanted to have kids. He hadn't been ready - and he still wasn't ready - but he had thought that he would want them. He had always imagined growing old with the woman that he loved. But he knew one thing more than anything else. He knew that he wanted to be with her. And he didn't mind giving up the life that he had thought that he'd wanted for the one that he knew that he wanted.

He knew that he would give up everything to be with her. It did feel a little strange to know that she would look the way that she did right now, even when he was old and in a wheelchair. But he didn't care enough to walk away from her. He had told her more than once when they were growing up that he would always be there for her. The fact that she was a mutant did unnerve him, and everything that she could do did make him nervous, but it would never make him walk away from her. He knew that she would go to the ends of the earth for him, and he felt the same way when it came to her.

"I know what a life with her means. And I know that I want it," Bucky finally said.

Colonel Phillips had been watching him closely. Bucky could see an almost impressed look in his eyes. He turned to leave but stopped himself at the last moment, turning back to Bucky. "One last thing, Sergeant Barnes. She heals from bullet wounds." Bucky nodded, grimacing at the memory of her being shot. "You hurt her... and we'll see how well you do," Colonel Phillips warned.

Bucky would never hurt her. Not after everything that she'd been through. "I'd rather die," he said fiercely.

Colonel Phillips nodded. "I know," he said.

The two men started at each other for a moment. Bucky saluted Colonel Phillips, who nodded at him, before turning to catch up to Vika and Steve. It made him smile, the thought that maybe Vika's own parents had been horrible people, but at least she did have someone that loved her deeply. She had quite a few people that loved her. She might not have been a normal person, and he might not have a normal life with her, but he didn't care. He had her. And that was all that mattered. As he walked out of the building, spotting Vika off in the distance, laughing at something that Steve had say, Bucky smiled. Life wasn't too bad.

Victoria's P.O.V.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Bucky walking back towards us. I turned back to him and smiled. He didn't look too freaked out, so I could only assume that Chester had taken it reasonably easy on him. "What'd he say?" I asked.

Bucky waved me off. "Nothing of importance. Threatening me again," he said.

Raising a brow at Bucky, I narrowed my eyes. I was absolutely positive that there had been something more said than that. But I knew that it was a conversation meant to stay in between the two of them. So I nodded. "Right..." I trailed off, turning back to Steve. "So who do you want to put on the team?"

Steve motioned in between Bucky and I. "The two of you. Do I have you?" he asked.

Grinning at Steve, I nodded. There was no chance that I was staying out of this fight. "You know me. I'm always looking for someone else to fight with," I teased, nudging the boys.

They both smiled, standing at my sides, throwing arms over me. Bucky sighed and stared at us for a moment before finally nodding. "What the hell? Why not?" he asked, sounding very exhausted.

"Who else?" I asked, knowing that the three of us were not enough.

If we were going to put together a team, we needed at least three others with us. Plus I knew that Chester wouldn't approve of the team unless there were at least five of us. "The guys from the Hydra base. Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, James Montgomery Falsworth, Jim Morita, and Jacques Dernier," Steve said.

My eyes brightened. They had all seemed like good men when I had spoken to them. We hadn't talked often, but I had chatted a few times with the men, and they all seemed very sweet. "They're good guys. Good choices," Bucky said.

"They'll be at the bar tonight. That's where they always are. We can talk to them then," I pointed out.

That's where the men that had returned from the war liked to frequent. It was a good place to drink and relax with each other. It was nice after everything that had happened to them at the Hydra base. Bucky and Steve nodded their agreement. "They're all idiots. They'll go back into the fighting. That's what they do," Bucky said.

Knowing that the boys needed their time together, I decided to depart for a while. Perhaps I'd ask Peggy what she was doing tonight. She might like a dance with Steve. "I'll meet you boys at eight," I said.

They both looked at me and nodded. I pressed a small kiss against Steve's cheek, and a quick one against Bucky's mouth, before turning to leave. There was nothing to be concerned about. The men would say yes. I made my way into the room that Peggy and I were sharing to get changed for the night. There was nothing wrong with the outfit that I was wearing, but it was too hot. Even though we were getting towards the winter months, it was still warm in London. Warm enough that the long pants and long-sleeved shirt were too much. I walked into the room that we shared and smiled at Peggy. She was reading, perched on the edge of her bed.

Peggy glanced up at me and placed the book back on her bedside table. She stood as I closed the door behind me. "What are you up to tonight?" she asked curiously.

Glancing over at her, I smiled. She was hoping that she could come along with me wherever Steve was. "Heading to the bar in town," I said. She looked very surprised at that. "Going to recruit some of the men from the Hydra base onto a special operations team to hunt out and destroy the rest of the Hydra bases. They know how they work and they've already proved themselves."

She nodded at me, but still looked very confused. "You're doing this at a bar?" Peggy asked.

Shrugging my shoulders at her, I nodded. It would probably be a little bit better to do it at the bar. "Get a few drinks in them and it might be a little easier to persuade them," I told her.

Peggy smiled at me and nodded. "Perhaps I'll drop by for a bit," she said softly.

It was so obvious that she wanted Steve to ask her to dance. But the question was whether or not either one of them would actually do anything. "I'm sure that Steve would like to see you," I said slowly, teasing her.

Peggy smiled but otherwise ignored my comment. "Do you have something to wear?" she asked me.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I glanced down at my clothes before looking back at her. "The last that I checked, I was already wearing clothes," I pointed out, ignoring her pointed look.

Once more, Peggy narrowed her eyes at me. "It's a bar, Victoria," she said. I raised my brow, wondering what that had to do with anything. "You can't wear something like that."

"Why not? The men are wearing their Army clothes," I said.

Peggy rolled her eyes at me. "They're men." I raised my brows again, not understanding what that had to do with anything. I knew that they were men. "You should dress up for a change," she said. I laughed loudly, thinking that she was joking. "You never get to do anything where you wear anything but those clothes. Take a chance to change."

Grinning at her, I walked towards my dresser, where the rest of my very small clothing choices were stashed. "I'll wear the uniform," I teased, grabbing the Kevlar material.

Gasping at me like I'd just suggested to go to the bar naked, Peggy ran after me and yanked my hand away. "Absolutely not!" she barked. She shoved me out of the way and started going through my clothing. It didn't take her long to get through it all and decide that she liked nothing. "Did you not bring anything professional? Dresses or skirts?"

Narrowing my eyes at her, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Do you know me at all?" I asked her.

Peggy rolled her eyes at me and closed my dresser, walking back to her own. I assumed that she'd already come up with a plan that I would have no say in. "I'll get you one of my old dresses that are too short on me," she said.

"What?" I snapped.

Peggy was already rifling through the clothes in her closet. "Barnes will like it," she told me, turning back with a little wink.

Rolling my eyes at her, I walked over and planted myself in the chair at her desk. "I can't believe that I'm letting you do this," I groaned. Peggy walked towards me with her makeup bag in her hand. Rolling my eyes at her, I nodded, letting out a little breath. "Alright... Fine. Take it easy on me!" I shouted as I spotted her pull out red lipstick.

"Oh, don't worry. It'll just be a little different," Peggy said.

But somehow I didn't believe her. And it turned out that it was a very good thing that I didn't believe her. The two of us spent nearly an hour getting me ready, chatting back and forth the entire time about everything that was happening in our lives. We spent a long time talking about how I knew that she had a crush on Steve, and how I was going to get them together. She didn't seem to really appreciate that, but I didn't care. I knew that she wanted to at least go dancing with him. She had turned the conversation around easily, chatting with me about how things were going with Bucky, and asking whether or not we would go dancing together.

The thought had definitely struck me as funny. I was not a dancer. Peggy finally allowed me to look in a mirror. She had already put on my makeup and done my hair. I was currently in a robe; the dress that Peggy wanted me to wear was hanging over the chair. My jaw dropped when I saw the makeup. My eyebrows had been filled in with a very light brown pencil, making them darker than normal. My eyes had a light line of eyeliner around them. The eye-shadow was a very light golden color, almost appearing brown, making my yellow eyes stand out even more than they normally did. There was a light coat of mascara on my eyelashes. There was even red lipstick swept across my lips.

As Peggy helped me step into the dress, I glanced at what she had done to my hair. Peggy had curled my hair up with victory rolls. It was something that I never did. Mostly because I didn't know how to do them, and I was too impatient to do it myself. My bangs were pulled up onto the side of my head and curled. The hair that normally laid flat down the middle of my back now was in soft curls down to just below my shoulders. Peggy had pulled them over onto one shoulder.

My eyes finally settled on the outfit that she had picked out. It felt like my heart had stopped. At least I felt comfortable in Howard's suit, despite the fact that it showed skin. This was a dress and it showed skin. It was a deep blue; the color was actually quite nice. It stopped just below my knees, a little too short for my liking. It was tight all the way down my body. It almost reminded me of the way that Howard's suit stayed on me. It must have been years since Peggy had been able to fit in this. It had sleeves that went about halfway down my bicep. Only making things worse was the neckline that went halfway down my bust, showing the cleavage that I usually tried to hide.

Whipping my head over to her, I noticed that Peggy looked very proud of her handiwork. "Peggy!" I barked. She jumped, obviously not understanding the issue. "I don't even look like myself."

"Shut up. You look nice," Peggy told me. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to get my coat. It was black and wound go down to underneath my knees, covering the neckline and dress. "Don't wear that," Peggy barked.

"Just for a little while. I'm not going to wear it the entire time. I just don't want to walk in like this," I told her, motioning to myself.

She scowled for a moment before finally nodding her consent. "At least you put on the dress. Fine," Peggy told me, rolling her eyes, knowing that another fight wouldn't work. She had gotten me to do enough. "Wear those heels!"

"Alright, alright, shut up!" I shouted at her.

There was a pair of black heels sitting in the corner that I slipped on my feet. I wobbled for a moment unsteadily. I really was not a fan of walking in heels. But after a few minutes I'd gained my balance and managed to walk properly once more. I waved to Peggy, who would be meeting us at the bar a little later - once she'd gotten herself ready - and walked out of the room. It was just coming up on eight and I knew that the boys would already be waiting for me. As I walked around the corner, Bucky and Steve's conversation died. Even with the coat over the dress, Bucky and Steve were staring at me like they'd never seen me before. The previous conversation had been forgotten.

Rolling my eyes at them, I awkwardly dug my heel into the tile floor. This drove me nuts. This was why I dressed like a man. So that things like this wouldn't happen. "Take a picture. It'll last longer," I snapped.

They both jumped into action, realizing that they were standing very stupidly. "You look nice," Bucky said, coming forward to meet me.

"Shut up," I growled.

He looked shocked that I had said something like that. Obviously he thought that I should have blushed and giggled at him. "I was complimenting you!" Bucky said through a laugh.

Sighing softly, I nodded. "I know that. Thank you," I muttered.

Steve smiled and walked forward. I noticed that both boys were wearing their military uniforms. "Come on. Let's go talk to them," Steve said, tugging Bucky and I with him. He seemed to finally notice what I was wearing. "Why are you wearing that coat?"

"I'm cold," I said quickly.

Not that being cold made any sense. The coat wasn't designed to keep me warm, only to cover me up. "You can burst into flames," Bucky pointed out.

"Stop talking," I ordered the boys. Anything to get them to quit questioning why I was wearing the coat. Their jaws snapped shut and I smiled. The both jumped upright as they tried to peel their jaws apart. Not that it would do any good. They were both looking at me, trying to speak, but it wasn't going to work. "Much better."

The entire walk over to the bar, Steve and Bucky were trying to get their jaws apart. But the order had been given and it meant that they weren't going to speak until I let up on them. It had gotten to the point that it was just amusing, watching them try to communicate with each other with their hands. Too bad that they didn't know sign language. It would have made things much easier. We walked together for a while before finally arriving at the bar. It was already loud in the bar, the music and chattering echoing through the street. Smoke was billowing out into the streets and I smiled. They were having fun.

Finally, I allowed Bucky and Steve to speak again. They seemed very shocked when all of a sudden, they began shouting at each other. They shut their mouths immediately and glared at me as we entered the bar. I smiled at the boys. The five men that we were looking for were all at a table in the front room of the bar. We were about to go over to them when Bucky stopped us.

"Let me know how it goes," Bucky said.

I'd had a feeling that he was going to go straight to the bar, considering that he didn't really have anything to say to them. This was for Steve and I to take care of. I nodded at Bucky as Steve and I walked over to the other men, taking a seat across from them. "Gentlemen," I greeted.

Their eyes darted to my face and they smiled at me. I sighed at them. Even just a pretty face was enough to distract them. "Victoria. Captain. What can we do for you?" Dum Dum greeted as we took a seat.

Steve turned back to the bartender. "Round over here," he called.

A moment later, a waiter came over with seven beers. I traded mine off with a glass of scotch. The waiter hesitated when he placed mine down, looking like he might have wanted to give me a wine instead, but I took the glass and immediately drained a quarter of it. The men were laughing. "Sounds like you want something," Dum Dum said as we cheered each other.

I decided not to beat around the bush. "We do," I said. The men nodded for me to continue. "When we were in the Hydra Weapons Facility, when we won't down to the solitary confinement room and found Bucky, there was a map on the back wall of the other Hydra facilities. We memorized them. They've been written down since then. We're forming a team to go after those facilities and destroy them," I explained, hoping that they would catch on.

It was obvious that they knew what I was talking about, but they stayed silent. So Steve took over the conversation. "Taking down Hydra is a key factor to winning the war. We've been putting together an elite team that will help us take down these facilities. We'd like you all to be a part of it," he said, motioning around to the five men.

"Who's on the team so far?" Jim asked.

"The two of us and Bucky," I said.

"You're on the team, then?" Dum Dum asked me.

My eyes narrowed into little slits. They had better not suddenly take issue with a woman being around them. "Got a problem with a woman coming along?" I asked sharply.

Dum Dum realized that he had offended me almost immediately. He glanced at me and shook his head. "Hell no. I feel a lot better with you coming," he said. The men all began to laugh, and even I found myself cracking a little smile. "So let's get this straight," Dum Dum continued once the laughter had gone down.

"We barely got out of there alive, and you want us to go back?" Gabe continued.

Steve and I exchanged a look with each other. "Pretty much," Steve said, seeing no point in lying.

Glancing back at the men, I shook my head. "Well not back to that one. It's destroyed," I said. The men all smiled, seeing as of course we had all been there to watch it explode. "But if we want to win this war, we have to get rid of the other Hydra bases. We need a team of the best men. Hence why we're here."

"You can't go out there and destroy them yourself?" Dum Dum asked me.

Smiling at him, I shook my head. That was possible, but not a wonderful idea. "Helps to have a team. And Colonel Phillips still wants to do it the old-fashioned way. We're waging a war against Hydra, not Germany. Not anymore," I told them.

James was drinking from his beer. He placed the glass down and smiled at us. It looked like he was ready to join the team. "Sounds rather fun, actually," James said, letting out a short burp.

We both smiled at him. Jim sat back in his chair and nodded. "I'm in," he said.

Once more, Steve and I smiled at each other. That was two out of the five men. We were on our way. And I had a feeling that Dum Dum would definitely join the fight. That left Gabe and Jacques. They were currently having a rapid conversation with each other in French. Steve was watching confusedly. I smiled, hearing their conversation. It sounded like they were going to say yes. Gabe and Jacques finally came out of their conversation and nodded. Steve was still staring at them.

"We're in," Gabe clarified, pointing between himself and Jacques.

Dum Dum sighed and placed down the mug of beer that he was holding. "Hell, I'll always fight," he said. Steve and I smiled. We'd gotten our team together. "But you gotta do one thing for me."

"What's that?" Steve asked curiously.

"Open a tab," Dum Dum said. Steve and I both smiled and nodded. Steve rose to get them another round as I grabbed the scotch off of the table. "Well that was easy."

It was rather funny that Steve and I were thinking the same thing. I tilted back the glass of scotch and drained it, saluting the men. "Thank you for your cooperation, gentlemen," I told them.

They were all staring at me like I'd lost my mind. "God damn," Dum Dum said.

Smiling at them, I placed my empty glass off to the side. "My metabolism burns ten times faster than the average human being. Means alcohol doesn't process in my system. It's like drinking water," I explained to them.

"Can you give me that mutation?" Dum Dum asked.

The men all began to laugh, and I did, too, as I stood to join Steve at the bar. The men all rose to their feet to say goodbye to me. It was something in their upbringings that I knew that they couldn't change. They would always be respectful to a woman. Dum Dum gave me a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Gabe hugged me quickly and told me to hustle someone in a drinking contest. I laughed softly as I exchanged a goodbye with Jim and James. Finally I exchanged a few words in French with Jacques before moving towards Steve. He was hovering over the bar, ready to get the men another round.

"Another round," Steve told the bartender.

The poor bartender looked shocked. I could tell that he was having a hard time keeping up with their orders as he leaned over the bar and stared at them. "Where are they putting all this stuff?" he asked, a thick British accent accentuating his words.

"Here, too," I added.

The bartender nodded at me and handed me another glass of scotch. "Ma'am," he said.

"Thank you." Steve and I got up from the bar and headed into the back room where Bucky was waiting for us. My scotch was in my hand as the piano started to play, the men singing along happily.

"There is a tavern in the town, in the town  
And there my true love sits him down, sits him down,  
And drinks his wine as merry as can be,  
And never, never thinks of me.  
Fare thee well, for I must leave thee,  
Do not let this parting grieve thee,  
And remember that the best of friends  
Must part, must part.  
Adieu, adieu kind friends, yes, adieu  
I can no longer stay with you, stay with you,  
I'll hang my harp on the weeping willow tree,  
And may the world go well with thee.  
He left me for a damsel dark, damsel dark,  
Each Friday night they used to spark,  
Used to spark,  
And now my love who once was true to me  
Takes this dark damsel on his knee.  
And now I see him nevermore, nevermore;  
He never knocks upon my door, on my door;  
Oh, woe is me; he pinned a little note,  
And these were all the words he wrote:  
Oh, dig my grave both wide and deep, wide and deep;  
Put tombstones at my head and feet, head and feet  
And on my breast you may carve a turtle dove,  
To signify I died of love."

They repeated the song over and over again. I assumed that someone had requested it. Each time that they played a line, the men were getting louder and happier. I rolled my eyes at them. They were having quite a good time. But it was nice to see, after everything that they had been through. Steve and I walked into the back of the bar, a room just off of the dancing hall, and I spotted Bucky up at the bar. We all grinned at each other as we took our seats. Steve was on one side of Bucky and I was on the other, slowly nursing my drink.

"See, I told you. They are all idiots," Bucky said, swirling his chair around as Steve seated himself.

Bucky took a sip of his own drink and I smiled. I'd never really seen him drink. "What about you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?" Steve asked, glancing over at Bucky.

His head was aimed down to the desk. I watched him closely. "Hell, no," Bucky said. Steve and I looked at him curiously. "That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight." Bucky smiled fondly, glancing over at Steve. "I'm following him." He took another drink before looking over at me. "And that girl who always wanted to be something more than a housewife, I'm following her." I smiled at him, placing a small kiss on his cheek. "But you're keeping the outfit, right?"

Bucky and I both howled with laughter. That uniform was my favorite thing that I had done in a long time. "Ask the idiot who designed it," Steve said, looking around Bucky to glare at me.

Giggling softly, I rolled my eyes at him. "For the last time, it was a joke," I snapped.

"You know what?" Steve said, glancing back at a poster for the Captain America USO Tour. It had a large sign stamped across it saying, Tour Canceled Until Further Notice. "It's kinda growing on me."

"I knew that it would," I told him.

We were all smiling at each other as the men in the main room sang along to Tavern in the Town happily. But it was just after that that their voices began to drop off. The piano continued to play. Steve, Bucky, and I all looked backwards to see what had happened. It was Peggy. She had just walked in. She was wearing a deep red dress and looked very nice. I smirked and hid my face in my drink. Why did she get to wear a longer, higher cut, dress with longer sleeves? We'd have an argument about that later. The two boys jumped up from their chairs. I merely swiveled around in mine and crossed my legs, smirking at her.

"Captain," Peggy said, walking to stand in front of him.

"Agent Carter," Steve said.

"Ma'am," Bucky added as she walked by him.

She completely ignored him, other than the slight incline of her head. There was only one person in the room that she cared for right now. She hadn't even glanced at me. "Howard has some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning," she told Steve.

"Sounds good," Steve said.

As Peggy glanced back at the men, I noticed Steve give her a good once over. I cleared my throat and Steve glanced back at me quickly, sending me a warning look that told me to keep my mouth shut. "I see your top squad is prepping for duty," she told Steve. I snorted under my breath as Steve stayed silent. Why was he so terrible at speaking to women? Peggy heard my snort and glanced over at me. Her eyes narrowed and I cringed, remembering the coat. "What are you wearing?"

Play it off, Victoria. "Clothing, last time that I checked," I answered her.

The boys both smiled at me as Peggy glared at me. "Take that off. We got dressed together so that I knew that you wouldn't wear something like that," she snapped.

"No. It's cold," I said.

"It's eighty degrees in here. And you tend to have flames running through your veins," she argued.

I waved her off flippantly. "Details," I said.

She glared at me once more. Steve and Bucky were watching us closely. It was obviously a long time since they had been around women. "I thought that you liked dancing?" she asked me.

"I'm a warrior. I don't dance," I snapped.

Peggy rolled her eyes at me. "Everyone dances. Give me the coat," she ordered.

If I'd really wanted to, I could have ignored Peggy or gotten her to turn around and leave me alone. But I wasn't that kind of person, and I knew that she was trying to help me out. So I groaned and hopped up from the chair. Bucky and Steve were watching me closely. They must not have been thinking that I was wearing anything special under the coat. I undid the knot and slipped the coat off of my shoulders. The music briefly halted as everyone stared at both Peggy and I with wide eyes. Even the men were staring at us. I shifted awkwardly, well-aware of all of the eyes suddenly on us.

Handing Peggy the coat, I cleared my throat and spoke loudly for everyone else to hear. "I do like being looked at as a piece of meat," I called out through the bar.

That was all that it took. Everyone went back to whatever they were doing before. No one wanted to get in a fight with the mutant. I sighed, rubbing my arms awkwardly. I was used to people staring at me. But I was used to people staring at me because I looked like a freak, not because they thought that I was pretty or anything of the sort. It also didn't help that I was well-aware that Bucky's eyes were traveling over me. It really didn't help that I could hear what he was thinking as he looked me over.

Peggy was smiling at her handiwork. "Much better," she said.

"Wanna trade?" I asked her.

"Why?" she asked.

The boys were trying awkwardly to look away from us to give us a moment of privacy. It was obvious that it wasn't working very well. "Yours shows less," I said.

"Go dance," Peggy said.

"I don't dance!" I hissed.

That was Bucky's cue to come in and take over the argument. "Tonight... you do," he said, grabbing my hand and gently tugging me with him. I groaned as he gently pulled me along. "Come on."

As we walked off, myself finally giving into Bucky's demand to go dancing with him, I turned back to Peggy. We brushed past Steve and Peggy and I grinned at her. If she was going to make me look like a fool tonight, I'd do the same. As we passed, I gave Peggy a very rough shove into Steve. She stumbled over herself and into Steve's arms. The two of them laughed very awkwardly as they tried to brush off the impact. They were both muttering stupidly and smiling at each other as Peggy backed away. It looked like she was about to leave. I rolled my eyes, hoping that Steve would ask her to dance.

Interrupting my thoughts, Bucky pulled me into the dancing hall. Considering there weren't too many women in the middle of the battlefield, there weren't many people on the dance floor. There were only about ten other couples. Bucky grabbed my hand as his other went around my waist. I laid my hand on his chest as we began to sway together. The song slowed slightly as we spun together. I was smiling happily up at Bucky, feeling completely at peace, as he grinned down at me. As we spun past the bar area, I could see that the men were all watching us, laughing and smiling at the two of us.

"Your friends are watching us," I pointed out.

Bucky smiled at me and turned us so that he was facing them. He sent them a little wink before glancing back down at me. "They're your friends now, too," he said. I nodded at him, knowing that they had become my friends, too. It was strange. It was the most amount of friends that I'd ever had. "And can you really blame them?"

He was looking down at me and I smiled, my cheeks coloring slightly. He had only really seen me dressed up once that I could remember. Another time that I'd been in one of Peggy's dresses. "So you like the dress?" I asked him.

Bucky nodded, glancing down at me once more. "I like the dress," he said.

A slightly uncomfortable feeling seeped into my stomach. If he wanted to see me like this all of the time - like a proper housewife - he was with the wrong person. "Well don't get used to it. It's not mine," I said lowly.

He seemed to know that I was a little uncomfortable. Bucky smiled and pushed his hand under my chin, pushing my head up to meet his eyes. "Don't worry. I like the uniform better," he teased.

Laughing softly, I shook my head. "I can't believe that you're okay with all of this," I said.

"What? You?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah."

Bucky shook his head at me. "I'm not okay with you," Bucky said. My head snapped over to look at him. This might have been the wrong time to talk about this. "I'm in love with you," he continued, smiling at me.

A small smile fell over my face as he leaned down to me. The heels put me just a little bit closer to Bucky's height. We were normally eleven inches apart. But right now we were about eight. I liked being a little bit closer to his height. He still had to lean down to press a kiss behind my ear. I felt him breathe out a little laugh, the breath tickling the back of my neck. I blushed and pressed my head into his chest as the men all began to whistle. It would take me some time to get used to that.

After a moment, I leaned backwards and smiled up at him. "I'm glad that you're back," I said as Bucky pulled me into a spin. "It was terrible having you gone. I don't think that I realized just how slow letters were up until I actually had to wait for them."

Bucky smiled down at me again. I noticed his arms tighten around me a little more. "Being gone was terrible. I can't believe that I missed so much time," he said. I sighed and shook my head at him, placing the hand that had been on his chest onto the side of his face. He had come back. That was all that mattered. "And I kept having dreams about you. I would swear that I'd see you everywhere."

Giggling softly, I leaned into him, giving him a gentle nudge with my hip. "Miss me that much?" I asked teasingly.

"Always," Bucky said, gently nudging underneath my chin. "I think you got even prettier."

"I think that you want something," I said.

Bucky laughed at me. It was so nice to have him back. Just for the moments like these, teasing each other; not even to be romantically involved. "You think that I want something?" he asked me. I nodded at him. He shook his head at me. "Nah. I've got everything that I could ever want."

His stare was piercing as he looked down at me. I blushed as he pressed a small kiss against my lips. "Happy to be back in civilization?" I asked after a brief silence.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders at me. "We went into the cities from time to time. It was always nice to be out of the woods, but it wasn't that great. Didn't have you and I didn't have Steve. It got lonely," he said.

That was rather depressing. "You've got someone to keep you warm now," I told him.

Standing up against him, I allowed the flames to come up to right below the surface of my skin. It wasn't going to burn him but I knew that he could feel my body warming. He smiled at me and looked down. Underneath my skin began to glow a soft golden hue. Bucky smiled at me. With the hand that he was holding, Bucky turned it over and pressed a kiss against my wrist. The song had slowed once more, into a romantic ballad. My eyes turned pink at his actions, but I didn't bother looking away. Bucky placed my hand back as we continued to spin, looking very surprised when he spotted the pink tinge.

"Is that why you never looked at me after I would say something like that?" Bucky asked.

I blinked a few times, desperate to get rid of the pink tinge. They took a few times to fade back to yellow. "Yellow eyes are hard enough to explain," I answered.

"I think that you should keep them pink," Bucky said.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I rolled my eyes. "I think that I should electrocute you," I said.

"You won't," Bucky dared. I smiled at him and took the challenge. Through our linked hands, I gave him a very small zap, like he was touching cold metal. Bucky jumped slightly as his hair stood on end from the small electrical current. "That was unnecessary."

He was glaring down at me and I smiled, reaching up and gently pushing his hair back into place. "I like it like that better," I told him, laughing softly.

Bucky took my hand away from his hair and I smiled. He grabbed one of the curls that was falling over my eye and gently pushed it back into place. "We'll do whatever you want with it," he said.

The two of us continued to twirl around the dance floor. I smiled as the lights shone down on us. This wasn't what I was used to. I was much more comfortable in a uniform and fighting, but even I had to admit that it was nice to hang up the uniform from time to time and pretend that I was a normal woman. Bucky leaned down and pressed a small kiss against my lips. His hand made its way up my back to hold our heads together for a moment as I relaxed into the kiss. This was what I had been looking forward to for so long. We finally backed away from each other as we passed the men. They were dancing and singing happily. I smiled at them.

At least they still had a good spirit about themselves, even after everything that had happened to them. "They look like they're having fun," I commented, watching as Dum Dum spilled some of his beer on Gabe as he laughed.

Bucky laughed and shook his head at me. "Can't believe you managed to talk them into going back out there," he said.

I hesitated, glancing up at him. It had just occurred to me that maybe it wasn't fair to ask Bucky to go back to war with us. He had already spent almost two years on the battle field. "You don't have to go with us," I said softly.

Bucky looked surprised that I had said something like that. "You think that I'm going to let you two have all of the fun?" he asked me. I smiled at him and shook my head. "No way. Besides, I've got to give Hydra a piece of my mind."

A lump formed in my throat. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

Bucky smiled at me and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I was fine," he said.

But I had a feeling that he wasn't fine. Schmidt had said that he'd gone through a lot for me. I wanted to know just what that meant. I wanted him to know that he never had to protect me. I could do that myself. "Bucky... What Schmidt said back in the Hydra facility... What did you do for me back there?" I asked him.

"It doesn't matter," Bucky said.

"It does," I said quickly, raising my voice slightly. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down slightly. "What did you do back there?"

Bucky glared at me. I knew that it was his warning to get me to stop asking him about it. But I wanted to know. "They wanted to know about you. I refused to tell them. That was it," he told me quickly.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I shook my head. "Lying to me is not effective," I said.

Bucky's hand tightened around my back. "Vika... You gotta understand something," Bucky said. I nodded for him to continue, feeling him relax his grip slightly. "I know that you think that you're the one that needs to protect me. With all of this junk about how you can't die and whatnot. But I don't care. You're still my girl. And sometimes that might mean that I'm the one who protects you."

Immediately I shook my head. He couldn't risk himself to protect me. I would manage. "It's not in my nature to let someone else protect me. I've spent my entire life knowing that I had to protect myself. And I found people to protect. You and Steve, you're both still just people. If there's anything that I can do to protect you, I will," I told Bucky sharply.

We both wanted to protect each other. But someone would have to give in. "That goes both ways. You aren't in Stryker's lab anymore. You don't need to close yourself off. You always did, even when we were kids," Bucky said.

"I guess it feels like I still need to protect myself," I muttered softly.

Bucky shook his head at me. I felt his thumb gently running over my back. "You don't need to. I've got you. Always will," he said softly.

Smiling up at him, I allowed him to rock us back and forth to the music. The bar was slowly starting to clear out, as was the dance floor, but the rowdy Army men were still laughing and howling at their tables. Bucky gently raised his hand and brushed the hair back off of my face once more. I would definitely rather have it falling flat down my back. But this was nice, too. I leaned up onto the tops of my toes and pressed a gentle kiss against his mouth. I felt his hands tighten around my back once more, his fingers gently gripping into the material of the dress. I smiled into the kiss and wound my hands over the back of his neck.

The two of us stayed together for a few minutes before I backed away, smiling at him. "It's getting late. We should head back to the dormitories. Got a long day tomorrow," I said.

Bucky nodded at me and backed off. But the moment that we turned t leave, Steve came up to my side. "Can I have a quick dance?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said. Bucky and Steve nodded at each other with a small smile. Bucky stepped back with the other men as I began to spin back and forth with Steve. He felt a lot more confident on his feet than he used to be. "You used to be terrible on your feet," I teased him.

"You still are," Steve responded.

My eyes narrowed at him as he grinned. "You're such an ass," I snapped. We both stared at each other before breaking out into laughter. We swayed back and forth as a thought occurred to me. "Did you ask Peggy to dance?"

"No."

"Why not?" I snapped.

Steve looked very surprised with me. "Because I'm not asking her to dance, Vic. She said when all of this is over she was thinking about going dancing," Steve said. I nodded at him, not understanding how he didn't pick up the hint that she wanted him to ask her to go dancing. "Probably with Stark."

Groaning softly, I shoved my face into his chest. He was such a moron. All men were morons. How they had managed to survive this long was beyond me. "How are men so stupid?" I muttered.

Steve stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "What?" he asked dumbly.

"She wanted you to ask her to dance, you idiot," I barked.

Obviously he was as stupid as he looked. He really didn't know that Peggy had no interest in Howard. The only person that she was interested in was Steve. "Did you read her mind?" he asked me.

Rolling my eyes as Steve brought me into a twirl, he caught me back around the waist and pulled me back to him. "No. But I know women and I know that she wanted you to ask her to dance. Why do you think she walked past all of the men and didn't speak to any of them? She came straight to you," I told him, hoping that he would understand.

"To tell me that Howard Stark has weapons that he wants me to try in the morning," Steve told me slowly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Letting my hand drop off of Steve's shoulder, I whacked him on the chest. "Don't be daft!" I shouted, drawing some attention. I dropped my voice and continued speaking, softer this time. "She could have easily just popped in to tell you that. She was all dressed up and hung around longer than just to tell you that you were needed in the morning."

Steve shifted awkwardly. I knew that he felt like a moron for not saying anything to her. "Do you think it would be too late to ask her if she wanted to dance?" he asked me.

Once more I let out a little sigh. "Considering that she's gone back to the barracks, I'd say yes, it's too late," I said. I'd spotted her leaving the bar as Bucky and I had been dancing. She must have gotten sick of waiting. Maybe they'd manage a dance before they died. Steve looked very defeated. "Don't worry Casanova, we'll get you another chance with your girl."

Steve smiled as he spun me again. "Thanks, Vic." I nodded at him. "Who's Casanova?" he asked me after a beat.

Leave it to Steve to have no clue who Casanova was. I was sure that he and Bucky had never picked up a book before. "Have you ever read a book?" I asked him. Steve glared at me. "Giacomo Casanova?"

Steve was still staring at me like I was speaking Greek. "Buck!" Steve yelled. Bucky walked over to us, standing on the edge of the dance floor as we swayed next to him. "Do you know who Giacomo Casanova is?"

Bucky's eyes widened as he stared at us. "Who?" he asked dumbly.

Rolling my eyes at them, I let go of Steve and tugged him with me. We both walked off together as I grabbed Bucky, bringing him with the two of us. "Time for bed. Come on." The boys followed me out of the bar as we wandered into the cold street. "For future reference, Casanova was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, Histoire de ma vie, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the eighteenth century. He became so famous for his often complicated and elaborate affairs with women, so that his name is essentially synonymous with the term 'womanizer'," I explained.

Steve and Bucky looked at each other, probably to try and figure out if either one of them knew who he was. Obviously they didn't. "What's the name of the book?" Steve asked me.

"Histoire de ma vie. Story of My Life," I said.

Bucky was looking at me like I'd lost my mind. "How do you know all of that?" he asked.

"I read," I deadpanned.

Both boys laughed at me as we walked. I wished that I hadn't worn the heels. They were a little tricky to maneuver the cobblestone streets with. "So what? Was he handsome or something?" Steve asked me.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I shrugged my shoulders. "Considering he lived in the eighteenth century, I'm not quite sure," I said. Steve paled slightly, knowing that he now looked like a fool. Not that they ever didn't look like a fool. "But imagining that his romances were the way that they were described, I'd assumed that he was quite handsome." They both nodded at me and I glanced back and forth between them. "Honestly. How did you two pass high school?" I asked, laughing softly.

"By not wasting time learning about Casanova," Bucky quipped.

Glaring at him, I shoved him off to the side. "Ha-ha," I said, a bland tone to my voice. Both boys smiled. "Whatever... I'm still stronger and smarter than both of you."

"What about both of us?" Bucky asked.

I raised my brow, not understanding what he meant by that. "What?" I asked.

"Could you beat both of us?" Bucky clarified.

"Yes."

A moment later, Dum Dum, Gabe, Jim, James, and Jacques came up to our sides. They were all laughing and chatting happily. I could assume that they'd had a good time at the bar. "How about all of us?" Dum Dum asked.

Seven of them against one of me. It didn't matter. I would still be able to take them all without a problem. "Yes," I said quickly.

"Without all the... weird stuff," Gabe said, making me smile. I knew that he meant without any of the mutations other than the strength. I couldn't get rid of that one. "Just good old fashioned fist fight."

But even without the other mutations, beating them wouldn't be a problem. "Yes," I said evenly.

Jim laughed at my other side. I noticed that he was carrying a beer with him. "Cocky," he said.

Shrugging my shoulders, I nodded at the men. It was hard not to be cocky when it was almost impossible to lose a fight. "When you have the powers and abilities that I do, you'll find that arrogance comes with it," I said honestly.

"So would you fight all of us?" James asked.

If they gave me a reason to, I would fight them. But I really didn't want to be responsible for having to find a new team. "For your own health, I'd suggest that you don't get into a fight with me," I said.

The men all burst into fits of laughter. But I was serious. They wouldn't enjoy getting into a fight with me. "I've been fighting with her for a year and a half and I've never once won a fight," Steve said. The men all glanced over at me and I nodded. He'd only managed to hit me once. "I hit her once and got kicked through a solid brick wall for it."

Laughing at the memory of the fight, I nodded. The men stared between us for a moment before laughing. It was a few moments before they stopped laughing. "How do you do all of that... flippy stuff?" Dum Dum asked me.

I immediately started to laugh. I didn't really have a name for it, but I knew what he meant. The counter-balance moves. They were enough to stun the men into submission, making it very easy to finish them off. "When I was... trained..." I muttered awkwardly. Bucky's arm went around my shoulders. "I was taught how to use my strengths and weaknesses."

The men seemed a little surprised at my comment. "You have weaknesses?" Jim asked me.

Smirking slightly, I nodded. "Not many, but I do have some. I'm not that heavy," I pointed out. Bucky and Steve both nodded. They'd picked me up before. They knew how light I was. "Even though I pack quite the punch -"

"I'll say," Steve interjected.

"- my weight doesn't help me much during a fight," I said, turning a smile on Steve. "So I have a very effective method of using men's weight against them. That 'flippy stuff' is using their weight against them. Ever heard of the saying 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'?" I asked Dum Dum, grinning proudly.

It felt good to finally have men recognize that women could be just as good, if not better, fighters than they were. "Could you teach us to fight the way that you do?" James asked me.

"Bear in mind that I fight like a woman," I pointed out.

Dum Dum smiled and patted me on the back. "That seems to be a little more than effective," he said.

Laughing softly, I nodded. He was right about that. The way that I fought was definitely effective. It was the reason that Hydra had quite a few dead soldiers. But did the men really want me teaching them to fight? I really didn't want to hurt them. There was a good chance that I would hurt them, even if it was just during a sparring match. And I didn't want them to start laughing at me. I didn't think that they would, but I didn't want them to think that I was some fighting machine, only to be let down. Bucky seemed to notice my hesitation in training them as he walked up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Glancing up at Bucky, I shook my head. "Come on, Vika. They want to learn. Why don't you teach them?" he asked me. I was about to argue why I shouldn't teach them when he spoke again. "You're teaching Steve. Teach us."

We walked into the lobby of the building that we were staying in during our time in London. We all hesitated, hanging around in the marble entry. "He's a super-soldier. He can take the hits," I pointed out.

"So can we," Gabe said.

Looking between the men, I sighed, knowing that they weren't going to let this drop. So I would give them a reason not to fight with me. Or at least to show them what they were getting into. So I smiled and nodded. "Alright. We'll start tonight then. One demonstration. I'll watch you all fight tomorrow night and we can figure out fighting techniques," I told the men. They all nodded excitedly. I knew that they were ready to get to fighting. "Who wants to help?"

"You're wearing a dress and heels," Steve pointed out.

I raised my eyebrows, wondering what that had to do with anything. They might not have been the most ideal things to fight in, but it wouldn't hinder me. "Won't make a damn bit of a difference," I said.

My head turned towards Steve and he started shaking his head at me. "Absolutely not. I've spent a year and half getting thrown around by you," he said sharply, stepping backwards.

He must have been excited to watch someone else get thrown around by me. So I turned back and grinned at Bucky. "How about you, Bucky? You wanted me to show you what I can do," I offered.

Bucky nodded, not understanding that this wouldn't be something that he would like. "Alright. What do I do?" Bucky asked me.

Smirking at him, I said, "Stop the attack."

His face fell slightly, realizing that I was giving him no instruction. He just had to stop the attack. Bucky nodded at me. "Right. You're gonna take it easy on me, right?" he asked, smiling at me.

My smirk widened. "Sure," I said slowly.

Bucky stood across from me and nodded. I watched as he took a ducked down fighting stance. Exactly the way that the Army taught them. It was a good way to fight. But there was never a good way to fight against me. I ran straight after Bucky, giving him no time to react. I sprinted so that I was standing on his side and used his bent knee as a step. I pushed myself up onto his shoulders, almost like a father holding his daughter up to see over the crowd, as I pulled one leg over his arm. I swung my other leg off of his other shoulder before moving it under his arm so that his bicep was trapped in between my thighs. I leaned backwards, throwing Bucky off balance, as he tumbled to the ground.

He was thrown into a backwards roll and I smirked. The men were all howling with laughter as Bucky came back to a wobbly stand. I raised a brow, rather impressed. But I wasn't about to let him show me up. So, as he stood across from me, I pulled myself into a hand-free cartwheel. Using my second leg as I was halfway through the cartwheel, I sent my foot straight into Bucky's head. That time he went flying backwards onto the tile floor, groaning at the impact. As I landed on my feet, I tugged the dress back down my legs. The men laughed as they walked over to me, patting me on the back. Steve was smirking at the fact that it was someone else getting thrown around.

In the meantime, Bucky was trying very hard to get himself back to his feet. "Dress and heels and still better than you," I said, standing over him.

Bucky coughed and let his head fall back on the tile. "That hurt..." he moaned.

"That was nothing," I said.

And it really was nothing. Fighting Steve was definitely more work than fighting Bucky. But it was similar to the way that Steve had fought when I'd first fought with him. "I really like your girlfriend, Bucky," Dum Dum said, still laughing.

Finally Bucky managed to get back to his feet. "Yeah. I do, too," he muttered.

Turning back, I saw that Steve was still smirking at Bucky's misfortune. I didn't want to make Bucky looked like the only idiot tonight. "And what are you smirking at?" I asked Steve sharply.

He jumped and looked over at me. "Finally someone else is getting thrown around," Steve said.

Grinning at him, I motioned for him to join me. "So show me what you've learned, super-soldier," I called out. Steve nodded and walked into the middle of the entrance hall. The other men smartly backed away, giving us a little bit of room to fight.

Facing me, Steve ducked down and waited for me to make my move. As per usual, he forgot that I tended to move a lot faster than he did. I moved into a front flip and wrapped my legs around his neck, hooking them behind his shoulders. I brought myself up and watched as he tumbled to the ground at the movement. I rolled forward off of him and watched as he weakly stumbled back to his feet. I ran after him and sent a roundhouse kick into his jaw. He stumbled backwards again as I swung the other leg around so that it hooked over his shoulder and placed my hand behind his neck. Jumping forward, I sent Steve onto his back. He hit the ground as I went into a roll, springing back up.

He was lying on his back, coughing as he tried to get air back into his lungs. Once more, the men were howling with laughter. Even Bucky was laughing at Steve's misfortune. "How many more of those do you have?" Steve asked as he got back to his feet.

"Quite a few," I answered honestly, fixing the dress once more. I turned back to the six others. "Don't laugh, gentlemen. Tomorrow that's going to be you."

"You gonna wear a dress?" Gabe teased.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I shrugged my shoulders. "Won't make a difference. I'll still beat you," I told them.

There were sounds of surprise exchanged throughout the men as they laughed at the look on Gabe's face. Dum Dum walked over and threw an arm over Gabe's shoulders. "Ho-ho! She makes a point, Gabe. We all know that she could beat your ass," he told his friend.

But the laughter was cut off by another voice. "Wait a second," Jim said, shattering the excitable air. "What about if he tries to hit you back? He was just standing still."

Grinning softly, I noticed that Steve had backed away, looking very unhappy that Jim had said that. "Oh, please don't make her do that," Steve groaned.

I ignored him. "Very well then. Steve. Over here. Now," I barked. He nodded at me and walked to stand across from me, sighing softly.

Steve stood across from me and I smiled. I launched after him and threw a punch. Steve very closely managed to block it, throwing my fist back to my body. I swung out my other leg and kicked Steve in the stomach. He stumbled backwards and threw out a punch to my head. I ducked underneath the hit before reaching out and swinging my fist into his jaw. Steve stumbled back again as I ran up to him and jammed my knee into his stomach. He breathed out as he grabbed my shoulders, shoving me backwards. He sent a kick towards my head and I ducked underneath the kick. As Steve came towards me again, I stayed down on one foot, spinning on it, as I sent the other leg upwards and into Steve's jaw. He groaned and stumbled back once more.

As I straightened out once more, I threw my leg backwards and hit Steve in the side of the head. His head snapped off to the side and he threw another blind hit as I turned back to him. I stepped out of the way of the hit as Steve grabbed me around the back of the neck, keeping me against him, just the way that I had taught him. He jammed a knee towards my stomach, barely missing as I grabbed his knee and shoved it back down. I brought up my elbow and jammed it into Steve's, making him drop his arms from my neck.

Steve made a move to swing at me across the face. I grabbed his arm, turning away from him, used my other arm to lock over the back of his neck, and swung my legs upwards. They carried both of us up and over in a hand less cartwheel, Steve smacking onto the tile floor as I landed on him. I moved sideways off of him and kicked back upwards, landing on my feet. I flipped my hair off of my face and smiled at Steve, who was getting shakily back to his feet. The men were all laughing, Bucky the most amused of them all.

Staring at the men that were watching, I narrowed my eyes. Steve managed to very shakily get back to his feet. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you all. That'll be you tomorrow. And bear in mind, he's a super-soldier. How do you think that you'll fare?" I asked them, effectively ending the laughter.

They weren't going to be able to walk for a week once I was done with them. If they wanted to fight, we'd fight. "You'd better never piss her off," Dum Dum warned Bucky.

Bucky nodded at Dum Dum. "I try very hard not to," he said, smiling at me.

Knowing that it was time to go to bed, I rearranged my outfit before turning to leave. "Goodnight, boys." They all waved me off as I prepared to head back to the room that Peggy and I shared. "Steve!" I shouted, remembering what we needed to do tomorrow. He was still trying to shake out the stiffness in his limbs from the brief fight. "I'll meet you at the base in the morning. Some ice should take the pain away," I told both Steve and Bucky. Bucky smiled at me as I walked over to him and pressed a small kiss to his lips. "Sweet dreams."

"You can dream of beating me up," Bucky teased me.

"I'll think of ways to train you all tomorrow," I called.

It looked like the men weren't sure whether or not they liked that plan. But they nodded anyways, knowing that they had asked for this. I waved the men off as I turned to head to bed. It was already pushing midnight and we would need to be back in the offices, first thing in the morning. I headed towards the room that Peggy and I had been placed in as the men headed to theirs. They got rooms to themselves as the women had to share. It didn't really bother me. I had missed having Peggy around all of the time. I walked into the room and immediately started to get changed.

Once I had my pajamas on, I walked into the bathroom and started to wash my face and hair free of the products that Peggy had used on me. "What were they all laughing about?" Peggy asked.

She was sitting up on the vanity, looking at maps, as I cleaned up. "The men have officially decided that I'll be training them before we start going and attacking the Hydra bases," I told her.

"We're not going to have anyone left if you train them," Peggy told me.

Laughing softly, I shook my head at her, swatting her knee. "Oh, stop. I'm not going to kill them. I'll take it easy on them." Not that I really wanted to, but I also didn't want to kill them. I would just have to be careful when I was training them. "Hydra are the ones that I won't hold back with." Peggy nodded at me. I washed off my face before looking back up to Peggy. She was trying to work, but I could tell that something was bothering her. "I told Steve that he should have asked you to dance," I said.

Peggy's hand stilled and the pencil that she was using dropped to the floor. I smiled at her, walking out of the bathroom. "Why?" Peggy asked, following me into the main room.

"Because you wanted him to ask you to dance," I told her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it sort of was.

Peggy scoffed and plopped down onto her bed. "He's hopeless," she groaned.

All men were hopeless. It was something that came with being a man. They had to be hopeless. That was why they needed women. "He's a man. Of course he is," I told her.

She looked up at me and smiled. She pulled herself underneath the blankets, turning to face me. "Maybe we'll go out again sometime soon," Peggy said, smiling at me.

The thought sent a horrible panic through me. I was not a fan of going and dancing. I liked fighting and sparring. "Absolutely not. This my annual promise to go out and do something. I dressed up and went dancing. So I've fulfilled my duty. Now it's time for me to be a soldier," I told her, ignoring her eye-roll.

She leaned over and grabbed a book, chucking it at me. I ducked out of the way and let the book clatter to the ground. "You're such a brat," Peggy snapped at me. I winked at her. "What are you going to do when you get married?"

Run far away. "Wear my uniform," I suggested.

But I knew that Peggy would have a cow if I tried to wear my uniform to my wedding. She would ensure that I didn't walk out onto the aisle looking like a soldier. That would probably be one fight that I would lose. "Barnes might have an issue with that," Peggy said. And I could tell that she was including herself, silently.

Grinning at her, I settled back against the wall. "Good thing that I can beat him up," I mentioned. Peggy rolled her eyes but I could see that she was suppressing a laugh. "How many weapons is Howard building?"

"Quite a few. Mostly new age guns and the likes," she said.

Humming at her, I glanced down at my lap. I had a feeling that Steve didn't want a gun. He seemed to really like his shield, but it wouldn't hold up against strong enemies. "I think Steve's gotten a little attached to the shield. The problem is that Schmidt was able to bend it just by punching it once. It isn't bad, but it won't hold up against most enemies," I mentioned.

Peggy looked very curious as she looked at me. I raised a brow, wondering what I had said. "Howard did make a Vibranium shield. But it's just a prototype," she said.

I remembered the Vibranium that I'd seen at Stark Industries two years ago. He had mentioned that he was going to build a weapon with it. I hadn't known what he was going to do with it, and I'd figured that he hadn't even known what he was going to do with it. It was nice to see that he was doing something with it, considering that it cost so much money.

"So that's what he did with the Vibranium. I was thinking that he would make bullets," I muttered. Peggy glanced at me curiously. "Howard brought me by Stark Industries two years ago and showed me the Vibranium."

Peggy nodded. "It's Howard. He doesn't make normal things," she said.

Both of us started to laugh. We knew just how insane Howard was. "Tell me about it."

Peggy sighed and laid back on her pillow. "We have to be up early tomorrow. We should get to bed," Peggy said, flicking the light off, plunging the room into darkness.

"Night, Peggy," I called into the darkness.

"Goodnight, Victoria."

It didn't take long for Peggy to fall asleep. She had always had an easy time getting to bed. It took me a little bit longer to actually manage to fall asleep. So I laid awake, waiting to actually manage to fall asleep. But things were too loud. I could hear the few remaining people at the bar laughing and singing. I could hear Peggy breathing softly. I could hear Big Ben ticking in the distance. But nothing was worse than the dreams that I could hear. Someone, just a few rooms away from us, was having a very intense dream. It was like listening to a concert. I tried to push back the noise, but I couldn't. So I sighed and gave in, listening to the dream.

My heart fell slightly as I realized that the person was dreaming of being tortured. It was one of the men. They had clearly been through a lot at the Hydra facility. It sounded like the dream was more of a memory. I realized with a start that I knew the person that was dreaming. It was Bucky. He was just two rooms down from Peggy and me. Batting the idea back and forth for a moment, I allowed myself to enter the dream, knowing that he would never realize that I'd seen his dreams.

We were standing down on the factory floor. Bucky was working on what I assumed was the Valkyrie, and he looked extremely sick. I walked towards him, wanting to reach out and touch him. "Sergeant Barnes?" I turned back and saw a German man, wearing a Colonel's clothing. Bucky turned back. "I'd like to speak with you."

"I wouldn't," Bucky said.

Despite myself, knowing that it would earn him a punishment, I smiled. The German man smiled and moved towards Bucky. I gasped as he grabbed onto his hair and ripped Bucky's head off to the side, slamming his head down onto the table. Bucky groaned in pain. My hands began to buzz at the sight. This wasn't just a nightmare. It was a memory.

"I think that we're going to talk, Sergeant Barnes. Come," the man hissed in Bucky's ear.

The man yanked Bucky upwards and began to drag Bucky with him. They marched down the hallway and I followed them quickly. It looked like he was about to fall. Bucky was taller than the German man, so he had to lean down from the older man's grip on his hair. They crossed the building into a room where Colonel locked the two of them in a room. I walked in with them. Bucky was thrown into a chair as a guard proceeded to tie him up. The man stood on the far side of the room with a small metal table.

He waited until the guard had tied up Bucky and moved to stand in the corner. "Let's start easily. Where did you meet Miss Davies?"

My knees quivered slightly. He had suffered to protect me. His nightmare was because he had been too busy protecting me. "How do you know her?" Bucky asked sharply.

The Colonel grinned. "I don't think that's what I asked you, Sergeant Barnes," he said.

He turned back to the table and Bucky watched closely. I followed the Colonel over to the table and watched as he looked over it. My stomach turned when I realized what it was. A pair of brass knuckles. I reached out to stop the Colonel, but my hand went right through him. It was a dream, and a memory at that; there was nothing that I could do. The Colonel smiled as he turned back to Bucky, walking up to him, rearing backwards, and punching him dead across the face. I gasped as he doubled over, spitting out blood.

How could this have happened? How had I not known that this was happening? The Colonel rubbed the brass knuckles. There was a little streak of red on the metal. "Where did you meet Miss Davies?" he asked.

"Go screw yourself," Bucky growled, spitting out more blood.

No... "Wrong answer."

Just as I expected, the Colonel moved closer to him again. Bucky tensed as the Colonel punched Bucky directly in the stomach. Bucky bent over double, wheezing for breath, trying to suck as much air as he could back into his lungs. I very nearly turned back as he began to cough up blood. I was no fool. I knew that the man had ruptured something.

As Bucky recovered, the Colonel began pacing impatiently. "You know not of what she is," he hissed at Bucky.

"I know what she is. And I know what you are," Bucky said, barely able to breathe.

But he really hadn't known me. Not at that moment. The Colonel scoffed at Bucky and shook his head, wringing the brass knuckles. "You think yourself brave, Sergeant Barnes. How will Miss Davies feel when she knows that you died to protect her?" he snarled.

"I'd die for her. Any day," Bucky said.

He couldn't do that for me. He couldn't die. "Would she do the same?" the man asked.

"Yes," Bucky said, without hesitation.

And if I could die, I would. I would do anything for him. "Let's see how far we can push her," the man said, moving towards Bucky once more.

Barely a beat passed as he reared back and struck Bucky across the face again. But it didn't stop there. He was hit over and over again, never slowing down. Lohmer's brass knuckles hit against every inch of his body. His stomach, his chest, and his face. My eyes watered as I watched the skin and bone break. I turned back, hearing the pain in his grunts. It must have been nearly five minutes before the man ceased his assault on Bucky. Both men were breathing heavily. The Colonel from frustration and Bucky from the excruciating pain.

The man shifted the brass knuckles on his hand. It looked like bruises were forming on his hands. "Have we had a change in heart?" he asked Bucky.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing."

The man sighed irritably. "You really won't speak?" he asked. Bucky shook his head, blood dribbling from his chin. "Not even to tell me where you met her?" Bucky stayed silent. "When you met her?" He still didn't speak. "How much do you really know about her past?"

"Screw yourself," Bucky sighed.

"Did you know that she murdered her own parents?" the man asked.

The shook in his eyes was evident. He hadn't known. He didn't believe that I was capable of something like that. Bucky shook his head. The Colonel smiled at him. "Sergeant Barnes... You know not of the woman that you care so deeply for. You have no idea just what she is capable of," he said.

"I know that she's ten times the person that you could ever have the potential to be," Bucky snapped.

"Funny wording," he said.

It was obvious that the Colonel had gotten to his wits end with Bucky, who still seemed to be contemplating the previous comment. The man reared back and clocked Bucky across the jaw. It was so hard that I was sure that his jaw had been broken. He leaned over and I forced myself to stay in place. There was nothing that I could do to change this. Bucky groaned and straightened up once more.

"One last time, Sergeant Barnes. Tell me about Miss Davies," the Colonel demanded.

"Not a chance in hell."

And that comment was the final straw. Bucky was hit so hard across the head that the chair went flying. The legs were lifted up from the ground and Bucky hit the ground as it toppled over. He was coughing at the sudden impact, blood running down over his eyes. The man dropped the brass knuckles and marched over to Bucky, carelessly cutting him out of the chair. Bucky hissed as the knife slashed into his limbs. I gasped softly as the man yanked Bucky off of the floor. He was thrown to two guards that held him carelessly between the two of them. His legs were barely touching the ground, and Bucky appeared to be very close to passing out.

"Bring him back to the cell," the man ordered.

Jumping back to my own mind, I shot up in the bed, panting softly. There was a tear on the side of my cheek and I wiped it off hastily. Had he really gone through something like that? Should I go and try to stop the dream? I batted the idea back and forth for a while before deciding on going to wake him up. I didn't want him to have to dream about something like that. He deserved to have happy dreams, not something as terrible as that. I slowly got up from the bed and slipped on my robe. I was very careful not to make noise and wake Peggy up. Slowly, I slipped out of the room and gently closed the door behind me.

There was no one out in the hall to question me on what I was doing. It was the middle of the night. No one would actually spot me doing something that probably didn't look very good. Walking down the two doors to Bucky's room, I gently opened the door and slipped into his room. He was in the bed, thrashing back and forth. I watched him for a moment, starting when he shot upright, leaning over and putting his head in between his knees. He was wearing a pair of long beige sleep pants with a white t-shirt over his torso. He glanced up after a few moments and I noticed the thin veil of sweat on his forehead.

He glanced at me and jumped, surprised that someone was in his room. I blushed as Bucky relaxed, realizing who it was. "You scared me," he said, leaning back against the wall.

"I - I'm sorry. I was just coming to wake you up. I could hear your nightmares. You were thinking loudly. I wanted to try and shake you awake so that you could sleep better," I told him awkwardly.

For a moment I thought about admitting to him that I'd seen his dreams, but I knew that he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "Thanks, Vika. Sorry about dreaming too loudly," he said softly.

"It's fine. Are you alright?" I asked.

He ran a hand over his face and wiped off a few beads of sweat. He swallowed before looking back at me and nodded. "Yeah. I'm good. Might take me a few weeks to get back to normal. They warned us that it would take a while to get used to being back in the real world," he said, still panting slightly.

"Can I sit?" I asked, motioning to the edge of the bed.

Bucky nodded, scooting over and making room for me. "Of course," he said.

Taking a seat at his side, I glanced down into my lap. "You know," I started, making him look over to me, "I never talked about what happened to me in Stryker's lab. Not with anyone. I've never talked about it to Peggy or Howard. I've briefly mentioned it to Chester. Never talked to Steve about it. When I showed you and Steve just the few little... bits of my life there... It was the first time that I'd even mentioned a little bit about it in three years. Talking about it is hard. Thinking about it is worse.

"You try to keep it to yourself because you feel like you don't want to burden anyone else with it. But what they don't tell you is that the other people... they'd rather you talk about it. Because even though they can't change anything that happened, they can at least know what happened. They can try to help you live with what happened. I've been so silent about being a mutant and everything in Stryker's lab for all of my life. I'm still trying to get used to people knowing about it. It's been weird to get used to the questions and people asking me all about what it's like. It's probably going to take me a long time to get used to it.

"But I've got people here to talk me through it. To be here with me. There are hard days and there are easy days. Just like in life. I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that no one can talk you into discussing the things that happened to you, and no one can force you to tell them what happened, but when the time comes that you're ready to talk about it, I'm here to listen," I said, pressing a hand on his knee.

Bucky had been watching me the entire time that I spoke. "You're right," he said, making me glance over at him. "I don't want to put anything on my mind on yours. I don't want to ever make things harder for you."

Smiling at him, I shook my head. "Things are already hard for me. They're always going to be hard. But there are things that make it easier," I said, wrapping my hand around his.

Bucky smiled at me, tightening his grip on my hand. "How did I get someone like you?" he asked.

"You just happen to be very unlucky," I teased.

Bucky shook his head at me. "No. I'm not unlucky. I think that I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said, gently nudging me.

"I think you've got a funny understanding of the word lucky," I said.

Being with me was definitely interesting, but I wasn't so sure that it was lucky. "Come on, Vika. I know that I'm lucky. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Because I've got you," he told me.

"Lucky you. You've got yourself a girl that can kick you clear across a room," I joked.

Bucky smiled at me. "And I'll let her do it for the rest of my life," he said. I smiled at him, pressing a small kiss against his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said.

Bucky grabbed me around the side of the neck and I smiled at him. His hand pulled me towards him and I smiled, leaning into him. It was so good to be back with him. I pulled my legs up to my chest as I turned slightly towards him, leaning into the kiss. He kept his hand behind my neck, keeping me against him, as I laid a hand on his chest. We were together for a long time, just enjoying being back together. I never wanted him to leave. I never wanted to leave this moment. It would have been perfectly fine for us to stay like that for the rest of our lives.

Finally we had to pull away so that I could breathe. "Come here," I told Bucky. He raised a brow but nodded anyways, moving towards me. I gently pressed my fingers against his temple and sent a short blast of electricity into his brain. He jumped slightly but looked otherwise unharmed.

"What'd you do?" Bucky asked.

He was probably concerned that I had done something to him. "Hopefully stop the nightmares. Dreams are part of the brain's default network - a system of interconnected regions, which includes the thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex - that remains active during comparatively quiet periods. That includes rapid eye movement sleep. The blast dulled those reactions. It might not stop them, but it should help them," I said softly.

"Thank you," Bucky said.

"You're welcome."

We stared at each other for a moment before Bucky grabbed my hand. "Come here for a minute," he said softly.

For a moment I hesitated. This wasn't anything close to being appropriate. But we weren't exactly the two most normal people on the planet. So I decided that it wasn't that big of a deal. I nodded and leaned into Bucky. He gently laid back on the bed and I jumped over his body, laying between the wall and Bucky. My head was tucked on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around my waist as I laid a hand on his chest. I could feel that it had gotten harder with the training. But as my hand slipped down his torso, I felt his ribs. He'd lost weight at the Hydra base. We laid together for a long time. Bucky nodded off to sleep quickly, and I eventually felt myself starting to drift off, too.

So I begrudgingly leaned up, knowing that it was time for me to leave. "I should go. I'm going to fall asleep," I told Bucky, startling him awake.

His arm was still wrapped around me. "You can stay," he said, sleep riddling his voice.

"I - It's not appropriate," I said softly.

It was my only argument against falling asleep with him. Because I did want to stay here. Bucky looked over at me. "When have you ever cared?" he asked me. We both laughed, knowing that it was the truth. "I want you to stay," he added softly.

My heart gave a little flutter. "Alright. I'll stay," I said softly.

The two of us relaxed back into the bed. Bucky laid on his back as I curled into his side. It was not the first time that I'd ever fallen asleep with Bucky. When we were kids, the two of us and Steve had spent plenty of nights together. But we were kids. And there was the night before he deployed. But we'd still had Steve. This was the first time that we'd ever been alone at night. But it felt so right. Bucky leaned down to me and pressed a small kiss against my forehead. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, his arms never once leaving my waist. And, to my surprise, I followed not long after him. I'd barely noticed that he didn't have another nightmare with me at his side.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Pulling the blankets a little tighter around me, I yawned and glanced upwards. I'd been expecting to see the wall or maybe Peggy, fast asleep in the other bed. But I was met with a different sight. I'd almost forgotten that I hadn't slept in my room last night. I'd fallen asleep with Bucky last night. He was still fast asleep. I smiled awkwardly at him. He seemed completely at peace. There was no light in the room, as the sun was still down and the lights were off, but I could still see him. His face was settled in a peaceful line and there was a hint of a shadow creeping across his face. I smiled at it. He would look good with a beard.

But beards were not in style. Clean shaven was look right now; evidently it showed class. His arm was still looped around me, and I was still lying on his chest. We hadn't moved at all in our sleep. I was typically very restless in my sleep. It felt a little strange to be lying here, considering that I had never spent the night with a man before, even though nothing had happened between the two of us. I yawned once more and went into a deep stretch, feeling more relaxed than I had in months. My movement obviously woke Bucky up. His eyes slowly peeled open, a little hazy from sleep. He glanced down at me and smiled.

The two of us simply stared at each other for a while. Bucky tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and laid his hand behind my neck. He pulled me into him, my hand against his chest, as we shared a long kiss. "Good morning," he said once he had pulled away, his voice deeper and huskier than it normally was.

It made my toes curl slightly. And I wasn't sure if I liked that. "Remember when we were kids and you would wake me up by shouting in my ear?" I asked him. Bucky smiled and nodded. They were funny memories. "I should have woken you up by kicking you off of the bed," I teased.

Bucky laughed. "Thanks for not doing that." I nodded at him as his fingers started to curl into my hair. "You know why I used to do that?" he asked me.

"To annoy me?" I suggested.

Once more, he laughed at me. He shook his head. "To get you to pay attention to me," he said.

A little blush fell over my face. For so long I had thought that he had just thought of me like a baby sister. Evidently not. "Ever imagine that ten years from then you'd be waking up in bed next to me?" I asked teasingly.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. My eyes bulged as I gave him a shocked stare. That definitely wasn't the answer that I had been expecting. Bucky obviously understood that he'd surprised me because he started laughing, brushing the hair back off of his head. "You know when I lie, so I figured that I might as well tell the truth."

That was a good reason to tell the truth. But I wouldn't have read his mind if he'd said no. I would have thought that he'd been telling the truth. "You really used to think about that when we were kids?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No!" Bucky cried, laughing again. I smiled up at him. "No, I used to think about it because I imagined that we were together."

"And did you imagine me being like this?" I asked curiously.

His eyebrows knitted together. I knew that he didn't like talking about what I was, but I wanted him to know what he was getting into. "Like what? Perfect?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at him. "Because that's what you are to me."

Smiling at him again, I grabbed his chin and shook his head teasingly. "Sweet-talker," I teased.

He nodded at me with a little laugh. I felt the muscles in his legs tense as he used his knee to gently nudge me onto my back. I fell back onto the sheets as Bucky laid himself gently on top of me, pinning me to the sheets. Of course, I could have easily gotten out. I tried not to think about that as Bucky's hands went through my tangled hair, pushing it back. His lips met mine as my heart gave a little flutter. One of his knees was in between my legs as the other was on the side of me. I raised my legs slightly, running them over his.

His entire body tensed at the movement. I could feel the blood pounding through his veins and his heart hammering in his chest. My fingers tightened around his shirt as his hands tightened in my hair slightly. It was rather funny that I could tell that he was trying to restrain himself. It made me feel a little better to know that I wasn't the only one that wanted to lay here and never move. My arms wound back over neck, keeping him pressed against me. Not that I thought that he was going to leave.

One of my arms dropped back down to his chest and down towards the hemline of his shirt. My hand gently ran underneath the shirt, my nails gently running against his skin. Every muscle in his body tensed as my hand worked its way up to his chest. We finally managed to peel ourselves away from each other, Bucky leaned back down to place another kiss against my lips. I found myself very disappointed that he had pulled away. Despite trying very hard not to hear his thoughts, it was almost impossible. I knew why he had pulled away. He had wanted something more to happen, but knew that it was the wrong time. And it was. We weren't married. Just being here, together, was bad enough.

Bucky rolled off to the side of me. He fell back onto his back as I rolled towards him, my leg laying over his. "Think that we can just stay here all day?" he asked, placing his hand on the side of my face.

"I wish," I said honestly. Maybe the day would come that we could lay in bed together all day. But that day wasn't today. I yawned again, stretching slightly. "What time is it?"

Bucky leaned over to look at the clock. "Almost six," he said.

"Damn it!" I hissed, scrambling to get out of the bed.

"What?" Bucky asked, allowing me to jump over him.

My robe was on the floor from tossing it off before going to bed last night. I leaned down to pick it up and slip it back over my shoulders. "People are going to start waking up soon," I told him.

"So?" Bucky asked.

Turning to him, I narrowed my eyes. He couldn't be that stupid. "So... People are going to start heading to work. And me walking out of your barracks in my pajamas, an unwed woman, might not look so good to anyone," I told him.

"Would you honestly care?" Bucky asked me, sitting upright in the bed.

For a moment, I hesitated. I didn't really care. People knew that Bucky and I were together. But there was one person that I never wanted to know about last night. "No. But do you want that getting back to Chester?" I asked.

A little bit of color drained from Bucky's face. "You should head back," Bucky said.

Laughing softly, I nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you when it's time to head to the base."

He stood from the bed and walked over to me. His arms wound around my waist as my arms wound around his neck. We shared a quick kiss, and Bucky pressed another kiss to the top of my head, as we released each other. I tightened the knot on my robe before turning to leave. Just before I slipped out of the room, I saw Bucky pull off his shirt. I blushed and turned away as he winked at me, slipping out of the room. I dashed down the two doors to my own room before slipping inside. No one spotted me as the door closed and I relaxed back against the wall. That wasn't the luckiest I'd gotten in quite some time.

"Where were you this morning?" Peggy's voice called from my other side.

Jumping slightly, I turned to look at her. She was already dressed and had her arms folded over her chest, glaring at me as she leaned up against the wall. "Don't do that. I could electrocute you," I warned her.

Peggy ignored my warning and walked over to give me a good once-over. She already knew. Of course she knew. "Still wearing your pajamas. That means that you haven't been out anywhere. I woke up half an hour ago and you were gone. Bed was barely slept in. That means that you didn't spend the night here," she reasoned.

Unwrapping the robe from my waist, I started to get changed for the day. "Nice work, detective," I said.

It would have been really nice to drop the conversation there, but she didn't. "Sneaking back first thing in the morning with a burning desire for no one else to see you," she continued.

She stopped speaking as I turned back to her, pulling a blue silk shirt over my shoulders. "You're doing very well. Don't stop now," I urged, changing into a pair of white slacks.

"I can only assume that you spent the night with Barnes?" she asked.

Snapping my head over to her, I narrowed my eyes. "Gonna start judging me now?" I asked her sharply.

She looked very offended that I had said something like that. "Of course not!" Peggy barked. She grabbed my arm and tugged me with her. "I want details! Sit. Now."

Chuckling softly, I collapsed onto my bed next to her. "It's not as much fun as it sounds like." She narrowed her eyes at me. "I was trying to get to bed last night. I'm used to hearing noises and dreams sometimes. It's something that I've always had to deal with. But I started hearing someone's nightmare. It was so loud. I slipped into their mind and realized that it was Bucky. He was dreaming of a memory of his time at the Hydra base," I told her. She sighed softly at me, looking bothered. "I went over to try and wake him up. We were just talking and I started to doze off. I was going to leave when he asked me to stay. So I did."

She smiled, reaching over to grab my hand. "That's very sweet, Victoria. And I didn't think that anything happened," she told me. I raised my brow at her. "You might not be the most traditional people in the world, but you still uphold values."

That was one of the values that I tried very hard to uphold. But it did get a little difficult at moments. "Did you ever spend the night with your ex-fiancé?" I asked curiously, hoping that she didn't mind me asking.

Peggy thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. I wasn't surprised that she hadn't. "No. We fell asleep planning the wedding one night but that was on the couch in our day clothes. That was the closest that we ever came," she said. I nodded at her. They'd never even slept in the same bed and they had been engaged. Peggy seemed to notice my sudden discomfort. "But I know how much you and Barnes love each other. Spending the night together... It's sweet."

"Believe it or not, that was the best night's sleep that I've gotten in a long time," I admitted.

Peggy smiled softly at me. We were silent for a few moments before Peggy spoke again. "Did he have another nightmare?" she asked.

"No."

The smile on her face only got a little wider. "Because he feels safe when he's with you. He's happy." I smiled at her and nodded. He was definitely safe with me around. "Oh, get married already!" she cried suddenly.

Turning over to her, I glared at her. "You've been talking to Howard too much!" I barked, whacking her on the arm. "Stop it. I will get married when I'm good and ready."

Peggy was silent for a while, smiling at me, knowing that she had gotten to me. I blushed, trying to ignore the thought of getting married to him. "What's on the agenda for the day?" Peggy asked after a few minutes.

Letting out a deep breath, I began to lace up my boots. Peggy looked irritable that I wasn't wearing heels, but she wasn't going to bother me about it, considering that I let her dress me up last night. "Checking out the new weapons that Howard has designed for Steve, looking over those papers that I swiped from Schmidt in the Hydra facility with Chester, and I'll be training the men tonight," I told her.

"That should be fun," Peggy said.

Laughing at her, I nodded. We both knew that I'd have a field day training the recruits later. They wouldn't be able to walk straight for days. "You know that you want to watch," I said teasingly.

Peggy shook her head at me. "No. Because if something happens, that means that I'll be held responsible. Enjoy beating the stuffing out of them," she said.

"Trust me. I will." A beat passed before I looked over at her. "Do me a favor and don't repeat this to anyone. Particularly the nightmare part. I imagine that Bucky doesn't want people to know about that. I didn't even tell him that I saw it," I told her.

Her brows furrowed but she nodded. "My lips are sealed," she promised.

"Come on. We should head to the base."

The two of us crawled out of the bed and headed out of the room. We walked into the lobby and I spotted Steve and Bucky out there, waiting for us. Steve walked just ahead of us with Peggy at his side. They didn't really speak to each other, but they did give a respectful incline of the head. As we walked, I noticed that Peggy would glance back from time to time to give Bucky and I - as we were walking hand-in-hand - a very pointed look. As per usual, Steve was clueless to what was going on. I blushed and looked away from her. Bucky did notice our quick exchange as he leaned over to me.

"Does she know?" he whispered in my ear.

I nodded at him, feeling him suck in a breath. "She was awake and waiting for me when I got back. Don't worry, she won't repeat it to Chester," I reassured him.

Bucky let out a breath. "That's a relief," he muttered.

Grinning at him, we walked over to the base. It wasn't that far from the barracks so it didn't take that long to actually get to the base. We all separated almost immediately, going about our business. Peggy went off to speak with Chester about the Hydra bases. I knew that they were already starting to plan the attacks. Steve and Bucky headed off together, getting ready for their meeting with Howard. They were going to have to wait for a little while. In the meantime, I went hunting for Howard.

He would be around here somewhere. He was usually in one of the labs. I wanted to talk to him about the weapons that he was preparing for Steve. He needed to know that Steve would want something that wasn't something typical like a gun. He'd become rather attached to the shield, and I had a feeling that it meant that he would want something similar to the shield. It took me a long time to find Howard. Nearly twenty minutes passed before I finally found him towards the back of the base, in one of the labs. He was standing over some type of containment unit and looking at what I assumed was the Tesseract.

"What are you doing?" I asked, walking up behind him.

Howard jumped and placed down the handles that he was using to touch it. I could hear his heart thumping in his chest. "Don't startle me while I'm touching this thing," he told me.

I raised my brow at the hazard suit that he was wearing. "I thought you said that it was harmless?" I asked him.

"Just in case," Howard said.

Walking up onto the platform with him, I glared at the other scientist with Howard, warning him to step away. He did so, letting the two of us talk. "And I could have sworn that I told you not to mess with that thing unless I was with you," I snapped.

"What do you think that it's going to do?" Howard asked me, not looking away from it.

Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned against the glass. "I'm not sure what it's going to do. But I'm not overly fond of risking your life to mess with it," I said.

Howard grinned at me. "Look at you, actually caring about me," he teased.

Had he not been messing with a potentially very deadly explosive device, I would have hit him. "Of course I do. You're one of my best friends, you nitwit," I barked.

"What are you doing this Friday night?" Howard asked after a beat of silence.

"Pay attention to what you're doing," I snapped.

"I'm multi-tasking," Howard said, manipulating one piece of the Tesseract that he had managed to extract from one of the weapons into one of the claws. "Answer me. What are you doing Friday night?"

Glaring at him out of the corner of my eyes, I decided to play along with him. He was asking me for a reason. "I don't know. Probably training the men." Howard glanced up at me in surprise. "They're determined that I'm going to train them before we start going on missions to destroy the Hydra bases. Why?" I asked sharply.

Howard smiled at me, still looking at the Tesseract. "I found this cute little restaurant downtown and I made a reservation for two," he said.

"We're not going out, you moron," I snapped.

Howard rolled his eyes, swatting at me. "It's for you and Barnes," he said.

My heart gave a little flutter. "You don't have to do that," I muttered.

Howard smiled at me and glanced up from the Tesseract. "You two never do anything together. You've been dancing at a bar once, because you were trying to wrangle together your team. You were together at basic training. And now you're together again, fighting back against Hydra. Do something nice together," he said. I smiled at him. "Get yourself some fondue."

We both laughed as I nudged against Howard's shoulder. "Thank you, Howard. I'll bring you something back," I promised.

"I'll hold you to that," Howard said. Smiling at him, I leaned back against the glass, watching the Tesseract glow. "Besides, you and Barnes need to spend more time alone together. Not in his room, of course."

My head snapped over to him. "What?" I snarled at him.

"You didn't think that Agent Carter would really keep that to herself, did you?" he teased.

I should have seen that one coming. Of course she would have told Howard, knowing that he would get on my case about it. "The worst person to tell, too," I muttered under my breath.

"I believe that would be Colonel Phillips," Howard said. I shrugged my shoulders at him. He was right about that. "So... How was it?"

Rolling my eyes at him, I shoved Howard off to the side. "Oh my God, if you talked to her, you know that that didn't happen," I hissed.

"Of course I know that. We would have had a much louder conversation had it happened," he said.

A soft blush fell over my face as I kicked him gently. "Do your damn job."

Howard nodded at me and glanced back at the Tesseract. "Yes, ma'am. Initial signature is unusual. Alpha beta remain neutral," Howard said, picking up the Tesseract with the mechanical arms. The other scientist walked back over and glanced at Howard. "Although I doubt Rogers picked up on that," he added, smirking.

Rolling my eyes at him, I stepped back and watched him. "It's Gamma, twit," I snapped. Howard ignored me as he raised the Tesseract up. "Stop poking at it, would you? You don't know what it's going to do."

I could see that he was about to touch the Tesseract with the other handle. "It's not like it has reacted to me yet. There's nothing wrong with this thing. Schmidt just found a new energy source," he told me, turning back to the Tesseract. "Seems harmless enough. Hard to see what all the fuss is about."

The other handle was just about on the Tesseract when I felt the energy surge. "Howard!" I warned loudly.

But it was too late. The Tesseract had already reacted. The other handle had just touched the Tesseract when it let off a little blast, similar to the one that I made when I let off the radiation blast. The one scientist was thrown off to the side as the glass shattered from the impact. All of the scientists were yelling and ducking as Howard was thrown backwards, sliding across the floor. Smoke was floating throughout the room as I dashed over to Howard. Being steady on my feet, I hadn't been thrown backwards at the impact. But I had felt it.

Howard very weakly leaned up. "Write that down," he said weakly.

The other scientist began running over to help him up as I grabbed his arm, yanking him back to his feet. "Idiot! I told you not to touch that thing!" I shouted. I looked over him, brushing the dirt off. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You hurt a lot worse," Howard muttered.

His face was slightly charred and his hair was standing on end. "I think that it's got a protective barrier around itself. You go poking at it, and it sets off something similar to a bomb," I told him.

Howard glared at me. "You couldn't have told me that five minutes ago?" he asked.

Fed up with him, I whacked him over the back of the head. Howard grunted and leaned down slightly. "Listen to me next time." I turned back to the other scientists and called out to them. "Leave that thing alone until we know a little bit more about it." I then turned back to Howard. "And you... Go take a shower. You smell like burnt toast," I said.

He was trying to brush himself off. He gave me a small smile and I rolled my eyes, storming away from him. The last thing that I wanted was to be near him right now. He was such an idiot. I couldn't believe how stupid he was for someone so smart. I had told him not to touch that thing, and what did he do? He touched it. They should have all listened to me and not gone messing with the Tesseract. We didn't understand what it was. And we shouldn't be touching it until we knew what it was. Sighing to myself, I made my way into the lobby. Bucky was standing in there, looking over a map.

He glanced up at me and smiled. "How are things?" he asked as I joined him.

"That blue thing that you were working with?" I asked Bucky. He nodded at me for me to continue. "How much do you know about it?"

Bucky looked at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Not much. I know that the Dr. Zola guy used to carry around paperwork about the way that it worked. Why?" he asked me.

Perhaps that was one of the pages that I'd taken. I hadn't looked through them yet. Chester was the one that was currently in possession of them. "Howard was just poking at it and it set off something like a miniature bomb," I told him. He looked a little concerned at the news. "I'm trying to figure out just what it is."

"Aren't we supposed to be figuring out why they're using it?" Bucky asked me.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I shook my head. "I know why they're using it. They're using it to make weapons. Just looking at that thing, I can tell you that it's the most powerful explosive device on the planet. And it's not from the earth," I answered.

Bucky stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Sounds confusing to me," he said.

Smiling softly at him, I nodded. "It is. Like I've said before, there aren't many things that I don't understand. But this thing... this Tesseract. It's one of them," I said irritably.

Bucky leaned over to me and grabbed my hand, pressing a kiss against my temple. I sighed, wringing my hands together. It was so frustrating with the Tesseract. "You'll figure this out, Vika. I know that you will," he told me.

"Thanks. Glad to hear that someone has faith in me," I said.

Bucky brushed my hair back off of my face, letting it fall back behind my shoulders. "I'll always have faith in you," he told me. I smiled at him, nodding. "What's the plan now, Sergeant?"

Grabbing his hand, I gently tugged him with me. "We go find Steve and bring him to Howard. We're finding the new weapon for him. And once we're done with that, we'll get uniforms for the rest of you," I told him.

Bucky looked surprised at that. "We're all getting uniforms?" he asked.

"We're not letting you walk out there naked," I said.

"You might like that," he teased.

Laughing softly, I shoved him off to the side. Yes, I would. "Shut up." We were both smiling at each other as I tried to hide the blush. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that I knew that we would both like that. "It'll be good to get you in some type of suit with thicker material. Makes you a little less susceptible to bullet wounds. But do me a favor?" I asked.

He nodded at me. "Anything," he promised.

"Don't get shot. I'll kill you myself if you do," I told him.

Bucky smiled at me and nodded as we walked back towards the registration area. That was probably where Chester was, and I was reasonably sure that Howard would be with him. "I think that I'd rather be shot than deal with you, angry at me," Bucky told me.

Smiling at him, I nodded. Getting shot would probably hurt less than anything that I could do to him. As we walked, I remembered my conversation with Howard. "Oh. By the way, we're going out on Friday," I said.

"Mission already?" he asked, surprised.

Glancing over at him, I shook my head. "No. You and me," I said, motioning between us. "Bucky looked very confused. Howard was making fun of me for not acting like we're actually in a relationship. He seems to think that we actually need to go out on dates."

Bucky smiled and poked at me. "That is what normal people do," he said.

Narrowing my eyes, I pointed to myself. "I'm not exactly normal," I pointed out. Bucky shrugged his shoulders at me. "Anyways, he made a reservation for us on Friday night."

"I won't be late," he promised.

Smiling at him, I made my way towards Chester's office. If nothing else, he should know where everyone was. Bucky followed behind me and I almost laughed. When we were kids, I was always the one that was following him. But now, he was the one that followed Steve and I. We were the ones that were in charge. I made my way to the doorway before spotting Steve walking over. I stopped Bucky dead in his tracks and turned back to let him know that Howard would be with him shortly.

He turned the corner before I could catch up to him. "Excuse me. I'm looking for a Mr. Stark," Steve said, knitting his hands behind his back. He was speaking to Lorraine - who had recently become Chester's personal secretary. She had her legs crossed and didn't even bother looking up at him.

"He's in with Colonel Phillips," she said, nodding backwards towards the office. Steve nodded at her and turned away.

Bucky moved to go stand with Steve, but I grabbed his arm, yanking him back towards me, out of Steve's sight. "What are you doing?" Bucky asked me, obviously not understand that I wanted to see where this was going.

"Be quiet," I hissed.

Lorraine turned back to Steve before turning back to her paper. But a moment later, she realized who he was and turned back towards him. "Oh, of course you're welcome to wait," she told him. Steve stared at her before motioning towards the desk. He walked over and leaned on it as Lorraine folded up the paper. "I - Uh - Read about what you did." She showed him the paper as she swiveled her chair to face him. She plopped it down on the table carelessly, never looking away from him.

"Oh, that... yeah," Steve said, motioning to the paper. "Well that's - you know... Just doing what needed to be done," he said awkwardly.

Bucky and I exchanged a look and smiled. Steve would never like the fame. He just did it because it was the right thing to do. Lorraine had her legs crossed as she leaned back onto the table. "Sounded like more than that. You saved nearly four hundred men," she said.

My eyes narrowed at her. "Are you planning something?" Bucky whispered in my ear.

"Shut up."

This was the wrong time for us to be chatting. "I did have help. My best friend, Victoria, she was there, too. A lot more people would have died if she wasn't around," Steve said.

Bucky's arm tightened over my waist. Lorraine shook her head. "But people don't want to hear about her. They don't care about some girl with birth defects," she said. My hands immediately burst into flames. Bucky jumped backwards as I realized that I'd very nearly burned him. I was going to burn her. "They care about Captain America. The man that saved four hundred soldiers."

Bucky's hand went over my hip, tugging me back to him. "You're better than her. Relax," he said into my ear, his fingertips stroking over the hipbone.

I could see Steve's jaw clench at her comment. The two of them were silent for a long while. Steve didn't believe in hurting women, otherwise I was sure that he would have attacked her. "Really, it's not a big deal," Steve finally said.

Lorraine got to her feet, slowly advancing on Steve. My fists tightened. "Tell that to their wives," she said.

Steve awkwardly folded his arms over his chest. He seemed to have finally realized where this conversation was going. "Uh, I don't think they were all married," he said, trying to look away from her.

"You're a hero," Lorraine said, coming to stand in front of him.

"Well, that... you know," Steve stuttered, grabbing his forehead. He was obviously very uncomfortable with this entire conversation. "Th - That depends on the definition of -"

Lorraine reached for his tie, pretending to fix it. Steve looked very nervous as he thought of a way to pull away from her. "And the women of America... They owe you their thanks," she said. I growled in my throat. What about me? Lorraine pulled upwards on Steve's tie and yanked him backwards, checking to make sure that no one was watching. I yanked Bucky backwards so that she didn't see us. "And um, seeing as they're not here." She yanked Steve towards her and sprang a kiss on him.

My stomach jolted in my chest. He belonged with Peggy, not that harlot. Bucky straightened up, looking very shocked at the turn of events. "What the hell?" he asked.

Just as I was about to walk over and separate them myself, Peggy walked by. "Good morning, Victoria, Sergeant Barnes," she greeted.

I ran after her, knowing that she was about to spot them. "Oh, wait! I need to talk to you," I said quickly.

"We'll talk on the way," she said.

"Hang on -"

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to come up with an excuse. Peggy rounded the corner and spotted them. I could feel the hope in her chest deflate. She looked infuriated as she placed her hands on her hips. I tried to figure out what to do to make things a little better. "Captain!" Peggy yelled. Steve and Lorraine sprang apart, looking at her. Steve wiped his mouth. "We're ready for you. If you're not otherwise occupied."

Without saying another word, she turned and stalked off. Steve immediately chased after her as Bucky and I followed at a distance. I gave Steve a sharp glare as he passed me. "Agent Carter, wait," Steve said.

She still had her hands on her hips as she walked off, not looking at Steve. "Looks like finding a partner wasn't that hard after all," she told him sharply.

Bucky and I exchanged a look with each other. "Peggy, that's not what you thought it was," Steve said as he fixed his ruffled tie.

Peggy still didn't bother to look at him. "I don't think anything, Captain. Not one thing. Always wanted to be a soldier, and now you are. Just like all the rest," she sneered.

"Ouch," I muttered.

Steve had his hands in his pocket as he chased after her. "Well what about you and Stark?" he asked her, stopping in his place. "How do I know you two haven't been... fondueing?"

"Idiot," I hissed, driving my head into Bucky's shoulder.

"Wrong answer," Bucky added.

Peggy stopped dead in her tracks. I felt the fury radiating through her. She turned back to him and rolled her eyes. She turned back, stalking off. "You still don't know a bloody thing about women," she sneered as she walked off. A soldier stepped to the side so that she could walk through one of the restricted access doors. Steve was watching her confusedly.

Once I was sure that she was gone, I stormed up to Steve. He was still standing there, staring after Peggy. Bucky followed me as I walked over to Steve. "You're an idiot!" I shouted, whacking Steve on the shoulder.

"What was I supposed to do? Shove her off of me?" Steve asked.

"Yes!" Bucky and I shouted at him.

Steve shook his head at me. "I'm not going to hit a woman," he told me.

Grinding my teeth together, I turned back. "Luckily for you, I will," I snarled.

It was women like Lorraine that made the rest of us look so terrible. Without giving the boys a moment to question what I was doing, I turned back and headed straight towards the little desk that Lorraine worked at. Bucky and Steve quickly realized what I was doing. They both started and panicked, following my closely. Obviously they thought that I was going to do something stupid. Maybe it was stupid. But I didn't care. I was so sick of the way that she looked at all of the men on the base like pieces of men. And it didn't help that she put her hands on someone that obviously didn't want them there. Plus, I missed scaring people.

Turning around the corner, I spotted Lorraine watching me. Fear began to seep into her. "Lorraine," I greeted. She opened her mouth to say something to me, but I didn't give her a chance. I grabbed her by the edges of her suit and yanked her out of her chair, shoving her back against the shelf. "Let's chat." I reared my spare hand back, bringing up the bolts of electricity that crackled loudly in the room.

People had stopped to watch. "Get away from me!" Lorraine shouted in fear, trying to get out of my grasp.

But it was like iron. I wasn't going to let her go. "Um, no, I don't think that I'll do that. You listen to me, because I'm only warning you once. They say that men need to be careful and only touch a woman when she wants it. That should go both ways. Don't touch a man unless he wants you to. Are we understood?" I asked her. She nodded hastily. And just in case she didn't understand, I added, "I assume that you're fond of your eyes?"

"Y - Yes," she stuttered.

"Touch him again, and I'll blind you. One blast and you'll never see anything again," I warned her, bringing my sparking hand in front of her face. "Men are very fond of you right now. How fond would they be if they thought that you were deficient?"

"Please... Leave me alone," she begged.

Smiling at her, I nodded. "Don't worry, you'll never see me again. As long as you stay away from him. Right?" I asked.

"Right," she agreed quickly.

"Good." I dropped my grip on her. She had been raised slightly off of the ground. When I dropped her, she collapsed back to the ground, breathing heavily. "Back to work, Private," I sneered at her.

Once more I stalked off angrily, not saying anything to anyone else. Everyone that had been watching the exchanged stumbled back away from me, not wanting to irritate me. The boys once more followed me. They looked extremely panicked at everything that had happened. They looked like they might have wanted to help Lorraine back up but they weren't going to risk me being angry with them. It was a good choice. I needed more of those pills that Howard had designed, soon. I could feel myself getting antsier lately. I allowed the sparks to drop off of my arms as we walked back into the main area.

Steve came up to my side and I glanced over at him. "You didn't have to -"

"No!" I shouted, interrupting him. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath before looking back at Steve. "Go find Howard and get yourself a new weapon. And then go and apologize to Peggy for being an idiot." Steve nodded bashfully at me. I turned over towards Bucky. "Would you please go and get the men together? Tell them that I'll be training you all after dinner tonight?"

Bucky nodded at me. "Sure. You two going to be okay?" he asked us.

"We'll be fine. Right, Steve?" I asked him.

Steve nodded at me. "Right."

I was about to turn off towards the door that Peggy had walked through before when I realized that Steve had no idea where Howard was. "Howard was working with the Tesseract earlier. He might be there. I'm not sure where he is. Go find him. And you two can have a nice discussion about what fondue is," I teased.

Steve's face fell slightly as Bucky turned back to Steve. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Steve said quickly.

But the damage had already been done. Bucky was very confused at the comment. "What the hell is fondue? Is that what people are calling...?" he asked, trailing off.

"That's what I thought!" Steve yelled, giving me a look that said that he wasn't insane.

Rolling my eyes at them, I turned to walk off. They were completely useless. "You two are absolutely hopeless. Go do what I told you both to do!" I shouted, startling the boys. "Steve, I'll meet you and Howard in a few minutes."

Turning to walk off once more, Steve spoke, interrupting me. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Whipping back around, I noticed both Steve and Bucky jump. "To try and calm Peggy down. I wouldn't be surprised if she came back in here and shot you herself. You would deserve it," I said.

"She surprised me!" Steve yelled, trying to defend himself.

"Women don't care," Bucky said.

"What was that?" I asked him.

Bucky's face drained of color as he shook his head and smiled at me. "Nothing. I'll go talk to the guys about training tonight. I'll see you later," Bucky said, walking up to me and pressing a kiss against my cheek. I was glad that he did nothing more. He knew that I was in a bitter mood. "Good luck, punk." Bucky patted Steve on the back.

Steve glanced after him and nodded, letting out a deep breath. "I'll need it," he said.

Calming down, I smiled at Steve and motioned him towards the side hallways. That was where Howard's experiments usually were. "Go find Howard. I'll be with you two in a bit," I said.

As I had been expecting, Steve didn't leave immediately. He and Bucky struck up a conversation with each other. I was sure that they were talking about Peggy, Lorraine, fondue, and probably me. Whatever. As long as Steve eventually got over to Howard. They needed to find a weapon for Steve to use. He couldn't just rely on his movements and strength. I walked away from the boys and through the hallway that led to all of the offices. I needed to speak to Peggy. She probably shouldn't be alone right now. It was very easy to find Peggy. She was sitting in Chester's office, tapping her nails on the table.

She glanced up at me as I closed the door behind me. Chester was not in the office right now, so it was just the two of us. "That's why you were trying to stop me?" she asked.

It looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Yes," I said, shifting awkwardly. "If it makes you feel any better, she sprung the kiss on him. He was very uncomfortable, trying to get away from him. He's too nice to shove her off of him."

Peggy nodded. We had both overreacted slightly, but I knew why. Peggy was in love with him, and Steve was my best friend. Peggy was also one of my closest friends. They both meant so much to me, and I loved the idea of the two of them together. It bothered me more than anything else that something that wasn't even his fault could drive them apart. They had been getting close lately, too. Plus, it would be rather funny to have Peggy and Steve together, while Bucky and I were together. It would make for an interesting story, having the four of us together all of the time.

"You see why I hated her before?" Peggy asked me, distracting my thoughts.

Nodding at her, I moved into the chair next to her and grabbed her hand. "Of course I do," I said.

Peggy sighed and blew a fallen strand of hair out of her face. "I would have rather him shoved her to the ground. I know that we're not together or anything, but still, I thought that he liked me," she said, speaking less confidently than I'd ever heard her.

"He does," I told her. She glanced over at me and gave a weak smile. "Trust me when I say that he feels like an idiot."

"As he very well should," Peggy said.

We were silent for a moment when I glanced back at her. "Trust me when I say that I understand why you're so upset. I'd be absolutely beside myself if someone had done that with Bucky," I said.

If she had gone after Bucky, she would no longer have a head. Neither would he. "I just thought that he was different from the other men," Peggy muttered, looking at her hands.

"He is," I told her. He really was so different from pretty much anyone else that I had ever met. "Don't hate him just because some broad got the jump on him."

Peggy glanced up at me and smiled. "She is a broad, isn't she?"

The two of us stared at each other before bursting into laughter. We were leaning on each other as we laughed loudly, the noise echoing off of the office walls. We weren't the most traditional women in the world, and we were definitely looked at as different from the rest of the crowd, but that was why we got along so well. The boys were nice and we had a lot of fun hanging out with each other. They were some of the people that meant the most in the world to me. They always were. But from time to time, the only thing that we really wanted - and needed - was to hang out with a female friend.

Once we had finally calmed down, I turned back and smiled at Peggy. I knew exactly what to say to get her to smile. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I don't think that you're ever going to see her again," I told her.

Peggy glanced over at me. "Why's that?" she asked me.

"I gave her a nice little talking to," I said.

Peggy didn't need any other information about what had happened. She just knew that I had taken care of it. She reached over and brought me into a hug. "Thank you, Vicky," she said.

Smiling at her, I nodded. "Anytime. You know that I'm always looking for a reason to get into a fight," I teased. But it was the truth. I did enjoy getting myself into fights. It let off some steam, something that I really needed to do. "Don't take it too hard on Steve, alright? He already feels like a jackass."

"I'll be over it in a few days," Peggy said.

And I knew that she would. That was how women were. We were angry and took it out on them, but in a matter of time, they would relax. "In the meantime, steam away," I told her. She laughed at me and nodded. We sat together for a moment before I jumped back to my feet. As much as I would like to sit and chat with her, I knew that there were other things that I had to do. "Alright, I'm going to go check and make sure that Howard and Steve haven't blown themselves up. I'll see you in a few minutes."

It was obvious that Peggy wasn't ready to go back outside yet. I assumed that she needed a few minutes to calm herself down. So I gave her a quick hug before getting up and leaving the office. Walking back through the halls, I asked one of the men where Howard and Steve were. As expected, they were getting ready to go and find the weapons. They were on the back table near the very edge of the base and I walked towards them. Just as I managed to come up to the table, I saw Howard and Steve walking towards the table. Smiling at the sight of them chatting amicably, I walked towards them.

"Fondue's just cheese and bread, my friend," Howard said.

"Really?" Steve asked.

Easily catching up to the two men, I popped in between them. "Maybe if you'd asked me before making an ass out of yourself, things wouldn't have gotten so mucked up," I told Steve.

Things wouldn't have been quite so bad if he hadn't made the fondue comment. "I didn't think -" Steve started.

"That much is obvious," I interrupted him.

Steve gave me a guilty look but otherwise remained silent. "Nor should you, pal," Howard said, referring to the comment about Steve not thinking about what Peggy would have thought. "The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked."

Turning my gaze on him, I narrowed my eyes. "This is why you're all single," I told the two of them.

Howard smiled at me and looped an arm over my shoulders. "I'll take you out for fondue. How's that?" he offered.

Trying very hard to keep from smiling, I shoved Howard's arm off of me. "Shut your mouth. You seriously can't understand what's going on in a woman's head?" I asked the boys.

They looked at each other. "No," they answered together.

Rolling my eyes, I stepped past them. "Of course you can't, being as simple creatures as you are," I said.

"Simple?" Howard repeated.

"Sure. You eat, sleep, and find comfort in women. That's about it," I said.

Howard shrugged his shoulders. "Just about."

Steve didn't like that, though. "Now that's not fair. We've got a little bit more to us," he argued.

"No, you don't," I said.

Howard nodded at me. "No. She's right. Me, I concentrate on work," he said as we walked past the table that had everything laid out on it. "Which at the moment, is about making sure you and your men do not get killed. Carbon polymer." He held up the frame of the new suit that Steve would be wearing. It was silver and unpainted.

"Is this what my suit is made of?" I asked, fingering the suit.

It felt a lot tougher than mine was. Mine felt more like a thin leather. Howard shook his head at me. "No. Yours is made of more of a nomex thread and Kevlar fiber. Lighter weight. Not so worried about yours having to withstand knives or bullets. Just gotta make it so that you can move easily in it, without worrying about it snagging on anything," he told me.

Like he had said, he had a bulletproof soldier. There was no need to make a suit that could withstand anything like that. "Thanks for that," I told him.

"Not a problem. Should withstand your average German bayonet. Although, Hydra's not going to attack you with a pocket knife," Howard said, referring to Steve's new costume. We continued walking, stopping in front of Steve's damaged shield. "I hear you're uh, kinda attached," he said as he banged on the shield, walking past it to a new table.

"It's handier than you might think," Steve argued as we walked to the next table.

We crossed over to the next table where the new shields were laid out. I looked at them and grimaced. Nothing was really Steve's style. Simple. That was what he needed. "I took the liberty of coming up with some options. This one's fun. She's being fitted with electrical relays," Howard said, picking up a shield that looked like a refrigerator door. "That will allow you to -"

"That looks ridiculous," I interrupted Howard.

He turned and glared at me. "Thanks," he snapped.

"They just look too fancy. How about a simpler one?" I asked him.

"We have -"

But Steve had already found the shield that he wanted. "What about this one?" he asked, leaning under the table. He picked up the circular Vibranium shield. I smiled, remembering Peggy's comment last night.

Howard waved his arm at Steve. "No, no that's just a prototype," Howard said.

"What's it made of?" Steve asked as he held it in his hands, looking at it.

"Vibranium." Steve turned it around to look at the back of the shield, where the two arm straps were. "It's stronger than steel, and a third of the weight." He slipped the shield over his arm, staring down at it. I knew that Steve was already in love with the shield. "It's completely vibration absorbent," Howard told him.

"How come it's not standard issue?" Steve asked, running his hand over it.

"That's the rarest metal on Earth. What you're holding there. That's all we got," Howard said.

It didn't seem to click with Steve about why we didn't have more of the shield. "Wakanda is an extremely reclusive country. That's where Vibranium is from. The only place on earth that it's found. People that walk in... They don't usually walk out. It's not safe to just go and find more of it. We buy what they're willing to sell and that's it," I told Steve. He nodded at me, looking a little concerned. "Plus, shields are a little old fashioned. But it looks good. Maybe just some paint."

"Paint?" Howard asked.

Turning towards him, I smiled. "Yeah. Looks a little boring like that. If you've got a guy named Captain America coming after you, a silver shield is boring. Might as well go all-out," I suggested.

Howard nodded at me. "I'll keep that in mind," he said.

As he spoke, Peggy walked around the corner. She still looked extremely peeved. "Are you quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business," she said.

Grinning at the floor, I watched as Steve turned to her. He held the shield up in front of his torso towards her. "What do you think?" he asked her, a bright smile on his face.

I noticed that she had stopped near the guns. Realizing what she was going to do, I slipped into Steve's mind and spoke. "You might want to hold that up in front of you," I suggested.

His brows furrowed. "Why?" his voice echoed.

Peggy looked at Steve for a moment. She glanced down at the shield for a moment before turning away. She had a very even look on her face. She turned back towards the weapons table and picked up one of the guns off of the table. Everyone was watching closely. Peggy picked up the gun and aimed straight at Steve. He was smart enough to dive behind the shield, covering his torso and head. Peggy let off four shots before dropping the gun back to the table. Steve slowly lowered the gun, looking shocked. Howard was ducking behind a table, with his arms over his head. I was the only person that was laughing.

Peggy smiled at Steve. "Yes, I think it works," she told him.

"Good aim," I said into Peggy's mind.

She scoffed. "Men."

She walked off, giving Steve a little glare, as Howard walked back over to us. Steve was watching her walk away, looking very offended. They were both watching her leave as Steve's hand dropped down to his pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper. "I had some ideas about the uniform," he told Howard.

"Whatever you want, pal," Howard said, grabbing the paper.

They never even looked away from the place that she had left from. I rolled my eyes at the men. They would never understand that women could be just as strong as they were, if not stronger. And we had a tenancy to hold grudges. Howard tucked the piece of paper into his pocket as I rolled my eyes and hopped up on the table.

"And you thought that I had anger management problems?" I asked them.

Howard finally broke his stare from where Peggy had walked off. He glanced at me and looked over my arms. "To be fair, you don't even need a gun to be scary," he told me.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I nodded. I was a little scary. Actually, I was probably very scary. "I'm not overly fond of guns. They're a lot less fun. Although they are effective in moments of panic," I told him.

Both Steve and Howard were staring at me like I'd lost my mind. "You don't need any weapons," Howard told me.

Smiling at him, I turned to leave. But I remembered something before I could leave. "Before we go, I needed you to do something else for me," I said. Howard nodded. "Six men. We need suits for all of them. Something similar to Steve's." I dug out a piece of paper that I had written suggestions for their uniforms on. "These are their suggestions for what they wear."

Handing Howard the paper over, he placed it with the one that Steve had given him. "I suppose I'll be the fashion designer. I'm on it," he told me, making me laugh.

We all turned to leave until I heard Chester's voice ring out. "Victoria. Rogers. With me," he called.

"See you later," I told Howard.

He nodded at me. "I'll get you when the suits are done," Howard said.

Smiling at him, I grabbed his arm as we passed. "Thank you." Steve and I walked over to where Chester was waiting, looking irritated, as usual. "What's up, old man?" I asked him.

"The paperwork that you managed to get from Schmidt. We wanted to look over it. You haven't looked over it yet, have you?" Chester asked me. Steve and I exchanged a look as I shook my head. Chester glanced back towards Howard. "Stark, that means you, too. Everyone that we have is good."

Our small team walked into one of the planning rooms. The map of the Hydra bases was printed out on the table but the papers that I had swiped from Schmidt was laid out over them. Howard and Steve took their places at my side. Chester was across from me with Peggy, who was avoiding Steve's gaze. To my surprise, Bucky was also in the room. He was standing on Steve's other side, watching me. I stood over the papers and began to read over them. I would have to relay everything that was on the papers. Everything was written in German, so I was the only person in our group that could read it.

It took me almost ten minutes to read over the papers. Much of it would take me some time to figure out. But there were things that I could understand. Everyone was watching me patiently. "It's all about mutants," I said, pointing to the first page. "And this page is about the Tesseract," I added, pointing to the second.

"What does it say?" Chester asked.

Reading through the page, I said what I could see. "Most of this is theory. At least for the mutant page. This says that we're part of a new race. That's true. Homo superior, an advanced form of the species Homo sapiens. We all have the X-Gene. It's what gives us the powers. It says that we were created by an ancient race called the Celestials. This is back in the times of Egypt. Maybe even before that. The Celestials are powerful extraterrestrial cosmic beings. They influenced key events in human history for unclear reasons. They were responsible for key human evolutionary events. They have no known origin. They are essentially designed to be builders," I explained to them.

Everyone exchanged looks with each other. No one really understood why Schmidt would have cared about anything like this. "So what does it mean?" Chester finally asked me.

"It means that they're trying to relate the idea of mutants to the Tesseract..." I said, moving to the second page. My eyes scanned over it for a few minutes before my head snapped up. It caught the attention of everyone else as they all tended, looking at me. "I know why they wanted me. I know why William Stryker wanted me," I muttered.

"Why?" Bucky asked.

They would have to give me time to explain it. "Hear me out." The five others nodded. "This thing, this Tesseract, it is extremely powerful. As we already knew. Once you can control it, you can control it on an extreme level of reality warping. Wish-granting, if you will. Hence why Schmidt wants it." They exchanged confused looks but nodded for me to continue. This was like a thing out of a movie. Not reality. "It'll eventually develop its own intelligence. Remember when it zapped you earlier?" I asked Howard. He nodded blankly at me. "It was defending itself. It's something called an Infinity Stone. That's what this says. There are six. This is called Yggdrasil," I said, showing them a picture. "In Norse mythology, it's one of the nine realms. I can only assume that Schmidt found this in an old Viking ruin."

They continued to nod at me. I could tell that it still wasn't occurring to them just why I was mentioning all of this. "You said that you knew why they want you. Why?" Bucky asked me.

"No one can touch this thing. No mortal man. It'll burn your skin if you touch it through - say - a leather glove. Touch it with bare hands... You'll be transported to another realm. Potentially killed. It contains a Stone, and that is one of the six Infinity Stones. This is listed as an Omega Class Weapon," I explained to them, reading towards the bottom of the page.

"What does that mean?" Chester asked.

Staring blankly at the page, I felt my heart rate increase. "It means that it causes catastrophic damage to anyone that comes into contact with it. Only beings of immense power can hold these Infinity Stones." That was easy enough for the others to understand. "Omega Class Weapon... It means that I can hold it," I muttered.

The others were silent for a long time. It was not something easy to understand. These Infinity Stones were evidently quite powerful. They weren't things that normal people would be able to possess. Even someone strong - a super-soldier - wouldn't be able to hold. These were only things that a being of immense power - like an extraordinarily strong mutant - would be able to hold it. I knew just by reading the file that I could hold it. Perhaps not easily or for an extended period of time, but I would be able to touch it. That meant that I was going to touch it. I needed to know what this thing was. I wanted to know what it was that this thing meant to Schmidt.

They were leaning over the papers, not that it mattered. No one here could speak or read German. The clock ticked loudly in the corner before Howard finally spoke. "Are you sure?" he asked me.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I nodded slowly. "Reasonably. I want to get a good look at it." No one seemed to like the thought of me getting close to it. "No one goes near that thing," I ordered. The others nodded at me. I turned towards Chester. "I'll take a look at it in a few days. Can you get me a copy of these reports? I want to look them over."

"Sure," Chester said.

Tomorrow I would have to take a look at the Tesseract. I needed to know what it was. I needed to know why Schmidt wanted it. "You shouldn't touch that thing. You saw what it did to me," Howard said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Glancing at Howard, I shook my head. I knew that they didn't like the idea of me touching something that powerful, but I had already made up my mind. I was looking at that thing. "You heard what I said. Being of immense power can hold them," I said, motioning to myself. It didn't seem to have convinced Bucky, Steve, or Peggy. Looking at the others, I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe not for a long time, but long enough to figure out what this thing is."

That still didn't convince Bucky. He walked over to me and grabbed my arm. "Wait a second. You can't touch that thing," he argued.

His hand was tight around my wrist and I smiled, disentangling ourselves. "Everyone will be around. They'll be watching. I can't die," I argued. He still didn't care. "If this thing is as powerful as they say that it is... I'll know what Hydra is up to. I'll know how to deprogram those weapons that they're making. We can change the tide of the war."

My hand had wound its way so that it was enclosed in his. The others had the respect to look away, looking at each other instead. I could see the worry in Bucky's eyes. "Stark, you'll watch over her when she does it," Chester ordered.

"Of course," Howard said quickly.

Chester moved over to me. Bucky took a step backwards from me, moving to stand next to Steve. "Someone will be standing by to get that thing out of your hand if things go badly," he told me.

I nodded at him. The sooner that we did it, the better. "I can have it ready tomorrow," Howard informed us.

Before anyone could say anything against the idea, I spoke up. "Then we do this tomorrow," I said, not allowing room for argument. "I'm going to go and get ready for training. Grab yourselves a quick dinner. Steve, Bucky, get yourselves ready. And please get the men, too. We're going to be down in the ballroom."

They both nodded at me. As everyone turned to leave the room Bucky caught my arm, holding me back for a moment. "Hey. Come over tonight. After training," he said. I raised a brow curiously. "If you want, of course," he added bashfully.

Smiling softly at him, I nodded. "I think you just like having me in your bed," I teased. Both of us smiled at each other as we walked out of the room, following the others. "I'll get changed after training and come over." He nodded at me. "Meet you in the ballroom soon. Wear something that you can move in."

"You gonna beat me up?" Bucky asked.

"You'll see," I teased, winking as I walked off.

Bucky's P.O.V.

Bucky watched Vika walk off with a little smile on his face. It was moments like this that he was grateful for. The simple things like this. Just the moments where he saw her acting like a normal woman. She walked off and looped her arm over Peggy's shoulder. Bucky smiled at her as the girls walked off, laughing at each other. He watched her walk off and he strode off towards the mess hall with Steve at his side. Bucky knew that they were both nervous to have her touching the Tesseract. If this thing was as dangerous as everyone made it out to bed, Bucky wanted her as far away from it as she could get. But she was determined.

And Bucky knew that once Vika found herself determined to do something, there was no stopping her. She would do it, no matter what anyone else said. "Come on," Steve said, tugging Bucky with him. "She'll kill us if we're late."

The two men both laughed. It was rather funny. If they were even a minute late, Vika would make them pay for it. "Can you believe that she's touching that thing?" Bucky asked as they headed into the mess hall.

Steve shrugged his shoulders at Bucky, letting out a soft sigh. They both knew what was going to happen. "I don't like that she's going to do it, but it's like she said, she can't die. She's going to be okay touching the Tesseract," Steve said. Bucky could tell that he was saying it for the both of them. "And we do need to know what it is."

That was the truth. They did need to know what the Tesseract was. He just wished that they were risking someone else to do it. "I just wish that she wasn't risking herself to do it," Bucky said.

Steve laid an arm over Bucky's shoulders. It was rather strange to see Steve so much taller than he was. "That's what she does. Stupid things that make everyone else panic," Steve said.

"She has a knack of doing that, doesn't she?" Bucky asked.

"She does," Steve agreed. They sat at a table together and dug into their food. They didn't have much time before they were supposed to meet her with the rest of the men. "You ready to fight her?" Steve asked after a minute.

Bucky wasn't really sure whether or not he was ready to fight her. She could definitely be a little on the scary side. Actually, she was terrifying. He really didn't want to get into a fight with her. Bucky was a reasonably proud man. He liked to make a point that he was a good fighter. He could hold his own in a fight. He knew that he was able to beat most opponents that were thrown his way, but he was no fool. While he knew that not all women were good fighters - very few were - he knew that Vika was one of them. She was better than any woman and she was better than the men, too. She was definitely better than him.

It made him a little nervous to actually fight against her. He had a feeling that she would make him look like an idiot. Not that it was very hard to make him look like an idiot. "Was it really that bad when the two of you fought together during the tour?" Bucky asked curiously.

He's seen her fight against the Hydra soldiers, but they were just men. Steve was a super-soldier now. And if she could beat him without issue... He didn't want to see what she could do to him. "I'd like to tell you that we're just exaggerating what she can do. But I'm really not. She was taking it easy on me when the two of us trained together and I still only got in one hit. And I paid for it dearly. Like I said, she kicked me through a stone wall for it," Steve said, laughing softly.

Even Bucky started laughing at him. He could just imagine Vika, shell-shocked that Steve had hit her, before kicking him through a wall for it, proving to him that she was still stronger. "I think that we made a mistake, asking her to train us," Bucky said, laughing softly.

Steve nodded at him. "I do, too." They both laughed, hoping that she would take it easy on them. "Don't worry, maybe if we all gang up on her she won't be able to take us," Steve offered.

Bucky shook his head at Steve. He'd seen the way that she'd taken down those five Hydra soldiers without hesitation. "Are you kidding? She'd kill us all without a problem," Bucky said.

They were silent for a moment before Steve nodded. "Yeah. I was just trying to be hopeful," Steve said.

"Can you imagine when the day comes that she starts teaching us to use weapons?" Bucky asked.

He wasn't sure that he wanted to see the day that Vika started giving them knives and guns. He knew that she'd still be able to beat them. "We could have all of the weapons in the world and she'd still be able to kill us," Steve said. Bucky nodded at him. They would never win a fight against her. "I don't think that Vic is the type of person that particularly likes losing fights."

A strange flash of hurt shot through Bucky. He could just imagine the man cutting off her hand for missing the target by mere inches. He could see her getting shot for losing the fights. She had been through so much in those seven years. It was no surprise that she had become a fighting machine. There was no shock that she didn't like losing fights. She had been trained to have such terrible things happen to her if she ever lost a fight. It had carried over into her even years after she'd left that place. Bucky could just wish that one day she would calm down and realize that something like that would never happen to her again. Not with Bucky around.

Glancing back up to Steve, Bucky shook his head. "Can you blame her?" he asked. Steve shook his head. "You saw what she went through in Stryker's lab. She was trained to never lose. And she knew what would happen to her if she did lose."

His voice had dropped off near the end of his comment. "Turned out that they made a mistake training her," Steve said softly.

Neither one of them liked talking about the things that had happened to Vika when she had been in Stryker's lab. She had been going through so much horror when they had been going about their lives. "You should have let her kill that guy," Bucky said darkly.

He didn't like killing anyone, but that man... After everything that he had done to her, he deserved to die. Steve sighed and laid a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "She's better than that. Trust me, Buck. I thought about just letting her do it. I really did. But when I saw the look in her eyes... When I saw how broken she was, just looking at him, I knew that she had to prove to herself that she was stronger. He has to live with everything that he did to her. He has to live without his wife and daughter," Steve said.

And Bucky understood that. She was strong enough to walk away and let him live. He had nothing to live for with his family gone, and that would be better than death. Because he couldn't leave his misery. But he knew just how much it had hurt her to walk away from him, letting him live, after everything that he had done to her. He knew that she would have been happy to do it. As much as he thought that she should have done it, he was glad that she hadn't. He was proud that she had the strength to walk away.

"Do you ever feel bad for her?" Bucky asked after a long silence.

Steve glanced up at him, surprised. "About?" he asked.

Bucky took a deep breath and looked at Steve. She had been through so much to protect them. "Everything that she went through? She stopped fighting back because they started threatening us," Bucky said sadly.

Steve almost immediately nodded. "Of course I feel bad. She went through all of that to keep us safe. I guess that it just shows everything that she's willing to do to protect us," Steve said softly.

"At least she can't be hurt," Bucky muttered.

"She can be. Just not physically."

His head shot up to meet Steve's eyes. The two of them got up from their seats as they headed to the dorms to get changed so that Vika could train them. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going somewhere?" Bucky asked, once he was sure that no one else could hear their conversation.

And he knew that this conversation was going somewhere. The look on Steve's face was the same one that he got whenever something was bothering him. "You know that I'm in the room next to Vic and Peggy?" Steve asked.

Bucky had known that. Steve was next to them and Bucky was another room down. "I know," Bucky said.

They popped into Steve's room and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to Bucky's. "Heard Vic slip back into the room this morning," Steve said. Bucky let out a breath. He'd been hoping to tell Steve in his own time. "I didn't hear much of the conversation, but I did hear Peggy say that Vic was coming back after not sleeping in her own bed."

Automatically Bucky knew that he had to tell Steve that it wasn't what he thought. He knew that Steve was fiercely protective of Vika, even when it came to Bucky. "She stayed with me. Nothing happened," Bucky said.

Steve nodded. "I believe you," Steve said, surprising Bucky. "I think their conversation would have been a lot louder if something had." Both men smiled. They were silent as they pulled their training clothes on. "When are you going to propose to her?"

Bucky's head snapped around to look at Steve. He knew that he was going to propose to her, but he wasn't sure when. And he didn't want her to laugh in his face. He only wanted to propose to someone once. "You're a punk," he barked at Steve, who laughed. "I don't know, Steve. Would she even say yes?"

Obviously that question had thrown Steve. He must have thought that she was going to say yes. "Trust me when I say that she would say yes," Steve said, making Bucky smile. "She doesn't love the idea of getting married and settling down. That's never going to be her. But I don't think that you want her any differently."

Now that Bucky knew what Vika was, he knew that he wouldn't want her any other way. "I love her just the way that she is. I wouldn't want her to change. I don't care what a life with her would be like. I just know that I want one with her," he said.

Steve smiled at Bucky, patting him on the shoulder. "You always have. I'm glad that you're going to get it."

"You should ask Agent Carter to go dancing," Bucky said after a beat.

He was getting his own happy ending. He wanted to see his best friend get his, too. He saw that way that Agent Carter looked at Steve. It was the same way that Vika looked at him. Steve shook his head. "I don't think she wants to see me right now. Or ever," he said.

"That's the way that women are. They get angry and need some time to get over it. I'm sure that Vika already talked to her about it. Agent Carter will calm down. Just talk to her. I can tell by the way that she looks at you. She likes you," Bucky pointed out.

Steve started to chuckle and Bucky raised a brow, wondering what it was that was so funny. "We've managed to get ourselves into it with these girls, haven't we?" Steve asked him.

They were both going to have quite the life with these girls, but neither one of them would ever want it any other way. "We never did have the most normal taste in women," Bucky said.

"We both thought that we wanted normal, but now that we've gotten to see different, I think we've fallen in love with different," Steve added.

There was something nice about different. "It's more interesting," Bucky said.

They both laughed as a short silence passed. Bucky knew that something was coming. And when Steve turned to look at him, Bucky knew that he was going to get the big brother speech. "You're my best friend, Buck. I know that you'd never hurt her." Bucky smiled and nodded. He would never do anything to hurt her. "But just because I feel like I have to do this... If something does happen and you hurt her, I'll come after you," Steve said.

Of course, there was still the fact that Vika would kill him before Steve could do anything. "Works a little better now that you're not a little punk. You're a larger punk," Bucky said, making Steve laugh. "I'm not going to hurt her. I love her more than anything. I'd rather die than hurt her."

"I know," Steve said. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was pushing seven. They had to meet her down in the ballroom soon. He laid a hand behind Bucky's shoulder and tugged him along. "We should get going. If we're late, we're going to die." Once more, Bucky laughed. If there was ever anyone to never piss off, it was Vika.

Victoria's P.O.V.

Slipping back into the uniform that Howard had designed, I took a few minutes to yank it into place. As much as I did like the new uniform, it was a little tough to get into. Peggy had been doing some paperwork but she'd stopped long enough to help me into the uniform. As she'd said before, she did like it. We chatted back and forth about what was going to happen tomorrow as we ate dinner. I could tell that Peggy wasn't thrilled that I was going to be touching the Tesseract, but she knew that I wasn't going to let up on doing it. We needed to know exactly what it was. Peggy had agreed that she would be there with me.

Tugging my boots back onto my feet, Peggy smiled at me, making a quick comment that she was sure that Barnes would like it. I didn't even bother to counteract what she had said. I knew that he liked it. I was absolutely positive that Howard had designed the suit with it in mind that Bucky would like the skin that was showing and the tightness. Howard had given me the four spare uniforms as he fixed the bullet holes in the fifth. Once I had everything together, I said a quick goodbye to Peggy and headed downstairs. The men had actually managed to be on time. They were all standing together and chatting away with each other.

"Gentlemen!" I called out. They all turned to face me. Bucky's eyes immediately traveled over me and I looked away, knowing that it was the wrong time to be thinking about that. "Glad to see that everyone's ready. Let's get right into it, shall we?"

"What do we do, boss lady?" Dum Dum asked.

Smiling at him, I motioned the men towards the middle of the ballroom. "Tonight I'll be showing you all some of my favorite takedowns. Moves that are meant to throw you onto your ass. So don't be embarrassed if you fall. When you fall," I corrected. The men began laughing, not realizing that I was telling the truth. "We'll go one at a time. Who goes first?"

They all exchanged looks with each other. "How about Steve?" Bucky offered.

I knew that he'd do something like that. Steve turned back to Bucky with a very affronted look. I shook my head. "No. I'm saving Steve," I said, earning a little groan from Steve. "How about you, Bucky?"

"Sure," he said slowly.

Motioning for Bucky to get down into a fighting stance, he did so. The others stood back slightly to allow us to use most of the floor. Steve was smirking. Ducking around Bucky, I moved towards his back and grabbed his shoulders. Shoving him downwards, I used his shoulders to throw myself around to his front, wrapping my thighs around his throat. He straightened up, attempting to remove me from himself, but it was too late. I swung around him twice before grabbing his back, yanking him downwards. Bucky fell onto his back as I rolled him forward, pinning he knees up against his chest.

He was attempting to get out of my grip, but it was useless as I moved forward and laid a knee on his throat. "You might want to tap out," I teased. He eventually gave up and tapped against my thigh. I bounced back up and gave Bucky my arm. "Very effective during a knife fight," I told the other men. I then turned back to Bucky. "Wanna do another one?"

He looked a little unsteady, but I knew that he wanted to impress me. So he nodded anyways. "Sure," he said.

Everyone was watching us, laughing at Bucky's misfortune. Once more, Bucky and I stood across from each other. He looked a little nervous as I grinned at him. He was facing me as I ran towards him. I jumped forward onto him and wrapped my thighs around his neck, sitting upright. The other men began howling with laughter. I leaned backwards, keeping my legs around his throat, as I ripped him off of his feet. He went flying over himself as I released his neck, landing back on my feet. Bucky was on his back, trying to suck air into his lungs.

As Bucky tried to get back to his feet, the other men were laughing very loudly. "You've gotta teach me that one," Dum Dum said, walking up to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

Smiling at him, I shook my head. "I'll teach you boys anything and everything that you want to know." They all nodded happily at the promise. "How about another?" I asked Bucky.

He had just managed to get back to his feet. "I'm going to... take a break," he said, stumbling away from the center of the room, Steve's arm around him to keep him upright.

"Good idea." I turned back to the other men and watched as they all took a step backwards. Gabe was the only one that hadn't, and I grinned as he sighed, knowing that he had missed his opportunity. "Gabe. Would you like to help?" I asked.

"Not really," he said, stepping forward anyways.

At least he had a good spirit about himself. I did appreciate that. And this was more just to show them what I could do. Chances were that they would never learn to do this. I'd teach them hand-to-hand and they'd learn to counteract these movements. I sprinted towards Gabe and ducked underneath his arm. As I turned back towards him, I used his shoulders to pull myself up onto them. I flipped underneath his arm, using his shoulder as a rest before turning back around and spinning to the other shoulder. One arm was holding his arm away from me as the other went around the back of his neck, caught around his throat. My thighs were wrapped around Gabe's waist, keeping him from pulling me off.

He stumbled back and forth as I increased my grip on his neck. Finally he couldn't handle it anymore as he tapped on my back. I released my arms and jumped off of him. Gabe dropped onto his hands and knees, sucking air back into his lungs. "Yanking upwards at the end would break an opponent's neck. Just for future reference," I explained.

It took him a few moments to get back to his feet. "Dum Dum... You do one," Gabe breathed out.

Dum Dum smiled at me and moved forward. He was the only one that had moved forward with a smile. That smile wouldn't be there that much longer. "I'm ready," he said.

Nodding at him, I watched as he moved into a fighting stance. He dug his heels back into the floor so that he wouldn't be thrown off balance. But he would. I ran towards him and Dum Dum raised up his arm so that he could stop me. But it didn't matter. I grabbed his arm and moved behind his back. I used his arm as leverage as I jumped upright and wrapped my legs around his other arm. It kept them both in place as I shoved backwards. Dum Dum began to fall as I released my legs and slipped in between them as he hit his back. I jumped forward, keeping his thighs on either side of my hips. I placed my foot down on his throat as my knee pressed down against his chest.

He tried to move away from me, but it was impossible. He finally tapped against my thigh and I nodded, hopping off of him. I offered him a hand back up. "You good?" I asked.

Dum Dum laughed and nodded at me. "Embarrassed that I just got my ass handed to me, but I'm good. I'll do another one," he said.

Smiling at him, I nodded. I was proud that he'd do another one. But he would only be able to do one more before he'd give up. Sprinting towards Dum Dum once more, I wrapped my arms over the back of his shoulder and used it as leverage. Pushing off of the ground, I flung myself backwards against Dum Dum's torso. My legs wrapped backwards around his hips as I rolled forward. Dum Dum was thrown forward through the roll as I rolled up on top of him and quickly turned over. My legs were once more pressed down over his chest.

There were stars in his eyes as I got off of him and smiled, offering him a hand up. "Alright... That one hurt," he moaned.

"Take a break." Dum Dum walked back into the line as the other men began laughing. "Bucky!" I called out. His head whipped towards me and he groaned. "Why don't you come help me again?"

He took a step forward as I smiled at him. "I don't like that look in your eyes," he said slowly.

As he very well shouldn't. I'd done it to Steve enough times that he already knew what I was doing. Steve was laughing before I even made the first move, earning strange looks from everyone else. Ducking underneath his arm, I turned backwards, facing his back. He turned back to stop me, but it was too late. I grabbed onto his shoulder and flipped myself underneath him. My legs went around his neck as I faced towards the ground, swinging around his body, disorienting him. I swung once before releasing one of my legs, using the remaining foot to hook behind his neck. I swung another half turn before releasing, ripping him off of his feet. Bucky went flying over himself as I dropped into a tuck and roll.

Mere seconds later, the men that had been standing and watching in shock began to laugh louder than they had before. Bucky was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "What the hell is that?" he asked me.

"A favorite of mine," I said brightly.

Steve moved forward and helped Bucky back to his feet. "I know how you feel. Trust me. I do," Steve said, rubbing at the back of his neck, probably remembering just what it felt like.

Turning towards Steve, I smiled. There were better ones that I had, but I really didn't want to accidentally hurt the men. I didn't want to go after them until they were a little better trained. But Steve, he could take the hits and tumbles. "Why don't you help me out for the rest of my demonstrations?" I asked him.

Steve groaned but moved forwards anyways. "How did I know that was going to happen?" he asked me.

But he had to have known that I was going to ask him to help me with most of the fighting. As Steve and I fought, I explained to the other men what we were doing and all of the ways to counteract them or at least move into them so that they didn't hurt as much. Moving after Steve, I grabbed the back of his shoulders and flipped underneath, resting on his shoulder for a moment before rolling around his torso and grabbing his other arm. I yanked him backwards as he hit the ground. We both went into rolls in the opposite directions and I smiled at Steve. He was learning. The other men were laughing and cheering for Steve.

We both got back to our feet and I glared at Steve. There was no way that I was letting him show me up. So I chose to go another route with a move that I knew that he couldn't get out of. I ran after Steve and grabbed behind his neck. He tried to get out of my grip as I ran the both of us towards the wall. The men stepped out of the way quickly as I got within feet of the wall. Still holding onto his neck, I ran three steps up the wall. I flung myself over the top of him, keeping a hold on his neck. He was thrown backwards onto the floor as I landed on my feet, facing him with my arms crossed over my chest.

The men were all laughing and clapping me on the back as Steve managed to stumble back to his feet. He walked with me back towards the center of the room. Without giving Steve a chance to get himself ready, I ran after him. I used his shoulder as leverage so that I could pull myself upwards. I jumped up onto his back and wrapped my legs around his throat, facing the ground. I swung around to the front of his body, keeping one leg behind his neck as the other released and hooked around the back of the knee, keeping him bent over. He stumbled back and forth, trying to peel me off, but eventually he had to tap against my thigh. I released the constricting grip and smiled at Steve.

He was weakly getting back to his feet. "Come on slow poke, hit me," I teased.

The men cheered me on as Steve and I stood opposite each other. We both knew that I was just kidding. He made a move to punch me but I grabbed his wrist before it could make contact. He had been trying to hit me as hard as he could. I could feel his muscles straining. He'd pay for that. I wrenched his arm off to the side, crunching the bones in his arm, before using my arm to carry me up and over in a one-handed cartwheel. My legs went up around his throat as I pulled him up and over himself, landing splayed out on his back. Shoving his arm down onto the ground, I kept my legs over his throat and torso so that he couldn't get back upright. He finally tapped my leg to get me to release him.

I was certain that Bucky's laugh was the loudest. As long as it wasn't them that I was hitting, the men enjoyed watching me fight. "You did that on purpose," Steve said, gently tugging his shirt back into place.

"Duh," I teased. "Gonna let a girl beat you?"

He moved backwards to try and attack me again, but I was still faster. I hooked one arm underneath his shoulder as the other shoved his head down so that he couldn't move without getting disoriented. I used his body as leverage as I swung myself around and underneath his arm. My legs went around his neck and I felt Steve grab my thigh to try and detach me, so I readjusted. I swung back underneath his arms and hit the ground, my arm still around his neck. I yanked forward and Steve went flying over himself sideways, landing splayed out on his back as I stood back upright. He shook his head clear and I smiled.

It was a moment later that he went into a jump upwards, landing on his feet. The men let out impressed noises as I folded my arms over my chest. "Not bad," I said.

He smiled at me. "I learned from the best," Steve said.

Giving him a small smile, I nodded. We stood next to each other for a minute before Steve whirled around to try and throw a surprise hit at me. But I'd seen his muscles tensing beforehand. I'd known that he was going to try and hit me. I backed away from him for a moment before jumping up and raising my knees to send a kangaroo-like kick, shoving both soles of my feet into his chest. He went flying backwards, unable to stop the attack, as I landed with my arms bent backwards over my shoulders. I easily kicked myself back upwards, never actually resting my entire body on the ground. Steve was recovering from the kick as I ran forward and jumped up onto his front, wrapping my legs around his throat and falling backwards, ripping him off of his feet. He went flying over himself as I landed on both feet, upright, smiling at him.

As per usual, the men were howling with laughter. Steve was getting back to his feet, stumbling around. "And you still have a lot to learn, my friend," I teased, much to the amusement of the others. "Up and at 'em, soldier. Come on."

The men were hooting and howling in the background, cheering me on. Steve and I faced each other once more as he threw punch after punch. Some were very close to hitting me, but I knew where he was going to hit before he did it. He sent an uppercut to my jaw that I caught in time to avoid the hit, but it did force me to stumble backwards. He was hitting harder now. He didn't want to lose. I threw a punch that he missed and watched as it hit him in the nose. He stumbled backwards as I ran after him. My legs wrapped around his neck as I faced him, pulling the both of us downward. I fell onto my back and rolled Steve over, compressing my grip around his throat.

His hands were grasping at my legs to get me off of him. I only tightened them further, watching as his face began to turn red from strain. He finally tapped against my leg and I let him up. He sucked air back into his lungs for a moment before hopping back up. Steve launched after me again and I blocked the punch, swinging my leg up and kicking Steve in the head. I dropped down and swept my leg out to his. He managed to jump back and avoid it. As I came back around, I used my hand to push my legs upwards, kicking him in the head again. He stumbled backwards as I straightened up again.

Running after Steve, I aimed a kick towards his ribs that he managed to block, before aiming another at his other side. He blocked that hit as well before swinging out towards me. I dropped down slightly, avoid the blow, before straightening up again. Taking a step backwards, I ran back up to him, aiming a hit directly into his stomach. He gasped and stepped backwards. Running towards him again, I sent a roundhouse kick to his jaw. Steve stumbled backwards as I turned and raised the other leg, hooking it over his shoulder. I jumped forward, sending the both of us into a sprawl. Steve got back to his feet as I rolled forward, dragging my fingertips across the ground.

We did an about-face to stare at each other for a moment. I ran after Steve once more and ducked between his legs, yanking one of them out. He stumbled slightly as I got back to my feet. He had lost sight of me for a moment, and that was all that I needed. I grabbed his shoulders from behind and flipped myself around, my back against his torso as my legs crossed behind his neck, keeping myself in place. I leaned upwards so that I was sitting in front of Steve. His hands were on my waist, attempting to disentangle me as I jammed my elbow down into Steve's nose. He grunted as he finally managed to grab my waist, throwing me off of him, I went tumbling backwards, dropping to all fours with my hand against the ground as I slid backwards, coming back to a stand.

Steve straightened up slightly and I realized that his nose was bleeding. I stepped backwards from him, not wanting to make things worse. The men were no longer laughing. They were watching in surprise. "Let's stop. I don't want to hurt you," I said softly.

He shook his head, wiping the blood away. "Getting tired? I thought that we were just starting," Steve told me. The men began to laugh once more, momentarily coming to pat Steve on the back.

"You might regret that," I told him.

We waited a moment for Steve to get some water before nodding at each other to go again. Steve came after me and threw a punch. I caught his arm and jammed my fist into his sternum. He coughed as I grabbed the edges of his neck and pulled myself up onto him. They went around his neck as I leaned backwards. My arms were free and I used them to grab his, keeping him from hitting me. Steve leaned downwards at my weight, trying to figure out a way to get me off. I could hear him thinking to drop on top of me, so I acted before he could.

Releasing my constricting grip around his throat, I dropped so that my shoulders were on the ground, disentangling my legs from his neck. One of my hands went up to grab the material of his shirt as I yanked him into me, placing my feet at his hips. I shoved my legs upwards against his hips, sending him flying over me, as I rolled with his body, keeping my thighs tight around his arms. I rolled upwards, keeping my hand gripping against his shirt, pulling his torso up with me and wrapping a hand around his throat. I let him drop almost immediately, not wanting to seriously hurt him. I hopped off of him and watched as he managed to pull himself back to his feet.

A few minutes passed before Steve was able to come after me again. He threw out a punch to my head as I grabbed his wrist, kicking out his knee. He stumbled slightly as I grabbed his shoulder and used it to jump upwards. One of my legs went behind his back as the other stayed in front of his arm that I was still holding. Placing that foot over his neck, I rolled backwards onto my back, throwing him over me. His arm was still in my grasp as my leg laid over his throat, keeping him from moving. We stayed for a moment before Steve nodded for me to let him up.

The two of us faced each other for a moment before Steve nodded, letting me know that he was ready again. I sprinted towards him, ducking out of the way of a punch. He aimed another one almost immediately at me and I grabbed his arm, hitting him across the jaw. I used his arm as leverage to jump upwards. Steve saw what I was doing and tried to wrap an arm under my thigh. Little did he know, that only helped me. I threw a leg over his shoulder and head, sitting over his shoulder, facing away from him. I grabbed his arm and twisted, flinging myself down and around so that I was parallel with the ground. Steve was thrown off of his feet as he was tossed sideways over himself. He was thrown off of me as I hit the ground, the momentum flinging me upwards into a stand.

It was pretty clear that Steve was very woozy as he got back to his feet. Deciding that it was time to end our fight, I ran after him, not letting him get his bearings back. I hopped up into his arms so that he was almost carrying me bridal style as I turned into him, wrapping one leg around the back of his neck and twisting to face the ground. I twisted back so that my torso was behind his back, forcing him to bend over. I released my legs from his neck and dropped back to the ground, jumping forward and shoving him to the ground, landing on his back.

Standing back up, I grabbed Steve's arm and brought him back to a stand. Other than looking very tired, he looked otherwise okay. "You alright, Steve?" I asked him.

Once more, the men were laughing. Steve wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Yeah. I'm good, Vic. I've spent a year and a half getting thrown around by you. I can handle another hour or so," he teased.

"We'll have to train you with that shield once you get it," I said.

It would definitely get harder to beat him once he had the shield. That would make it harder to actually hit him. The men walked up to me. "You're pretty damn good one-on-one. I imagine that no one can beat you," Jim told me. I smiled proudly and nodded. "But could you handle all of us?" He motioned to the seven of them and I smiled.

Seven against one wasn't typically very good odds. It still wasn't. For them. "You might wish that you hadn't asked," I said, smiling at them. "Let's fight, gentlemen."

No one looked particularly thrilled as they lined up against one end of the room, leaving me standing by myself at the other. "It's not proper to hit a woman. I really don't want to hurt you," Jacques said through his thick accent.

Smirking at him, I got down into a fighting position. "I wouldn't worry about that," I said brightly.

The men all followed me by getting down into their own fighting positions. I had a feeling that it wouldn't take much to bring them down. Jacques was the first person to run towards me and I smiled. He was running straight at me and I slid past him on my knees. He turned back to me as I jumped upright, sending an uppercut into his jaw. I noticed Jim running up to me as well, so I wrapped my arm around Jacques's neck, running him after me. I hit the wall and used it to run across. Jim was right behind us as I used the wall as leverage, kicking him across the jaw. Jacques was being yanked around by me as I ducked back to the ground, throwing him over myself.

With those two down on the ground, I noticed that James, Dum Dum, and Gabe all made a move to run towards me. Gabe was faster than the others. I smirked as he ran up to me. Two birds with one stone. Jim had just managed to get back to his feet and I turned back to him, shoving my foot into his knee. He hit the ground as I turned back to him and ran back towards him. I used his back as leverage as I sprang off of his back, jumping into the air towards Gabe. He stopped short but it was too late. I grabbed him around the shoulders, throwing him back towards the ground. We hit together and I rolled off of him, holding his arm as I flipped over myself, yanking him back upright with me. He was unsteady as I jammed my elbow into his ribs before turning back around and sending a roundhouse kick into his jaw.

That was all that it took for Gabe to drop to the ground. Jacques was stumbling back to his feet as Dum Dum and James advanced on me. They ran in a line, Dum Dum first, and I smiled. Grabbing Dum Dum's shoulder, I yanked myself up onto his shoulders. He grunted as I swung around on top of his shoulders, kicking James in the head in the meantime. He stumbled backwards as I stayed over Dum Dum's shoulder, reaching down and grabbing James under the shoulder. Giving them a rough tug, I ripped them both off of their feet so that they went flying over themselves, hitting the ground. I rolled backwards off of them and up into a stand.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacques advancing on me once more. Running towards him, I slid down onto my knees and swept out his legs. He toppled to the ground as I flew back over him, grabbing his arm as I did. He was yanked upwards with me and I turned so that my back was to his front. I jammed my elbow into his nose before turning back once more. I turned in a circle on one foot before swinging my leg backwards and hooking it over Jacques neck, slamming him down into the ground. And then there were two...

Turning back, I saw that Bucky and Steve were on opposite ends of the room, watching me. We all stared at each other for a moment before I made my move. I sprinted towards Steve, knowing that I had to take him down first. There was a table in the back corner of the room, near where Steve was standing, and I used it. I jumped up onto the table before leaping off of it. Steve and I caught onto each other as I threw to the ground, throwing Steve over me. We both got to our feet as Steve attempted to punch me. I caught his arm and shoved my elbow into his nose, pushing his arm upwards and sending another hit to his ribs. Behind me, Bucky was running up to me and I turned backwards, releasing Steve. As Bucky threw a punch towards me, I dropped onto my knees, sweeping his legs out from underneath him. I jumped back upwards and turned towards Steve.

He was kneeling down as I ran after him and used his knee for a step. I swung myself back over him and around, crushing his bicep in between my thighs as I leaned backwards and ripped him off of his feet. At the same time, Bucky had gotten back over to us. As I sent Steve to the ground and swung around, I reached back and grabbed Bucky's shoulders. Steve hit the ground as I threw Bucky off of me, back to the ground. I kept a hold of Bucky's arm as Steve got back to his feet. He came after me as I flipped over Bucky's body, sending my booted foot into Steve's head. He fell backwards as I straightened, pulling Bucky back to a stand with me. I turned backwards and punched him in the stomach before reaching down and yanking out his knee, sending him down to the ground. I rolled off of him into a somersault. He tried to lean back upwards but another hit to the chest sent him back down. I dove forward over him, rolling up back to my feet.

Steve had managed to get back to his feet as he ran after me. I turned backwards as he threw a punch, placing my back against his front. One of my hands wound around the back of his neck as I jumped up, threw my legs out, and sent them back to the floor. I turned halfway through the fall to send Steve toppling over himself to the ground, and myself into a squat. Pushing myself back to a full stand, I looked over at the men. Each one of the seven of them were laying on their backs, groaning as they attempted to get back to their feet. I had warned them that they would wish that they hadn't asked.

"Should we try that again?" I offered.

"No!" they all shouted.

"How can you keep going?" Bucky asked, breathing heavily.

Shrugging my shoulders, I moved after the men to help them back to their feet. "Metabolism that burns ten times faster than the average human. Plus this is a good way for me to see the way that you all fight. And it's a good way to see just how untrained you are. You might be Army men, but you've had no formal combat training," I said.

Jim was rubbing his back. "Holy shit," he groaned.

"Ça fait mal," Jacques sighed. I imagined that it probably did hurt.

Steve was rubbing his neck. "I think that you hit harder every time that we fight," he told me.

I smiled at him, patting him on the back. Bucky was walking with somewhat of a limp. Other than Steve, he seemed to have recovered the fastest. "Well I did say that I wanted a woman that could handle herself," he said.

"How about one that could kill you without breaking a sweat?" Dum Dum asked.

Out of our little group of eight, I was the only one that wasn't sweating. "Well, Victoria, you really are quite the skilled fighter," James said.

"Thank you."

"Got any suggestions for pain?" Gabe asked.

"Ice. Lots of ice," I said. "And a cold bourbon might help."

They all laughed softly. "Woman after my own heart," Dum Dum said.

At least they weren't freaked out by the fight. "In time I'm going to teach you all how to fight with everything. Hand to hand. Without these kind of moves. Knife fights. Gun fights. Fists and legs. This is just the beginning. But it helps to know how I fight. You'll be back tomorrow night. Get some rest," I said. They groaned but nodded anyways. Each man departed from me until only Steve and Bucky remained. "I'll meet you two out here in the morning so that we can head to the base to take care of the Tesseract. Get to bed, boys."

Steve was the first one to leave. "Goodnight, Vic," he said, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

I'd been half expecting him to try and attack me, but I assumed that he was tired. "Goodnight, Steve." As he walked off, I turned back to Bucky. "Let me take a quick shower and get changed and I'll meet you in your room," I said.

"Okay. Don't worry about knocking. Just come in," Bucky said.

The two of us smiled at each other as I headed back into my room. I tried to be quiet as I walked into the room but it turned out that I didn't need to be quiet. Peggy was still awake. She was reading as I walked into the room and gathered my pajamas. She looked very tired. I assumed that she had been getting ready to go to bed.

"How'd they do?" she asked me.

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head at her. "Horribly. But I have faith that they'll get better. It was the first day. It's going to take them a while to get into the swing of things," I said.

Peggy smiled at my wording and nodded, placing her book on the side table. "That's true. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She settled into the bed before speaking again. "You staying here tonight?" she asked.

"Goodnight, Peggy," I snapped, ending the conversation.

Her laugh echoed throughout the room. "Goodnight, Victoria."

Shutting off the light, I walked into the bathroom and quickly rinsed myself off. The boys were right. I hadn't sweat at all. I wasn't even sure if I could sweat. Once I walked out of the shower, I burst into flames for a moment, drying myself off. Grabbing my new clothes, I got changed into my pajama pants. It was too hot to wear the long sleeved button down, so I settled on a black t-shirt. I gathered my hair back into a ponytail before padding out of the bathroom and into the hallway, forgoing the robe. I slipped into Bucky's room quietly and smiled at him. He was awake on the bed. His hair was wet from his own shower.

"Hey, stranger," I greeted.

He slid over to make room for me. Bucky was stretching his neck back and forth. It was a good idea. "You know, I actually don't feel half-bad after everything," he told me.

Shaking my head at him, I prepared to gently let him down. "That's probably considering when I fought you boys, I would help you up and over into the moves. It keeps a lot of the strain off of your bodies and keeps me from accidentally breaking your neck or spine," I told him, seeing the surprised look in his eyes.

Finally he managed to laugh. "I definitely appreciate that. You're one hell of a fighter," he told me.

Smiling at him, I nodded. Stryker had ensured that I was the best fighter that there was. "Thank you. Don't take offense when I tell you that I really do enjoy beating you up," I teased.

Bucky laughed and laid a hand over mine. "You can beat me up for the rest of my life," he told me. I smiled at him and pressed a small kiss against his cheek. We sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Are you sure that you know what you're doing with the blue thing?"

"The Tesseract?" I asked. He nodded at me. "Yes. I know what I'm doing. I have to see what Schmidt is planning. I have to see what that thing is. Don't worry about me."

"I'm always going to worry about you. You tend to act before you think," Bucky said.

That wasn't true. I just managed to think even faster than I acted, and that was extremely fast. "Trust me, I don't," I told him.

Bucky sighed and shook his head. "Just be careful. Please," he said softly.

"Always."

But I was never really careful. I didn't need to be careful. But if it made him feel better, I would tell him that I was careful. "How's Agent Carter after everything?" Bucky asked me after a few minutes.

Glancing over at him, I remembered that he hadn't seen what she'd done earlier. "That's right, you missed it earlier. Steve is getting a new shield. It's made out of Vibranium. Strongest metal on Earth, only comparable with Adamantium. He's obviously excited to have it. He showed it to Peggy, asking if she liked it. She responded with four bullets straight to the shield," I told him.

Bucky starred at me for a moment before nodding. "At least they weren't to him," he finally said.

Laughing softly, I nodded at him. "That's what I was thinking. She'll get over it. She just needs time," I pointed out.

We were silent for a little while before Bucky finally looked over at me. I could tell that something was on his mind. "Think that you could have been a little harsher to Lorraine?" he asked me.

"Are you defending her?" I snapped.

His face drained of color. "No," he said quickly. "But I thought that you were going to kill her."

Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned back against the wall. "I thought about it. Come on, Bucky. The way that she speaks to all of the men on the base. The way that she flirts with all of them, just to move onto the next. She just likes Steve because he's Captain America," I told him irritably, hoping that he could see why I had done it.

"You're right. But I think you've officially scared her out of talking to anyone else ever again," Bucky said.

"Good."

The comment that would have normally bothered a man only made Bucky laugh. "That charming attitude is just part of the reason that I love you," he told me, wrapping an arm over my shoulders.

"You'd be so bored if you were with a normal woman."

"Exactly." Bucky gently rolled the two of us back into the bed and I laughed as he leaned over me. "I like having a woman that knows what she wants in life. I like having a woman that can beat me up without thinking about it. I like having a woman smarter than anyone else that I know. And I like having a woman that's willing to do anything to get what she wants," he told me.

"How about a woman that can light herself on fire?" I added.

His hand went up to my hair to twirl it around his fingers. "Just makes her hot." We both laughed as his head went into my shoulder. He leaned back up after a moment and looked at me. "Are you - Uh - Are - Are you going to... You know?" he asked awkwardly.

My eyebrows rose and I smiled at him. "Good thing that I can read your mind," I teased. He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Only if you want."

"Did you have any nightmares last night?" I asked.

I didn't think that he had, but I wasn't sure. Bucky shook his head at me. "No. First time since I've been back from the Hydra facility," he told me. My stomach curled at the thought of him having to deal with those dreams.

Dropping my voice to a whisper, I said, "I'll stay."

That seemed to please him, just as I'd been expecting. We moved into the same spots that we had been in last night as we both settled into the bed. I was pressed against the wall as Bucky slept on the outside. His arm went around my waist as he tugged me into him. I laid a hand on his chest as he leaned forward and pressed a long kiss against my mouth. I pressed my hand against cheek, keeping his mouth against mine. We stayed together for a long time as my legs wound their way in between his, keeping us tangled together. His hands went into my hair as he traced a kiss along my jaw. I leaned forward and kissed him once more before grabbing the blankets and throwing them over us.

"You're such a blanket hog," Bucky groaned. Grabbing them and bunching them around my hands, I easily ripped them all off of Bucky, who jumped in surprise. "Vika! Vika, come on, give them back!"

"I don't think so. I'm a blanket hog," I said.

We both laughed as Bucky flung himself onto me. I groaned at the sudden weight and shoved him back off of me. We rolled together as Bucky fell back onto the bed, bringing me with him. Our lips met in another kiss as he took the blankets back, spreading them over us. We stayed locked together in the kiss for a few minutes before finally backing away. I made a move to shift slightly, but Bucky's arms were tight around my waist. So I settled for falling asleep on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, strong and steady.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Most mornings I had come to hating having to peel myself from the bed after a fitful night's sleep. It wasn't uncommon for me to have nightmares about the things that were happening all around the world. But it hadn't happened last night. I'd had one of the best night's sleep that I'd had in a long time. Yawning softly, I rolled slightly onto my side and pried my eyes open. It surprised me slightly to see another pair staring back at mine. Bucky was already awake. He was looking down at me and smiling. One of his hands was tracing over my arms - leaving goosebumps in its path - as the other stroked gently at the bare skin of my hip.

My muscles were tense at the feeling of his hands running over the skin. Bucky brushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen in my face. "Good morning," he whispered.

Like yesterday morning, his voice was muddled with sleep. "Good morning," I replied softly.

Turning into Bucky, I pressed my torso into his side. He removed his hand from my arm to pull me into him. Our bodies crushed together as he ran a hand over my cheek, pushing the hair away. Laughing softly, I leaned upwards slightly so that I could press a kiss against his mouth. He placed a hand behind my neck, keeping the two of us together. His fingers splayed over the back of my neck, making goosebumps rise over my arms. His free hand wound underneath the blankets to continue stroking at the bare skin on my hip. We broke the kiss long enough for me to press a small kiss against the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Almost immediately I felt the muscles in his body tense. His hand tightened on my hip for a moment before continuing to move over the skin. "You might want to stop doing that," I warned softly.

Bucky raised a brow. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Because if you keep doing that, I'm never going to get out of this bed," I said.

Bucky smiled at me. "I wouldn't mind that," he told me.

Blushing softly, I shook my head and turned away from him, laying back against the mattress. I wouldn't mind staying here forever. "I think that your bed is softer than mine. That's not fair," I said, not wanting to admit that I would love to stay here forever.

Closing my eyes, I felt the bed shift. A moment later I popped my eye open and spotted Bucky leaning over me. One of his legs was in between mine and I gently ran my thigh over his own. I noticed the corner of his eyes twitch at the movement. "I knew that there was a reason that you were staying here. It's because you like my bed," he teased.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "You're right. You've discovered my secret. That's the only reason that I stay here," I joked.

"Well if that means that you stay, that's okay," Bucky said.

Grinning softly at him, I used his legs as leverage as I rolled over myself, taking him with me. Bucky laughed as we rolled over so that he was pinned back against the bed with me laying over him. My hair was gently falling over his face as he pushed it back behind my ear. I ran my nails down his chest - feeling his muscles tense - as I slid my hand underneath the t-shirt that he was wearing. My hand slid up his stomach and rested against the muscles. Glancing up at Bucky, I saw that he was smiling at me. He was very obviously trying to restrain himself from doing something very inappropriate. Of course, I would have started it by placing my hand on his stomach, without a shirt between us.

It took Bucky a moment to slide his own hand underneath the shirt, pushing it up over his chest, as his hand wrapped around my own, pushing it down against his bare stomach. "How about we just stay here today and ignore work?" he offered.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. That was really the only thing that I wanted. "That would probably be a lot more fun. And I'd much rather do that. But I have a feeling that everyone else might take issue with that," I said.

And it was the truth. We had work to be doing. "The last person that I need angry with me is Colonel Phillips," Bucky said.

"He'd shoot you."

Bucky scoffed at me and motioned to the two of us. "All we're doing is sleeping in the same bed," he argued with me.

Shaking my head at him, I rolled my eyes. Chester knew exactly what it was that would happen if we spent enough nights together. "He was a young man once, too. He knows what you want," I pointed out.

Bucky's eyes widened at my comment. "I sometimes forget how blunt you can be," he said through a laugh.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I turned slightly and threw one of my legs over his own. "I can be more like a machine than a human. I don't like skirting around things. I'd much rather just get them out in the open. And that does mean that sometimes I forget to hold my tongue," I told him carelessly.

If I had thought that he might be offended with what I'd said, I would have been wrong. He merely laughed. Bucky shook his head and turned over my hand, stroking over my fingers. "I'm still a proper man. I know how to do things. Ring first," he said.

His finger gently trailed off my ring finger. I blushed and gently turned my hand back over, placing it onto his stomach once more. "Planning ahead, are we?" I teased.

"Go on and laugh it up," Bucky said.

A little hint of hurt seeped off of him. I leaned up on the bed, placing my arm on the other side of the bed so that I was hovering over him. "I'm not laughing. I'm not," I said, placing a hand on his cheek. "This is something that I never thought that I would get."

He shook his head sadly and placed a kiss on the inside of my wrist. "Well you have it. And I'm not leaving," he said sharply.

And I believed him. I knew that he would never leave me. Not even after knowing everything about me. Bucky released my hand and grabbed my shoulders. I allowed him to roll us back to the other side of the bed as he placed himself over me. His lips caught my own in a kiss and I smiled into it. I really did love being with him. The moments like this were the ones that meant the world to me. As he laid himself over me I ran my hand back underneath his shirt, pressing against the muscles. I found myself unable to contain my laughter. He pulled back from me, leaning above my body.

His eyebrows knitted together. "Well I didn't think that I was that bad of a kisser," he said, smiling at me.

Not that I had much to compare him to, but I was sure that he wasn't a bad kisser. I certainly liked kissing him. "You're not." He smiled proudly at my statement. "But your muscles are so small," I said through a laugh.

An affronted look fell over his face as he sat upright on his knees, pulling the blankets from me. "That was uncalled for," he said, whopping me in the head with a pillow. I only laughed even harder. "Alright, fine, let's see yours!" My laughter increased as he slid a hand up underneath my shirt, pressing against my stomach. His face fell. "My God, do you have an ounce of fat on you? Your stomach feels like stone."

Actually I did have some fat on me. It was impossible to have no fat on someone. "Three percent body fat," I told him, making Bucky roll his eyes. Reaching up to Bucky's shirt, I yanked him back down to me, placing a small kiss against his mouth. "Keep training with me, I'll get you there."

"I might just get to be a little stronger than you," he teased.

I scoffed at the thought. "You will never be stronger than me."

Bucky merely shook his head and came back to lay himself gently over me. His hand hadn't removed itself from my stomach. "I don't want to ever be stronger than you. I like us just the way that we are," he told me softly.

We might have been a little strange, but I wouldn't have liked to be any other way. "I love you," I said.

Bucky pressed a small kiss against my lips. "I love you too."

His arms were underneath my shoulders as he rolled us over gently. We were laying on our sides as Bucky grabbed the back of my neck, gently pulling the two of us together. I smiled softly and placed a hand against the side of his neck. It wasn't long before one of his hands wound from my stomach to wrap around my waist and land on my back. His hand was underneath the shirt, pressing into the shallow of my back where the spine curved. I smiled as he ran his fingers over my spine, making my breath hitch slightly in my throat. A grin spread across his lips, obviously feeling victorious that he had managed to catch me off guard. It didn't take me long to get him back.

My leg slid gently in between his and I felt his entire body tense. He was always surprised when I managed to act a little forward. But I had never exactly been one to act properly. It wasn't really in my nature. He rolled us gently once more, placing himself over me. My hands wound up his back, underneath the shirt, letting my nails drag back down his skin. I felt his muscles tense and his breathing pick up the pace as his hands tightened against the skin on my back, his fingertips digging in slightly.

His spare hand bunched up the material of my shirt as he finally broke the heated kiss. As he backed away from me I noticed that his eyes were dilated, the pupils blown wide. His breathing was heavy, a thin veil of sweat on his back - all physiological responses to lust. He swallowed a lump in his throat, placing his forehead against my shoulder. I smiled softly at him as he leaned back up to look at me. His face was slightly red and I knew why. He knew that I was smart enough to recognize what was happening to him. The same thing was happening to me, but it was a little less obvious. My hands still rested as his waist.

Very gently, he took my hands and pushed them away from himself. "You might want to stop," he said softly, through a laugh.

"You're not the only one," I said, wanting him to feel not so embarrassed.

His eyes finally turned back to me and he smiled. They widened almost a moment later. "Are your eyes red?" he asked me. They probably were. "You're not angry with me, are you?"

Shaking my head at him, I blinked a few times, trying to get the red tinge out of my eyes. They must have been a darker red than they normally were. "Not angry," I muttered awkwardly.

Bucky laughed softly as he flopped back onto the bed, making it jump slightly. "Well..." he muttered, brushing the slightly sweaty hair off of his forehead. His head turned back towards me. "I'm honored."

"Shut up," I said, shoving him to the side.

We both laughed softly at the other. At least we knew that we both wanted to be together. In every way. "Can you manage to restrain yourself for a few months?" Bucky teased.

Laughing softly, I leaned over and smacked him on the arm. He laughed at me as he rolled onto his back once more. "Can you?" I retaliated.

"I'm trying very hard."

Staring at him for a moment, I shook my head. "No you're not." He smiled guiltily. It was moments like these that I could understand why women married so young. They didn't want to wait. And the war put a damper on things. "What time is it?" I asked after a moment.

Bucky glanced over at the alarm clock. "Just past six," he said.

Letting out a deep breath, I nodded at him. It was time for me to leave, before someone spotted me leaving. "I should head back to my room and get ready," I told him.

"I'll meet you out there."

"Okay."

Leaning over to each other, we shared a quick kiss. It was the wrong time to spend more time together. Maybe later. So the two of us crawled from the bed so that I could leave. He walked over to his dresser as I headed to the door. I had to get ready so that we could get to the base. I was just about to slip out of the room when I glanced back. My cheeks heated slightly when I realized that he had pulled the shirt over his shoulders. To be fair to him, he really did have a fair amount of muscles.

"You wanna stare a little longer?" Bucky asked me, surprising my slightly. I hadn't thought that he'd seen me watching him.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned up against the wall. "You wanna see which one of us has stronger muscles?" I asked.

He shook his head at me and motioned to his own torso. I had to fight to keep my gaze even. "You can see mine," he teased. That was the truth. There were a few lines of definition in my stomach, but it was nothing compared to his.

But that didn't mean anything. Naturally I would have smaller muscles. But I was still stronger. "I can kill you," I shot back.

Bucky smiled and walked up to me, backing me into the wall. I noticed that he didn't bother putting a shirt on again. His arms went onto either side of my head so that he could lean into me. "But you won't," he said.

Smiling softly at him, I shook my head. "No. I won't," I said quietly.

Taking a step towards him daringly, I let my hand gently trace over his arm. He was looking down at me with a smile as my hand went over his wrist. I tightened my grip before ripping it off of the wall and pulling downwards. Bucky was doubled over as I rolled over his back and straightened up, keeping a hold of his arm. It was twisted behind his back as I pushed him into the wall, standing pressed against his back.

"But I will show you just how weak you are," I added.

Bucky was groaning as I let go of his arm, allowing him to turn back to me. "You're a jerk," he muttered.

"But I'm your jerk." We shared a quick kiss as he stepped away from me, allowing me to leave the room. "I'll see you later," I called after him.

"Meet you in the lobby."

He closed the door softly so that it didn't alert anyone that someone was leaving his room that early in the morning. I slipped into my room quickly and closed the door softly behind me. The bathroom door was closed so I assumed that Peggy was getting ready for the day. I quickly slipped into the uniform that Howard had designed. It wasn't the most traditional thing to wear on an Army base, but I wanted to wear it as I didn't know what to expect while I was interacting with the Tesseract. No one had really touched it before so we had no idea what might happen. As I placed my boots on my feet, I saw Peggy walk out of the bathroom.

She was fixing her hair and I smiled at her. "How was your night?" she asked teasingly.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I sighed softly. "Good morning, Peggy."

She ignored me and took a seat on the edge of my bed. Her hands immediately went to fixing the hair that was lying flat down my back. "Where'd you get off to last night?" she asked me.

"Take a wild guess."

Peggy chuckled under her breath. "It's sweet. I'm happy for you both," she said.

Taking in a deep breath, I figured that Peggy was the best person to talk to about the relationship. She was another woman. She understood where I was coming from. "We got to talking about... you know," I muttered stupidly. Her grin widened. I knew that she'd been waiting for me to bring this up. "I was teasing him about it and he mentioned that he was still a proper man. He knows how to do things right. He said that he knew that he had to get a ring first."

Her smile only widened. Every time that I mentioned a ring her eyes brightened. "I think that everyone is getting sick of waiting for him to get you a ring," she told me.

She was right about that. Everyone wanted us to get married, save Chester. But I shook my head at her. "We haven't even been together that long. Not really. And most of the relationship was spent apart," I muttered under my breath.

Peggy let her hands drop from my hair as she turned towards me. "Things are different with the two of you. You've known each other for most of your lives. Everyone knows that you're in love. You let out the secret of your mutation to try and save his life. You committed an act of blatant insubordination to get him back. Sometimes time doesn't mean anything. I'd think that you of all people would know that. Sometimes you just have to forget about time. The two of you belong together. Who cares how long its been?" she told me.

My lips turned up in a sad smile. She was right about that. At my age, most women were already married anyways. And most people were engaged within mere months of going steady. Maybe we hadn't been together that long, but it wasn't exactly uncommon. "Never thought that there was a chance that I could get married," I said softly.

"That's how I felt when I was first engaged. But deep down I knew that something was wrong. I was terrified of being married to him. I felt like my freedom was slowly slipping away," she told me. I sighed sadly at her. She had been trapped in her engagement. I was glad that she had broken it off. "How do you feel, thinking that you might marry Barnes?"

"Scared," I answered almost immediately. "This isn't something that I ever thought that I would have. But I know that I want this to happen. I know that I want to be with him."

Peggy smiled at me. "Then you're with the right man," she said.

Despite being scared of the future, I knew that Peggy was right. I was with the right man. I knew that. "I wouldn't even know how to plan a wedding," I said awkwardly.

So many girls planned out their weddings for their entire life. But not me. I had never thought about what it might be like. "Howard and I will help you. You know that I'd have to go with you to get a dress," she told me.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because I know you, and I know that you won't get a dress unless I force you to go out there and get one," she snapped.

She was right about that. I wouldn't go wedding dress shopping unless someone forced me. "In case it's escaped your notice, I don't tend to wear dresses," I told her.

Her eyes narrowed at me. "Trust me, it has not escaped my notice. But this is one time in your life that you're going to get to wear a dress like this," she said brightly.

Rolling my eyes at her, I leaned back against the wall. "Honestly, Peggy, five hundred dollars for a dress that someone will only wear once," I said.

"But you'll remember that day for the rest of your life," she argued.

"Remind me to constantly keep you at my side when the time comes that I do get married," I said teasingly.

"Trust me when I say that you're not allowed to plan your own wedding. Howard and I will be the ones to plan it."

Narrowing my eyes at her, I scoffed. "Such faith."

Of course she probably didn't have any faith in letting me plan something like a wedding. "In allowing you to plan an important event that you'll remember forever? No. I have no faith in you." The two of us smiled at each other as she hopped up from the bed, pulling me with her. "Come on, we've stalled long enough. Time to get to work," she said.

The two of us threw back our heads in irritation. Neither one of us really wanted to go to work today. I would have much rather laid in bed all day. Lacing up my boots the rest of the way, I stood back upright and nodded at Peggy. Chester would be furious if we were any later than we already were. The two of us headed into the hall and made our way out into the lobby. Steve and Bucky were already there. I realized almost immediately that they weren't alone. The other five men were there too. They all looked quite tired. I could see a few bruises on them. Laughing softly, I walked up to stand with their small group.

"Good morning, gentlemen," I called.

They all straightened up but looked no more awake. "Morning," they greeted.

Their voices were soft and groaning. "You all sound absolutely thrilled," I teased.

"Tired," Dum Dum said.

"And in pain," Gabe added.

"Lots of pain," Jim added.

"Beaucoup," Jacques agreed.

Smiling softly at them, I placed my hand on their arms. I did feel bad about everything. "Sorry about that, gentlemen. I didn't really take it easy on you last night. But it gets worse. Teaching you like this is more effective. Now you know just what you're up against, you'll train even harder," I told them, defending my actions.

It appeared that no one really minded the way that I had been teaching them. Dum Dum smiled and hooked an arm over my shoulders. He was one of the few that I would allow to do it. "'Course not. Can't let you show us up the entire time," he teased me.

Laughing at him, I gently nudged him in the ribs. He cringed and I realized that he was probably bruised up. "Good luck ever trying to show me up," I told the men.

"We all know that we could never do that," James said.

"What do you recommend for pain?" Gabe asked.

That would depend on where the pain was. They could even take some medicine if the pain wasn't that bad. "Where?" I asked.

"Everywhere," Gabe said.

Smiling brightly at the men, they all began to laugh. Even though it was a joke, I could tell that Gabe had meant it. "Not the most pleasant thing in the entire world, but something that really helps is getting into a bath of ice. Fill the tub up with a little bit of water and then dump in a bag of ice," I told them.

Bucky grimaced at the thought of taking a bath in ice. "That sounds terrible," he said.

"Doesn't feel great, but it will help," I told them.

I'd done a few ice baths before. I knew just how terrible they felt. It wasn't really painful. It was more just extremely uncomfortable. "I'll take that into consideration," Gabe said.

"Are you gentlemen going to be ready to fight me again tonight?" I asked them.

They all exchanged a look before Dum Dum looked back at me with a little smile on his face. "Come on, Victoria. Think that you're scaring us off that easily?" he teased me.

Laughing softly, I shook my head at them. "Then I'll see you all here at seven. Have a good day, gentlemen," I said, waving them off. "Steve, Bucky, come on. Time to work for a living. See you tonight!"

The men all waved us off as we headed back towards the base. I wasn't sure what they would be doing. I knew that they spent a lot of their time preparing for the attacks and going through the plans and maps. Steve, Peggy, and Bucky walked with me back towards the base. We were silent through the entire walk. I knew that we were all so silent because of the tense air of the Tesseract. No one wanted me to touch that thing. I didn't really even want to touch it. It made me a little nervous to touch something that powerful without anyone to help me if things went wrong, but I knew that I had to do this.

We made our way into the base as we were motioned back to one of Howard's labs in the back. We nodded and headed into the small room. Chester and Howard were already there, waiting for me. There were a few monitors and even a chair set up against the back wall. I knew that no one would be looking over me than Howard. We wanted to keep this a secret. No one wanted the truth of the power of the Tesseract to get out into the public news. That could be dangerous for everyone.

Chester looked at me as we walked into the room, closing the door and locking it behind us. "You're positive about this?" Chester asked me.

My heart was beating a little faster than normal. I was nervous about this. "Yes. Let's do this before I can talk myself out of it," I said.

"Please talk yourself out of it," Bucky said.

Turning back towards him, I smiled and placed a hand against the side of his face. Everything would be fine, I was just a little nervous. "I'll be okay, I promise," I told him.

He nodded but was cut off from saying anything else when Howard walked towards me, motioning me with him. I nodded and walked over towards the chair. "I've managed to pull it out of the container that it was in. I'll be standing by in the event that you can't keep a hold of it," he told me.

"Okay."

Howard brought us so that we were standing in front of the chair. "We're going to hook you up so that we can monitor your vitals. If I get any indication that you're physically suffering from holding it, I'll take it back," he said.

But how was he going to be able to touch it? "How can you touch it?" I asked him.

He was pulling on a pair of thick black gloves. "Leather gloves. I can't hold it for more than a few seconds without it burning through them, but it's long enough to transfer the Tesseract between us," he said, motioning for me to take a seat. "Sorry about the straps. It's a precaution."

I waved him off. "It's fine."

We were standing together as I took a seat in the metal chair. Howard was slowly getting me ready for everything. He placed two straps that went over my ankles and two more that kept my hands and arms in place against the armrests. He didn't use the strap that could have gone over my waist. A moment later he placed two electrodes on my chest that would monitor my vitals. A blood pressure cuff went over my bicep as he placed a finger pulse oximeter over my index finger. I leaned back into the chair as Howard walked away and brought over the piece of the Tesseract. It was encased in a metal suitcase.

Howard didn't immediately hand it over to me. "Last chance to back out of this," he said.

I shook my head at him. "No. Just make sure that this thing doesn't kill me," I said softly.

"Of course not. I've got a wedding to plan."

He hadn't said it quietly enough. I noticed that on the other end of the room, the corners of Bucky's lips turned upwards. "Shut up," I muttered, blushing softly.

Chester walked over to me as Howard took a step backwards. "Is there anything that we can do for you while you're in there?" he asked me.

I shook my head at him. There wasn't anything that anyone could do other than wait for me to come back. "Just ensure that no one touches me without that glove. If someone touches me when I'm holding it, the power will be transferred to them. It's like an electrical shock. And watch those vitals," I added.

Chester nodded at me. "We can do that. Be careful in there, alright?" he asked me.

"I will."

Steve stepped forward as Chester backed off. "We'll keep an eye on you," he promised.

There were already enough people that were keeping an eye on me. I'd be fine. "Don't worry about me. I have to beat you boys up again tonight," I said, earning a laugh from him. "I don't know how long I'll be in there."

"Is there a time that we should take you out?" he asked me.

I didn't want to risk them taking me out in the middle of something so I shook my head. "No. Not unless it's getting to be nighttime and I still don't look close to coming out," I told him.

Steve nodded. "Alright," he said. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead.

The moment that Peggy walked up to me, Steve nodded at her and stepped away from me. She grabbed my bound hand. "Don't worry about finding anything out. If you find yourself in danger, get out of there, alright? We won't be disappointed in you," she told me.

Nodding at her, I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, Pegs. I'll be fine," I said.

"You're out of your right mind."

Grinning at her, I shook my head. "To be fair, I don't think that I was ever in my right mind."

It wasn't just the two of us that laughed, everyone that was in the room laughed. "We'll be right here, watching over you. If we see anything strange happening, we'll get you out," she promised me.

"Thank you."

Finally it was Bucky's turn to say something to me. They gave each other a polite nod as Peggy stepped back towards the others, letting Bucky lean down in front of me. He looked immensely bothered by the fact that I was strapped into the chair. "Still one last chance to get out of this. I won't make fun of you," Bucky told me.

Not that I blamed him for being concerned. I would have been concerned if it was him doing the same thing. "I've gotta do this, Bucky. And no one else can do it. I'm the only person here that can touch it. Hell, I might be the only person in the world that can touch it," I said, hoping that wasn't the truth.

I wasn't sure how much I liked the idea of being powerful. Things were getting a little too strange a little too fast. "You make me want to tear my hair out," Bucky laughed.

"Don't. I love your hair," I said.

"Then stop doing things like this."

The two of us smiled at each other as he leaned up and placed a kiss against my mouth. I noticed that the others were looking away respectfully. They wanted to give us as much privacy as they possibly could. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'm going to be okay. I promise you that," I told him honestly.

We stared at each other for a moment. "One of these days you'll stop risking your life, right?" Bucky asked me.

"Considering that I can't really risk my life..."

"Fine. Risk giving me a heart attack," he conceded.

Laughing softly at him, I nodded. "There's a few things that we need to do before giving you a heart attack," I told him sweetly. He smiled at me and leaned up to press another kiss against my forehead.

Bucky stood upright and smiled down at me. "We'll keep an eye on you, okay?" he offered.

"Thanks for that. See you all on the other side," I said.

Everyone was standing back slightly. I was sure that as much as they wanted to see what was going to happen, they didn't want anything to happen to themselves with the Tesseract. Howard brought me the silver box and opened it. There was only a tiny piece of the Tesseract. It was barely the size of a grain of rice. Howard picked it out of the box and handed it out to me. I could already see that it was smoking through the glove. I sucked in a breath and gave Howard a reassuring nod before reaching out and grabbing it from him. A harsh jolt went through my body - that felt almost like pain - before the world went black.

Bucky's P.O.V.

Along with everyone else, Bucky watched as Vika reached out to the Tesseract. His heart was thumping in his chest as she took it out of Stark's hand and wrapped her own fingers around it. He watched in horror as her body gave a large jolt. She jumped back into the chair as her head snapped upwards. Her eyes sprang open. They were unfocused, staring up at the ceiling. Bucky took a step forward, suppressing the urge to touch her. Her eyes were no longer yellow. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, taking up the entire visible portion. Silver dots were spread around, almost like she was gazing up at a starry night.

"Stark! Is she alright?" Colonel Phillips asked.

Stark ran behind the monitor and began reading over it. He nodded and Bucky felt a huge weight being lifted off of himself. She was fine. "Vitals are normal. For her, at least. Ninety over sixty. That's low for an average person but it's fine for her. That's about what it normally is. Internal temperature is one hundred and two. She runs warmer than us. That's about right for her. Respiration rate is nine. Again, low for an average person, normal for her. Pulse is sixty-two. That's a little fast," Stark said.

"That's fast?" Agent Carter asked, surprised.

Bucky didn't know much about health or anything like that, but he'd always heard that somewhere around sixty was actually on the slow side. "For her, yes. She's normally around thirty at rest. She's probably nervous," Stark said.

"Can you blame her?" Agent Carter asked.

Stark shook his head. "Absolutely not," he said.

Bucky walked forward, forcing himself to keep a slight distance from her. "Is there no way that we can see what's happening to her?" Bucky asked Stark.

"Not without touching that thing. And I wouldn't recommend anyone to touch that thing. She'll be fine. I'm keeping an eye on her," he said.

They all nodded. "Might as well get comfortable. We might be here for a while," Colonel Phillips said.

That was all that it took. As much as everyone wanted to just watch her, it did get a little boring. Considering that they couldn't see what she was seeing and she made no movements, it was a rather lackluster day. So they all went about their business. Stark sat behind the monitor so that he could keep a close eye on Vika. Bucky was grateful for it. Stark was stitching something together. It appeared to be their new suits. He was rather amused to see that Howard Stark could sew. Agent Carter sat near Vika, obviously having a hard time not touching her. Bucky was doing the same thing. Colonel Phillips was currently spreading out paperwork for Agent Carter to go over.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed since she'd first touched the Tesseract. Steve came to sit next to Bucky as Agent Carter went to look over the paperwork. "You alright?" Steve asked quietly.

Bucky ran a hand over his face. "I wish that I knew what was happening to her in there," he muttered.

Steve nodded. Both boys were worried for her, but they knew that she could take care of herself. "Don't worry about her. You know Vic, she's not exactly the type to let something get the better of her," Steve said.

Bucky laughed softly and nodded. She had let someone get the better of her once. He was sure that it would never happen again. "Do you ever get worried about her? Vika?" Bucky asked.

They were silent for a moment as Steve thought over his answer. "Believe it or not, I'm always worried about her. I know that she's indestructible. But it scares me that she knows that, too. She can be pretty reckless about things," Steve said.

With all of his heart, Bucky wished that Vika didn't know that she was indestructible. She got a little too daring. "She's got a knack for being reckless. She always has," Bucky said.

"I worry about her, too. She's like my sister."

"She thinks of you as her brother."

The two men glanced at each other before Steve took a breath. "And she thinks of you as a lot more than that. While we were on the USO Tour, I know that she was always thinking about you. She was beside herself when she found out what had happened to you. I thought that she'd lose her mind. She's tried so hard to keep the secret of being a mutant for all of her life. But she was willing to give it all up if it meant even getting your body back. She wasn't willing to just leave you there," Steve told him.

Bucky twitched slightly. He knew that she had been desperate to keep that secret, but the moment that she had found out that Bucky was in danger, she couldn't have cared less. "There isn't a single woman in the world that would do something like that. No one would be willing to risk everything just so that they could save someone. Even if it is their significant other. There's never been any doubt in my mind that she's the person that I wanted to marry. But if there was, it would have been gone after that," Bucky admitted.

He was keeping his voice down so that Colonel Phillips couldn't hear him. But he was sure that he could. "Keep a close eye on her, Stark. I'll be back in a little bit. Call out if anything changes with her," Colonel Phillips called out.

"I will."

The Colonel left the room a moment later, giving her one last look. Bucky glanced over at Vika and smiled. He hadn't noticed before that around her dog tag was the Murano Glass necklace that he'd bought her for her last birthday. "You haven't bought a ring yet, have you?" Steve asked, breaking Bucky's thoughts.

Bucky shook his head. "I've been trying to save up some money. Never had a lot in the bank," he muttered. When the time came that he did go to get her a ring, he'd bring Steve with him.

"You could get her a paperclip and bend it into a ring and she wouldn't care," Steve said.

He was right about that. There weren't many ways that Bucky was still traditional, but that was one of them. He wanted to get her a real ring. "Still wanna do things the right way," he muttered.

"That's good of you," Steve said.

Bucky nodded at his best friend. They both had a few things that they were still traditional with. "They're just expensive. A few hundred dollars," he groaned. Bucky could never understand quite how expensive wedding rings could cost. "I don't have that much money right now. I'm hoping that I'll have it soon."

He wasn't Stark. He didn't have money saved up like that. "You're not going to have enough money to get her a ring by the time that we go on the first mission," Steve pointed out.

That was something that Bucky had already realized. "No. It'll be a few more months, at least," Bucky agreed.

Steve sighed at Bucky sadly. "Before I went to training at Camp Lehigh, I went rooting through some of my old things. I know that you want her to know that you intend to marry her. But just in case... she should know," Steve said. Bucky watched curiously as Steve reached down into his pocket. "Here."

Bucky noticed that the two others that were in the room were watching them, pretending that they weren't. Bucky stared at Steve as he pulled his hand from his pocket, turning over his hand. Sitting inside was something that looked very much like a wedding ring. In fact, Bucky knew that it was a wedding ring. It was Steve's mother's ring. It was white gold and rather small. There were three smaller diamonds on each side of a slightly larger square-shaped diamond. He could remember Mrs. Rogers losing the ring from time to time whenever she was cooking.

"I know that you want to get her a ring that's hers. But that's just in case. Think of it as a placeholder," Steve said.

Steve pushed the ring towards Bucky, who almost immediately pushed it back. That meant a lot to Steve. He didn't want to take it. "This was your mother's. Steve... I can't take this," Bucky muttered.

Steve shook his head. "Mom loved Vic. She always knew that you were in love with her. She knew that the two of you were going to be together one day. No one is using the ring right now. It's just collecting dust. She would have wanted you to have it, considering there's no one that I'm planning on giving it to," Steve argued.

Staring at it for a moment, Bucky took the ring and held it in his hand. He smiled at the sight of it. "We'll give it back as soon as I can give her a new one," he promised.

Steve waved him off. "Don't worry about it."

Bucky stared at the ring for a few moments before smiling to himself. "She'll know what this ring is," he told Steve.

"Yes. She will," Steve said with a smile.

It wasn't long before Agent Carter walked up beside the men to look at the ring. She had a small smile on her face. "That's a gorgeous ring. She'll love it," she said.

"You'll keep it a secret?" Steve asked, looking up at her worriedly.

Agent Carter gave a sharp nod. "Of course." Bucky assumed that as close as the women were, this was a secret that she would have no problem keeping. "Give it to her tonight. And don't worry... I won't tell her when the day comes that you do get her a ring. Although I want to see it before you give it to her," Agent Carter told Bucky.

He nodded at her. A woman's opinion was always a good thing to have. Not that Vika was very picky. She probably wouldn't care what the ring looked like. "I can do that. Thank you, Agent Carter," Bucky said.

"Just Peggy, please," she said.

Bucky gave her a little smile. He knew that Vika would appreciate that he and Peggy were trying to be friendly with each other. He was about to tell her to call him Bucky when Vika's eye gave a little twitch. He wasn't the only one that had seen it. Every head in the room turned towards Vika before glancing back to Stark.

He waved them off. "She's fine. You might see her body react to things that she's seeing from time to time," Stark said. They all nodded, feeling better that nothing was wrong with her. "By the way, she'll like the ring, Sergeant Barnes."

Steve patted Bucky on the back. "No one mentions this to Colonel Phillips until I'm ready to give her the real ring, please," he said.

"Absolutely not," Peggy agreed.

Steve glanced over at Bucky and laughed. "Not ready to die yet, huh?" he teased.

"He'll still die even when he asks Colonel Phillips for her hand," Stark put in.

Despite the tense air of everything that was happening with Vika - without knowing what was really happening to her - they all managed to laugh. It was a rather funny thought. They all knew that Colonel Phillips would be a grouch when the day came that Bucky asked him for her hand. Bucky had thought about it before. Vika's birth father was dead. There really wasn't anyone that he needed to ask for her hand. But he would. Because Colonel Phillips might not have shared any DNA with her, but that really was her father. So he was going to ask Colonel Phillips' for her hand the moment that he was ready. He just hoped that day was soon.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The feeling of touching the Tesseract was terrible. It felt like someone was sucking me through a tube that was about ten times too small for me. It felt like someone had jammed steel rods through my body so that I was unable to move. There was also the strangest feeling of emptiness. Like there was nothing inside of me. Almost like my soul had been sucked away. It took a few moments before I was finally able to move away. The darkness faded to light and I was left in something that looked like the vastness of space.

Almost immediately, a hint of fear seeped into me. Was I going to be stuck in space for the rest of my life? Was I going to be here for all eternity? I was trying desperately to find a way out of this place but nothing was working. I wasn't sure how long had passed, but someone finally appeared in the darkness. The figure of the being was blurry. It was almost like I was looking at a map of the cosmos written across their body. They wore a tattered blue cloak, but like the rest of themselves, it was covered in the stars. They had no hair and their eyes were black, stars twinkling in them. I couldn't tell whether or not they were friendly.

It was almost impossible to see how tall they were. The figure was watching me. At least, I assumed that they were. "Who are you?" I asked.

The figure ignored me. "Why are you here?" it asked.

The voice sounded almost male. It was loud and echoed throughout the stars, without seeming like it was deafening. I attempted to read his mind, wanting to know who the figure was, but I was blocked. My surprise was evident. Some were harder than others, but I could always read someone. Why couldn't I read this person?

"I can't read you..." I breathed out.

"No. You cannot," the figure responded.

The figure gave a small tilt of the head. The stars and planets that surrounded the body seemed to twinkle with each little movement. "Who are you?" I repeated.

"One of the few beings that may surpass you," it answered me. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Obviously this being was stronger than me, but just one of the few? "Why are you here?"

"To learn," I said honestly. "Will you show me?"

"Yes."

The figure didn't move to touch me. It merely waved a hand as the view of the expanse of space changed rapidly. It felt like I was being sucked through that same tube as we were thrown out into something that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. The figure spoke to me in my mind, making no noise to disturb the peaceful creatures that surrounded us. We were on Alfheim. It was the world inhabited by the Light Elves. It was a kingdom of enchanted forests, beautiful gardens, and rivers of wine.

It was far too soon that the figure ripped us from the peaceful land of the elves. We were transported to another of the Realms called Muspelheim. It was the realm of eternal fire. The figure watched me with something akin to an amused glance as the flames erupted over my fingertips. I wanted to know if there was a chance that I descended from these creatures. The figure immediately put down those thoughts as it showed me the home of the Fire Giants. The surface of the world was covered in pools of lava and giant flame pits. I listened curiously as the figure explained to me the history of the Nine Realms - the places that it was showing me.

Ginnungagap was a vast, primordial void that existed prior to the creation of the manifest universe. In the northern part of Ginnungagap lay the intense cold of Niflheim, and to the southern part lay the equally intense heat of Muspelheim. The cosmogonic process began when the effulgence of the two met in the middle of Ginnungagap. It was rather amusing that it literally translated into yawning abyss. That was what the black tear in the sky looked like. That effect created the Nine Realms.

The moment that it had finished explaining the history of the creation of the Nine Realms to me, I was shown Niflheim. It showed me the homeland of primordial darkness, cold, mist, and ice. The rime flows combined with the flames of Muspelheim to form water, which the gods used to create all of Midgard - our home. It was also the home of Hel, which served as the home of the dead that were neither honored nor dishonored. I was extremely grateful when we were finally taken from the region.

The figure brought me to a place called Nidavellir. It was the home of the dwarves. The dwarves were master smiths and craftsmen who lived beneath the ground. Accordingly, the land was an underground labyrinthine, a subterranean complex of mines and forges. They had large forgers utilizing the flames and heat from beneath the surface to create weapons used by the dwarves and their allies. Dwarves were apparently the race that had crafted the most powerful weapons in the Nine Realms, including Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, which was apparently real.

It wasn't long before the figure whisked me away to Vanaheim. As the name implied, it was the home of the Vanir - who were a tribe of deities, who tended to be somewhat associated with fertility and nature. It was beautiful. It was mostly dense woods where tribes were scattered, living together in peace and harmony. When we were finally taken away, I found myself missing Vanaheim.

We were transported to a place called Svartalfheim. It was the home of the Dark Elves. It was located in a star system that was almost completely corroded with dark matter, both Svartalfheim and the Dark Elves inhabiting it had developed under a more diverse table of elements. The only source of visible light for the world was a black hole. The ground was a deserted wasteland. As the figure had explained, a battle waged between Asgardian forces and the Dark Elves nearly three thousand years prior had resulted in the near-extinction of the race. The planet was long-since deserted.

I was rather glad when we moved on. But my relief didn't last long before we were brought to a world called Jotunheim. It was the home of the Frost Giants. Nearly one thousand years ago, there was a battle between the Frost Giants and Asgardians. The Asgardians had won and Odin - the ruler of Asgard - had taken the Casket of Ancient Winters. Without the Casket, the realm was decaying and breaking apart. The figure made an offhanded comment about it not being the only thing that was stolen during the battle, but had otherwise remained silent.

By the time that we were once more ripped away from the realm, I felt my head spinning. I was glad that I had the ability to retain all of this information. I was extremely surprised when I was shown Earth. Midgard, as the figure called it. The figure was strangely silent as it showed me the very room that my body was currently trapped in. Steve was twiddling his thumbs while Peggy and Bucky were speaking softly. I noticed them both looking at me from time to time. Chester was pouring over paperwork as Howard stared at the monitors.

Finally we were ripped away from Earth. I didn't need the figure to tell me where we were. I knew that we were on Asgard. It was the home of the Asgardians, a powerful race recognized by the galaxy as honorable and brave peacekeepers. This was the place that the Tesseract once belonged to. Asgard was located in the sky and was connected to Midgard by the Rainbow Bridge that lead all the way to the Bifrost. They had been watching over us since the beginning of time. I wasn't sure whether I thought that it was nice or creepy.

The aerial view of Asgard was incredible. I found myself stunned and at a loss for words. It was so beautiful, so much more than any of the other worlds that the Tesseract and the figure had shown me. It looked like what I almost imagined the Middle Ages should have looked like. Just, a lot nicer. Towers and castles rose on each side, but in the dead center of the city was the Asgardian Palace. It looked almost like the pipes of an organ. Just as I was about to ask the figure what it could tell me about the Tesseract, I felt my body dropping. I was barely able to gasp before I was dropped into what I assumed was the palace.

We had been invisible throughout the tour of the Nine Realms, but I immediately knew that I was visible once more. Cursing the figure that had put me here, I backed into a gap in the wall. I glanced into a room that looked almost like the one that my body was sitting in. There was a large group all around a table. I flashed through their minds, trying to find out who they were. There was a blonde-haired man with a wide smile. A charmer. And a warrior, at that. His name was Fandral. He sat next to a heavier-set red-headed man. He held a battle-axe in his hands and seemed to have already been drinking. His name was Volstagg. There was an Asian-looking man next to them. He was one of the Vanir. To my surprise, there was even a woman. A warrior, just like the men. Lady Sif.

It seemed that even though they were the great Asgardian race, their minds were untrained. They all seemed to be over a thousand years old. There was a man with blonde hair laughing louder than any of the others. Thor. The to-be king. Not for many years, though. He was holding Mjolnir in his hands. I then looked to the black-haired man. There was immediately something different about him. He was not like the others. Loki... What else did Odin take from Jotunheim? There was something familiar about the signature coming from Loki.

There was no more time to ponder the question. The moment that I went into his mind, Loki's head whipped back to me. I ducked into the shadows, narrowly avoiding his gaze. "What is it, brother?" Thor's voice boomed.

"There is a prior engagement to which I must attend. Good evening," Loki's smooth voice called back.

It was the first that I had heard him speak. His voice was quiet but commanding. He must have been able to talk himself out of anything. The others at the table bid Loki a goodbye as I sank back into a large room off of the chamber. I was trying everything to get the Tesseract to bring me back to Earth, but I couldn't figure out how. I touched the wall to see if I was still a shadow and could pass through it, but it was solid. Loki had already seen me. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I backed into the wall, knowing that I had to do something.

Bucky's P.O.V.

A few more hours had passed since Vika had touched the Tesseract. As worried as Bucky had once been for her - and he was still a little worried - he found himself more bored than anything else. Other than the occasional twitch, Vika didn't move. Everyone was still sitting in their places. It was pretty obvious that no one was thinking that Vika would be back anytime soon. The monitor that Vika was hooked up to began to beep softly. Everyone hopped upright to see what had happened. Bucky stood and immediately walked over to look at it. He noticed with a hint of horror that sweat was beading on her forehead.

"What's happening?" Bucky asked.

"Her heart rate is rising," Stark said.

Bucky's stomach curled painfully. He didn't like the sound of that. "What is it?" Colonel Phillips asked.

"Ninety-six."

"Is that high?" Colonel Phillips asked.

It didn't sound that high to Bucky. "For her? Yes. Something is happening that's making her nervous. She's sweating. That's not something that she ever does," Stark explained.

Obviously Bucky wasn't the only one that was unnerved. "Then get her out of there!" Peggy shouted.

It seemed that Stark was torn. He shook his head at them. "She'll kill me if I take her out of there before she's ready. That's still a healthy heart rate. I'm not going to start worrying unless she gets near the two hundred mark," Stark said.

Bucky was sure that that was far too high. "Can she even manage that?" he asked.

Stark nodded, not taking his eyes off of the monitor. "She once told me that her heart rate went up to two hundred and nine. She can handle this," he said.

"She's going to be okay," Steve told Bucky.

Bucky nodded at him, stepping over to the other side of the room, trying to keep from grabbing onto her hand. "I know," he said softly.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The most that I could possibly do was sneak as far off of the room that I could. Not that I knew my way around the palace. I had managed to sneak into a room off of the hallway that led to the chamber that they were in. I was hoping that Loki might not find me in here, but I knew that he would. I could hear his footsteps echoing through the hallway, despite the fact that they were extremely soft. It would take someone as well trained as I was to be able to hear him. He turned the corner into the room that I was in before I acted.

Giving him no time to react, I reached up and grabbed him across the throat, shoving him back into the wall, letting the flames flow across my other hand, holding it up to his face. "Scream and I'll melt your vocal chords," I warned softly.

Loosening my grip slightly, I allowed him to speak. "You invade the Asgardian Palace, eavesdrop on a war room conversation, and threaten a crown prince of Asgard? A daring woman you are," he told me.

His voice held a teasing note to it. Sensing that he wouldn't make a noise, I gently let my grip from his throat drop, allowing him to step away from me. We stood a few paces from each other, just looking at each other. He wore a leather suit that was black and green. There were gold accents that fell along certain parts of his costume and a rather large chain that was around his neck. There were gloves on his hands and I glanced back up to his face. He was grinning at me, his blue eyes shining. He wanted me to catch him.

"A Midgardian, aren't you?" Loki asked.

"I feel like that's meant to be derogatory," I shot back. He took a step towards my side and I repeated the action on the other side. I took us only seconds to start circling each other.

"Your kind is weak. Their life is like a blink of an eye to ours," Loki countered.

A small smile fell over my face and I shook my head at him. "Not me. I'll live a whole lot longer than you, and I'll keep my looks the whole time," I teased.

Loki's slightly amused grin widened, showing his teeth. "You look not like a Midgardian," he commented.

"So I've heard."

"What are you?"

Well that was rude. Narrowing my eyes at him, I shook my head. He wasn't going to get anything out of me. "You're so smart, figure it out," I said, recalling that Loki was always supposed to be one of the smartest Norse Gods.

Loki nodded as he continued to circle me. I stopped walking, allowing him to give me a once-over. "You appear to be mortal. You speak like a mortal." I scoffed at him. I was no idiot. "You even dress like one. But you are not. I can feel it. There's something very different about you," he told me, curiosity seeping into his voice.

"You have no idea," I laughed.

"Please," Loki said. He widened his arms in a welcoming movement, taking a seat on a bench across the room.

Staring after him for a moment, I nodded and walked towards him. "I'm what my people call a mutant. Our species is called Homo sapiens. I'm from an advanced subspecies, Homo superior. Still somewhat human, with a genetic mutation. More powerful than the average human, stronger, in most ways we are better. We're feared by much of our own race, forced to hide. It's called the X-Gene and it rests on the thirteenth chromosome," I explained to him, unsure if he understood the science.

The Asgardians focused more on magic. Did they understand science? "You come from a world where science and magic are two different things. They are not. Asgardians understand this," Loki told me, almost like he knew what I'd been thinking.

Maybe he had. "My people can hardly understand what I am. I can only imagine the time that they'd have trying to understand that we aren't alone in the universe. There are other beings," I said softly.

Loki nodded at me. "Far beyond just Asgard and Midgard," he said.

It was right then that I realized that the Old Norse legends were more than just legends. They had been the truth. "My people once revered yours as gods. Why would you leave?" I asked.

"We are the peacekeepers of the Realms. But your people started to take advantage of their position with us. It was decided that Midgard was best left to its own devices," he explained to me.

I supposed that that was as good of a reason as any. "Well we try to be peacekeepers, but it's in human nature to pick a fight," I said.

"Your world is at war, last we saw," Loki commented.

So they were still watching after us. "What else is new?" I scoffed.

The corner of Loki's mouth quirked upwards. "You work to end the war," he said.

Nodding at him, I took a seat on the bench across from him. "Most of us work to end the war. No one wants all of the fighting. Millions are dying every year. People will always die but it doesn't need to be like this. Your people... You were the Norse Gods. Once upon a time you were on Earth and you helped. You kept the peace. Isn't that the point of the Asgardians?" I asked.

Loki laughed a humorless laugh and shook his head at me. "Your people stopped believing in us and began looking at us like monsters," he sneered, almost angrily.

Perhaps there were a few things that the two of us had in common. "Trust me when I say that I know what that feels like," I said softly, earning a strange look from Loki. "But there were people that still believed in you."

"If we came to Midgard to cease all of your pathetic fights, we would have no time to deal with the true battles of the universe. Midgard is weak, best left to its own devices to implode on itself," Loki said.

"Well-spoken from a man that wants to be king."

The corner of his eyes twitched in irritation. He was the younger brother, and that meant that Loki would have no claim to the throne unless something happened to Thor. It must have been an area of contentment. "Asgard will not come to your defenses," Loki snarled.

Rolling my eyes at Loki, I waved him off. "We don't need you. We've managed quite some time without you and we will continue to manage without you," I sneered.

"Strong words for someone whose world is on the brink of collapse."

We weren't going to collapse. Just because we were having issues now didn't mean that we always would. "We're more resilient than you might think. This is only temporary. We know how to get ourselves into problems. But we tend to be quite good at getting out of it, too. We can manage," I told him sharply.

Loki once more stood from the bench. I kept myself seated at the bench across from him. He crossed his hands behind his back. "Which begs the question, how did you manage to get into Asgard?" he asked. I stayed silent, unsure of what I should say. "Not through the Bifrost."

"The Rainbow Bridge?" I asked.

Loki's eyebrow quirked. "You read," he commented.

"I do."

His gaze turned a little more scrutinizing. I assumed that there weren't many people that stumped Loki. "You have managed to get past Heimdall." The Gatekeeper and Watcher, if I remembered the lore correctly. "A feat easier said than done," he said, almost complimentary.

"I believe that the Tesseract was once a relic that belonged on Asgard," I said slowly.

It had earned his attention. He was obviously surprised that I had even mentioned the Tesseract. "It was lost centuries ago," he said.

"Well we've found it," I snapped. Not that it was his fault that the Tesseract was on Earth. His eyebrows knitted together. "Not the people that I work for. The ones that I'm fighting against. They found the Tesseract in Norse ruins. A man named Johann Schmidt is using the Tesseract to make weapons to take over the world and rebuild it in his own image. We've managed to recover a small piece of it. That's what got me here."

Loki was silent for a long time as he processed what I had said. "It takes a being of immense power to hold even a small portion of the Tesseract," he finally said.

"I know that."

If he had seemed bored with my presence before, I knew that he wasn't any more. "Can all mutants hold it?" he asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I watched as Loki took a step towards me. "I don't know. There aren't many mutants in the world. Most are in hiding and there are very few as powerful as I am," I said. Loki nodded at me as I came to a stand. "That's not what I'm here for."

"Why have you come here?"

"I need you to tell me what the Tesseract is. Schmidt is using it to build weapons but obviously it does something much more. No mortal man should hold it," I told him.

The corners of Loki's mouth tilted upwards. "So we agree." He came to stand at my side and I watched as he waved his hand in front of my face. A green flash emitted from his hand as as image began to form in the air. Six images came up in front of me as Loki explained. "Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots." There was a bright blue flash as six stones came into being. Loki placed a hand over my shoulder and turned me towards another image. "There were the four Cosmic Entities. Death, Entropy, Infinity, and Eternity," he said, pointing to them.

It was something that looked like four figures carved into a deep green stone. In the center were six colored chunks that the figures surrounded. They must have been the Stones. "Tell me about the Cosmic Entities," I said.

"Very little is known. This is Death." He motioned to the figure on the top right. "Death can manipulate reality, time, and space. Immortals such as yourself are immune to Death's ability." I quickly glanced over at Loki. It seemed a little strange to think that people could really outsmart Death. "Death is a dark-haired woman. That is Entropy." He motioned to the top left. "Entropy came into being at the beginning of time along with his father Eternity. Entropy's purpose is destruction: this drive pits him in a constant struggle with Eternity whose goal is creation. Together they keep the cycles of creation and destruction in balance. Entropy is frequently known to utilize the Power Stone to kill anyone and everyone in his way.

"Infinity represents all space in the universe." He motioned towards the bottom right. "Infinity and Eternity are in constant competition with Death who attempts to reduce life while Infinity and Eternity expand life. She is the sister of Eternity." Finally he motioned to the bottom left. As I looked at the stone figure of Eternity, something familiar struck within me. "Eternity is the timeless representation of the universe and has unlimited control of reality. As Eternity is timeless this means the passage of time does not affect him, meaning he doesn't age," Loki explained.

Staring at the figure of Eternity, I found myself wishing that the figure that had shown me the Nine Realms would return. "I think that I saw Eternity," I said softly.

The comment seemed to have struck Loki as funny. "Eternity still exists. He will always exist," he said lowly.

"Do they ever come forward and show themselves to anyone?" I asked him.

Loki was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No. They have no care to step out of hiding. They are designed to watch. If Eternity took the time to show himself to you... You will mean a great deal to him in time," he told me.

An unsettling feeling sank into my bones. "Meaning?" I asked.

"I know not."

Knowing that I would get nothing more about Eternity from Loki, I glanced back towards the image. "What did these Cosmic Entities do?" I asked him.

Loki once more turned me back. Each one of the small circles that Loki was showing me seemed to be one of the Stones. The one nearest my head was the Tesseract. "They created the Infinity Stones. These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength," Loki said, giving me a quick look. "These carriers can use the stone to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field."

The image that was focused on the purple stone changed to a being the size of a skyscraper slamming down a staff, the purple Infinity Stone locked inside of it. The moment that it hit the ground, a wave of energy shot across the ground, dissolving the men and women that were running away from it. All of those lives... gone. The Tesseract needed to get off of Earth.

"Your Tesseract is one of them. Inside of the Cosmic Cube lies the true power. The Space Stone. It is capable of controlling space, providing the user instant access to any location throughout the universe if used correctly. Hence how you find yourself here. These Stones are completely indestructible and are unparalleled in their destructive capabilities," he told me.

The images faded as I turned back to Loki, well aware that we were standing close together. "How many people know of them?" I asked him.

"Not many. People have tried to harness them since the beginning of time, but very few possess the power. You are one of the rare ones," he told me, moving to circle me once more.

It was an intimidation tactic, but I was not afraid of him. "There's no way to destroy them?" I asked.

"No."

"So storing them someplace safe is really the only option?"

"Or using them," Loki suggested.

Whipping my head around to look at him, I began to shake my head. "I have no intent to use this thing," I snapped at him.

Loki's brows rose. "Truly?" Once more I shook my head. "Look at the power of the Tesseract. The power that you control. You can bend space to your will, travel throughout the cosmos without limits, and destroy any enemy," he said, as if it would change my mind.

"No one needs power like this," I argued.

That obviously struck Loki as funny. "So typical of humans. To only scratch the surface of greatness," he sneered.

Something must have happened to him to make him so determined to harness a power like this. "It doesn't matter to me. The only thing that I'm aware of is that I want this Tesseract thing off of my planet. Like you said, Earth is best left to its own devices. We might get to the point one day that we can believe in other realms and life outside of our planet, but that won't be for a long while. Johann Schmidt doesn't understand this thing. I want him dead and then I want it gone," I told him.

Seemingly understanding that I didn't want anything to do with the Tesseract, he nodded at me. "Does he possess the Cosmic Cube?" he asked me.

"I believe so."

A nasty grin spread over his face. "Allow him to keep it." My jaw nearly dropped. That was the worst plan that I'd ever heard. "If you truly want him dead, allow him to touch the Tesseract with his bare hands. He will be disintegrated with its power and sent to the darkest corners of space," he told me.

Nodding at him, I found myself wondering why he had actually bothered to help me. "You're the God of Mischief. Why are you offering your help?" I asked curiously.

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? Like you've said. I do enjoy mischief. Your people slaughter each other in droves. Your minds are small and weak. The power of the Tesseract is best left out of mortal hands. You slander the truth of its power by making those pitiful things that you call weapons," he said sharply.

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" I shot back.

To my horror, the door to the room that we were standing in sprang open. Loki and I jumped backwards to spot Thor bumbling into the room. "Brother!" he boomed. His gaze quickly turned towards me. "Who are you -?"

"Leave. Loki is in the middle of a meeting with the palace guards. You should be training in the yard," I ordered.

Thor merely stared at me for a moment, his eyes glazing over, as he turned back and left the room, closing the door gently behind him. Loki was watching me bemusedly as we stood in silence for a moment. "Powerful enough to control a god. Can you teach me to do that? I'd love to make Thor obey my orders," Loki said.

A small smile turned up on the corner of my mouth. "Probably best that you don't know how to do that. It's a mutation. Part of what makes me so dangerous. I can read and control minds," I told him.

"And mine?" he asked.

His mind took more work to look through than the average person. It was like I had felt when I'd first started trying to read minds. I could see his burning jealousy for his brother and desire for mischief. Those were easy. The rest... That was harder. "You're harder than most. But, yes. I can still read yours," I told him, earning a disbelieving look. "Your brother appears to be a fool, but he is a fool that loves you. Bear that in mind. It is a treasure to have a family that loves you."

Loki took a step backwards, narrowing his eyes at me. "I'll have to learn to block you," he said lowly.

But we were never going to see each other again. I had gotten what I'm needed. "We'll never see each other again if I have it my way," I told him. He smiled at me as I looked back and forth. I'd gotten what I'd needed. But how did I get back? "Can you - Uh - Can you tell me how to get back to my body?"

Loki let out a laugh at my predicament. "Close your eyes. You can trust me," he said.

"I highly doubt that."

Loki merely grinned at me. There wasn't much that he could do to me, so I figured that I would close my eyes at his order. My eyes slipped closed as I heard him walk up to me. There was barely an inch separating us. "What is your name?" he asked in my ear.

Rolling my eyes behind my closed lids, I had to suppress the urge to push him away from me. I still needed him to get me back home. "You may be a god, but you're a man just like all others. Not a chance," I snapped.

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his grin widen. "Best of luck, mutant," he hissed into my ear.

A moment later I felt his fingertips press against my temples. They barely grazed the skin there before I felt a strange tugging sensation in my chest. My feet felt like they had been yanked out from underneath me as I was ripped back through the cosmos before slamming back into my own body. My head snapped back to the floor of the room as I jumped upright, ripping myself from the restraints in my chair. A scream very nearly tore from my throat as I pushed past Bucky and Steve - who were both trying to come towards me - and slammed the Tesseract back into the case. Once Howard had shut it, I kneeled over, placing my hands on my knees, breathing heavily.

It was a second later that Bucky came to stand in front of me. "Vika. Vika, hey. You're alright," he told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I leaned backwards and collapsed to the floor, trying to calm myself down.

As I glanced back upwards, I saw that despite the fact that everyone was alert with my sudden return, they all looked very tired. "How long was I in there?" I asked.

"Almost ten hours," Peggy told me. I raised a brow. It certainly hadn't felt like ten hours. "It's five in the afternoon. We were getting worried about you."

"What did you see?" Steve asked, kneeling in front of me with Bucky.

"Everything..." I muttered.

They all exchanged a look before Howard stepped forward. "What was that?" he asked me.

Jumping up from my spot, I gently pushed past Steve and Bucky, heading over towards the table. "We're not alone in the universe," I said quickly, earning strange looks around the table. "G - Give me a piece of paper. It showed me the Nine Realms. Okay. The Tesseract is called the Space Stone. Remember those Infinity Stones that I was talking about yesterday?" They all nodded blankly as I drew out the map of the Nine Realms on the top of the page, and the Infinity Stones on the bottom. "It's one of the six. The Tesseract is actually a protective barrier around the Stone. A - Uh - A friend that I met explained everything to me."

For whatever reason, I really didn't want to tell them that I had met Loki. "You met someone?" Howard asked me.

"I'm getting there."

"Someone saw you?" Peggy asked, sounding horrified.

"I'm trying to talk!" I barked, effectively silencing them. "The way that they explained it to me was like this. Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots. There were the four Cosmic Entities. Death, Entropy, Infinity, and Eternity. They created the Infinity Stones. These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength," I said, motioning to myself.

Not that I knew whether or not I could hold them all. As far as I knew, I could only hold the Tesseract. "These carriers can use the Stones to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field. Inside of the Cosmic Cube is the Space Stone. It is capable of controlling space, providing the user instant access to any location throughout the universe if used correctly. These Stones are completely indestructible and are unparalleled in their destructive capabilities," I explained, finishing my drawing to show the others.

They were silent for a long while. Howard was the only one that looked like he might have believed me. "This is crap out of legends," Chester finally said, placing the paper down.

Fury settled in me. "I was just there! The Stone showed me the Nine Realms. We are one of them. Midgard. I was brought to Asgard. They're considered to be the most powerful of the Nine Realms and the protectors. They are the people that we once thought of as Norse Gods. When they last came to Earth, the Tesseract was left behind," I told him.

"Who told you all of this?" Chester asked, still not believing me.

"Loki," I answered awkwardly.

Obviously that meant nothing to them. Howard was the only person that looked like he might have known who Loki was. "Who's Loki?" Bucky finally asked.

The others looked grateful that he had said something. "In Norse mythology he's the God of Mischief," Howard explained, giving me a long look. I could tell that Chester still didn't completely believe me. "He is known to be extremely malicious and tends to lie about anything for his own purposes. He could never be trusted."

Chester glanced over at me with a look that might as well have been asking me if I'd lost my mind. "And you take this guy's word for it?" he asked me.

"Oh don't be stupid!" I barked at him. It was very obvious that Steve and Bucky had no clue what we were talking about. "I know who Loki is. I know what he is."

To my surprise, it was Bucky that stepped forward and spoke next. "Does it really matter who this Loki guy is?" he snapped at the others. I glanced over at him and smiled. It was nice to see that he was standing up for me. "The only thing that matters is that you know what the Tesseract is now. You know what these things are."

"Bucky's right. Loki won't repeat our discussion. I know that he won't," I said.

There was no worry of Asgardian forces coming to Earth. I knew that just by having a brief conversation with Loki. "How do you know that?" Chester asked, not sounding totally convinced.

Smiling at them, I shook my head. "Because he wants it. And he's not going to risk someone stepping in the way of getting the Tesseract," I told them. It was easy enough to see that Loki wanted the Tesseract. That was why he had explained the way that it worked to me. Because he wanted me to hand it back over to Asgard. "It doesn't matter. We can deal with Loki when the time comes. All that matters is that I believe what he told me. This thing could kill everyone. Howard barely grazed a piece of it and it nearly blew him up. We have to get rid of this thing. Schmidt must know not to touch it if he's still alive. I know how we kill him without getting too close to him."

That caught everyone's attention. It was obvious that people were desperate to know how to end things with Schmidt and Hydra. That was the reason that everyone was now paying attention. "How?" Chester asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

"We get Schmidt to touch it without those gloves." He wore black leather gloves all of the time. We had to get him to take them off. Or at least touch it and keep a hold of it. "If he does, he'll be disintegrated with its power and sent to the darkest corners of space. I have a plan," I told them.

"Go ahead," Chester said.

Taking a deep breath, I motioned to the maps that were laid out on the table. "Carry out the plans to destroy the Hydra bases. We can't risk them attacking people with those weapons. Loki mentioned that powerful beings search out these Stones to use for whatever purposes they want. If Schmidt starts using the Tesseract, creatures all over the universe are going to come for it. And we can't stop them. So we destroy the bases. Destroy all of the weapons that we can," I told them all.

We really needed to destroy Hydra and keep the Tesseract locked away for the rest of eternity. No one needed anything like that. The others were nodding along to the plan. "As for Schmidt?" Chester asked.

For a moment I hesitated. We had to kill him, but I didn't really know how to do that. "Someone's going to have to go after him. Get him to touch the Tesseract with his bare hands. He's kind of impervious to bullets and knives. But he sure as hell can't stand up against that," I said.

The others were silent for a while as they processed everything that I had told them. It was hard to think that we were actually making some progress in the war against Hydra. Bucky laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe that you got all of that," he told me.

Glancing over at him, I smiled softly. "Told you that I had to hold that thing," I said, unable to resist giving him the I-told-you-so speech. I turned back to the others. "We need to get our hands back on the Tesseract. The whole thing. And it needs to go into storage. Far away from where anyone else will ever see it. No one needs that kind of power."

Chester nodded and turned to Steve, who was on my other side. "Rogers. How long until your team is combat ready?" he asked.

Steve looked to me. "How long do you need to train us?" he asked.

Honestly I could train them for the next year and it probably wouldn't have been enough time. But time was not something that we had the luxury of. "Give me two weeks," I finally decided on.

There were dozens of those bases. We didn't have time to take months or even weeks to train the men. Chester nodded at us. "Rogers. Victoria. The two of you are going to plan that first attack on the Hydra base. Understood?" he asked us.

"Yes, Sir," Steve said respectfully.

"Sure thing," I added.

My head spun for a moment and I placed my arms down on the table. Almost immediately Bucky and Steve wrapped their arms around me to keep me steady. "Victoria, you're sure that you're alright?" Chester asked, reaching out for my arm.

Nodding weakly at him, I gently pushed Bucky and Steve away from me. I would be fine. "I'm fine. I think that I need to eat something and lay down for a while, but I'm fine," I told him. The others started to move about their business as I walked over to Howard. "Thanks for watching out for me while I was in there."

We exchanged a quick hug as Howard grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I knew that he was looking me over. "My pleasure. Take some time and recover. Even though you can handle that thing, it takes a lot out of you," he said.

Once he had let me go, Peggy almost immediately came to take his place. "You're sure that you're alright?" she asked, grabbing my hand.

"I'm fine." I gently took my hand from out of her grasp. Just in case. "Can you do me a favor?" I asked.

She looked a little surprised, but nodded at me anyways. "Sure," Peggy said.

"Can you train the men tonight?" I asked her.

It looked like she was still surprised that I had asked her to take over training the men. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be very useful tonight. It still felt like my mind was in the Tesseract. "Not a problem. Are you coming at all?" she asked me.

Staring blankly for a moment, I eventually nodded. "I'll come for a few minutes to tell you what I want to teach them, but I'm feeling a little out there tonight. I'm not sure that I'll really be that effective tonight," I admitted.

She nodded at me. "I can teach them as long as you show me what you want to teach them," she said.

"Thank you."

Turning to grab Steve and Bucky, I was cut off by Peggy reaching out and grabbing my arm. "Wait." She pulled me back to her and I raised a brow. "Why don't you and Sergeant Barnes go out tonight?" I stared at her, surprised by the offer. "Steve and I can train the men. The two of you barely get to go out together. Enjoy a night to yourselves," she told me.

That was surprising. "You're sure?" I asked her slowly.

She smiled at me and nodded. "Positive," she chirped.

"Thanks, Peggy."

We gave each other a quick hug before I turned and walked off to where Steve was waiting. He walked up to me and smiled. I stared at him curiously, wondering what he was smiling for. "Overheard the tail end of that conversation. We can take over for the night. You and Bucky should go and do something. I think you've earned it after that," he told me softly, so that no one could hear us.

Of course he thought that the two of us should do something together. Everyone seemed to be trying to get us as much time together as they possibly could. "They might like you training me a little better than they like me training them," I teased him.

"Well considering the fact that no one can even get a hit in on you..."

"So tonight maybe they'll stand a chance," I shot back.

He laughed at me. Even though he wasn't quite as strong as I was, he was definitely stronger than the other men. "I'll see you tomorrow, Vic. Enjoy your night," Steve said, giving me a quick hug.

"Thanks. Don't you dare take it easy on the men!" I shouted after him.

He turned so that he was walking backwards away from me. "Never. I'd much rather deal with them than an angry you," I told him, sending him a quick wink.

"Good choice," I teased.

Having me be angry with him was not a wonderful idea. Steve politely offered Peggy to go with him and I watched as they left the room. Howard walked out a moment later. Chester grabbed the remainder of his paperwork, shot a nasty look at Bucky, and left the room. It left the two of us alone. Bucky walked up to me and I smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him with me.

He chuckled softly as I yanked him with me. "Come with me. I want to show you something," I said.

"Where are we going?" he asked me.

It was easy to see that Bucky was stumbling over himself to keep up with me. I tended to forget that I walked a little faster when I got excited. "Back to your room," I said, earning a surprised look from him. I realized a moment too late that my comment probably didn't come out right. "I want you to see what I saw. Bucky... It was incredible."

"Everything that you saw?" Bucky repeated.

Nodding at him, I smiled brightly. He would love it. "The Nine Realms. I thought that it was just something from legend. But you should have seen it. It's all real. It's not just legend. These Norse Gods are real. They're called Asgardians. And all of these other species... We're not alone," I told him.

There was a small smile resting on his face. "This fascinates you," he commented.

I wasn't so sure that it was the fact that it fascinated me rather than the fact that I was amazed that I wasn't the strangest thing in the world. "I've always been the freak, Bucky," I told him.

"Not to me," he said sharply.

Smiling at him, I ran a hand over his cheek for a moment. "I know. You're good that way. You're good in every way," I said. He smiled at me and pressed a quick kiss against my temple. His arm wrapped itself tightly around my waist. "But if our world ever opens up to the idea of other beings and creatures in the universe, maybe people will stop looking at me the way that they do," I muttered.

"That's all nice. But what about me?" he asked.

I knew that he was asking me about the way that he looked at me. That was something that I would want to see forever. "I never want you to stop looking at me the way that you do," I said softly.

"Don't worry. I won't." We walked together in silence for a moment before Bucky reached out for my hand. "Let me see your hand." I raised my brow, wondering why. I handed it over to him anyways. He gave it a once-over before deciding that he was satisfied that there was no lasting damage. "You might be able to hold that Infinity Stone or whatever it's called, but I don't care. I'm glad that you don't either," he told me softly.

It was pretty cool that I could hold something like that, but it wasn't what I wanted. "This stuff is incredible. I'm glad that I found this all out. But I don't want that. I want as normal of a life as I can possibly live. I don't know how normal my life is ever going to be. But I want to give it a try once this is all over," I said, my hand gently resting on Bucky's hip.

Bucky glanced down at me and pressed a kiss against my cheek. "Tell you what, I'll give you a normal life," he said.

"You need to know what you're giving up to be with me -"

"Not a damn thing," he interrupted me angrily. I silenced myself, not wanting to push him. "I'm not giving up a damn thing to be with you. You're the only woman that I ever wanted. You're always going to be the only woman that I want."

His hand tightened slightly on my back. "You really see a future with me?" I asked him.

"That's the only future that I can see," he said softly.

Laughing softly, I shook my head. "You're out of your mind."

"I'm not the one that can hold some powerful space rock thing," he teased. I smiled at him, rolling my eyes. He was such a brat. "And what about you? Do you see a life with me?" he asked after a beat of silence.

"Can't see one without you," I answered honestly.

Bucky smiled down at me and nodded. We were silent for a moment before he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Then we're settled," he said.

It was a way to say what we were going to do in time without having to promise anything. "I'm gonna get changed first and then I'll be back," I said, disentangling myself from Bucky.

"Okay."

We walked down the hallway that our rooms were in and I watched as Bucky slipped into his room. He seemed a little out there. I thought about going into his mind but decided against it. Whatever he had to say to me, he would say it in time. I slipped into my own room and pulled off the uniform, grabbing my pajamas. I pulled on a pair of the cloth pants and grabbed a black t-shirt, slipping it over my head. Once I placed the uniform back in its drawer, I turned and headed back towards Bucky's room. He was sitting on the bed in his own pajamas.

He smiled at me as I closed the door and crossed the room, sitting on the bed. "I want to show you what I saw," I told him softly.

"Good. I want to see."

Grinning brightly, I moved towards him and gently placed my fingers against his temples. His eyes glazed over like mine did as I began showing him the memories of myself when I'd seen the Nine Realms. I kept out the memories of the figure that I assumed was Eternity. His face was even as I brought him back through the memories. We must have spent hours as I showed him everything. He was fascinated by the sight of the Nine Realms. I could tell that he didn't want to leave Asgard. But I did cut off the memory before he could see the exchange with Loki. I had a feeling that he wouldn't be overly-fond of the black-haired god. Finally I brought us out of the reverie and let Bucky look back at me.

As he came back to reality I brought over a piece of paper and drew out the tree of the Nine Realms, taking time to explain everything about them. I even managed to explain to him about the Rainbow Bridge and the Bifrost. It was nice to see that Bucky was actually interested in hearing how our version of the Norse Gods were actually the Asgardians. Maybe he wasn't actually that fascinated as he was just to enjoy hearing me talk. I even mentioned to him how the Asgardians were the ones that had held the Tesseract down in their vaults for millennia.

I was positive that hours had passed by the time that I finally stopped speaking. There was no dead gaze in his eyes. He seemed just as interested as he was before. "Can that all really be real?" Bucky asked me.

I nodded at him. "It is real, Bucky. Isn't that incredible?" I asked.

"Do you think the day is going to come that people are going to know about the Nine Realms?" he asked.

Was the day going to come? I hoped that the day would come. That would definitely make me happy. I wanted people to stop being so close-minded about everything. "I hope so. But people can barely deal with the fact that I'm real. They're not going to want to know about aliens and other races. Other planets and even other dimensions," I muttered under my breath.

Bucky reached over to grab my hand. "Anyone who doesn't have you in their life is just missing out on something great," he told me.

My eyes turned a pale pink at his comment. "I wish that I could take you into Asgard," I said.

Bucky smiled at me and shook his head. "Those places are beautiful. I can't even believe that they're real and that they're out there somewhere. I'd go in a heartbeat if someone told me that I could go there." I smiled and nodded my agreement. "But I like my home here. That's a hell of a view up in the clouds. But I've got a much better one in front of me," he said, giving me a pointed look.

Blushing once more, I leaned in and pressed a small kiss against his lips. We had barely touched when there was a knock at the door. We both jumped backwards and I made a move to head into the bathroom. But Bucky motioned for me to stay where I was. I hesitated for a moment but merely sat back on the bed. Bucky walked towards the door and opened it, grabbing a tray from a man at the door. He seemed to be from something like a catering service. I laughed as Bucky seated himself back on the bed, showing me the food.

It was a plate of chicken that looked better than anything that I had eaten since my dinner with Steve. "What is this?" I asked.

Bucky smiled and plopped himself onto the bed. "Well I can't cook, and neither can you, so this is my pathetic attempt at a romantic dinner," he teased.

And he was right about that. We were both miserable cooks. It was probably because neither one of us had ever bothered to try and learn. "It's perfect. Better than either one of us can cook," I said teasingly.

He laughed softly and nudged me as he began to split the food between us. "I'm a better cook than you are," Bucky said brightly.

"And what does that say about either one of us?" I shot back.

"That we're nowhere near the traditional couple," he admitted.

And we really were an entirely different couple. There was no one that was really anything like the two of us. And that was okay. I didn't mind being different. We smiled and ate together in peace. It was rather nice for the two of us to be together doing something as simple as having dinner. We ate together in a peaceful bliss, the two of us laughing about everything and anything under the sun. It didn't feel like we were in the middle of the war. It felt like we were just two people having dinner together. It wasn't long before we finished out dinner and placed the plates on the desk. Bucky leaned back into the bed, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me with him.

My hand was on his chest as I leaned over him. Bucky looked down at me and I smiled softly. His hand was tucked underneath my chin as he gently pushed my head up to meet his. Our lips met in a soft kiss as he rolled us over slightly so that I was underneath him. His hands were tucked onto my hips as I laughed softly. He moved away from my mouth, pressing a kiss underneath my jaw, only making me laugh even harder. After a moment I grabbed his face, turning it towards me once more so that we could meet in another kiss.

The moment that it started to get a little heated, I felt Bucky pull back. To my surprise, he looked a little bothered. I raised my brow, wondering if I had done something wrong. "This isn't the moment that I wanted to do it, and it's not really official," he told me. I shook my head, not understanding what he meant. "But we're going to be going on the first mission soon. We don't know what's going to happen."

"Bucky -" I interrupted softly.

"Let me talk, please." I sat there for a moment before nodding. "We don't know what's going to happen, Vika. We don't." My stomach curled as I realized just what it would do to me if I lost him. "I've been trying to save up money but it's hard to come by sometimes. Soldiers aren't paid too badly. But it's not like owning a company or something. So, in the event that something happens, I wanted something to kind of serve as a place keeper. Just in case. So I wanted to give you this to hold onto," he told me.

Slipping his hand down into his pocket, he pulled out something circular. My heart lodged into my throat when I realized what it was. "A ring?" I asked weakly.

"It was -"

"Steve's mothers. I know. I recognize it," I said truthfully. Once or twice when I was a child, she had given it to me to try on. Bucky let go of his grip on the ring long enough to let me look at it. "Did he give this to you?"

Bucky nodded at me. This must have been why he had seemed so out of it. "Yeah. He gave it to me because he knew that I was saving up money." I smiled at him. He wasn't proposing, this was just in case, but I knew that he would. In time. "Do you have your dog tags?" he asked. I nodded at him. "Give them to me." I reached down for the dog tags and handed them to him. His mouth turned up when he saw that the Murano Glass was wrapped around it. He unclasped the chain and slid the ring onto it. He reached back around my neck and I allowed him to place it back around my throat. I smiled and fingered the ring. "Until the day comes that I can get you a real one," he promised.

"It's perfect. Thank you," I told him.

I'd gotten a fair amount of presents in my lifetime, but this was the best one by a long-shot. There would only be one that would ever be better. I was sure of that. "I'll get you one of your own someday soon. I promise," he told me, running his hand over the dog tags.

Shaking my head at him, I leaned over so that I was half-laying on him. "It's okay. Take your time," I said.

I didn't want him feeling guilty that he couldn't get me a ring. This was enough to tell me that he intended for it to happen. At least I knew. "Not too much time," Bucky teased.

My heart gave a soft flutter. No... I didn't want him taking too much time. It was the same way that I had felt for a long time. If there was ever one person that I didn't mind being weak for, it was Bucky. We smiled at each other as Bucky grabbed my shoulders and gently rolled me back in the bed. He pressed a kiss against my mouth and I laughed, letting his legs fall in between mine. They tangled together as I kept one foot hooked behind his own knee. It was gently keeping him in place.

It was moments like these that I wished that he would hurry up with the ring. I was sick of feeling like I was doing something wrong. Bucky's hand wrapped around the back of my neck as he pulled me flush against him. His lips parted slightly and I smiled into the kiss. His hips very gently grazed mine as the two of us rolled once more. He was on his back as I laid over him. My mouth briefly detached from his as I leaned down and pressed a kiss underneath his throat. I felt him growl softly, almost animalistic.

His hands wound around my back as it slipped underneath my shirt. His fingers dug into my back to the point that I assumed that it might have hurt someone else. My shirt began to ride up slightly, coming to a rest underneath my chest. I could tell that Bucky was trying very hard not to make things any more heated than they already were. My leg came to a rest in between his as I ran my hands through his hair, the nails gently grazing across his scalp. His spare hand came up to my hair so that he could pull my head backwards. It was easy to hear his breath hitch in his throat. I could feel that his muscles were tensing as he pressed into the small of my back, his fingers almost dipping too low.

My hand came to slide underneath his shirt when I realized that it was slightly damp. I broke the kiss with Bucky to look down at him. He almost looked irritated that I had broken the kiss. "Are you sweating?" I asked him.

Bucky's face went slightly red as he ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. You're kind of hot," he said through a laugh.

"Thank you," I said teasingly.

He laughed at me and swatted me on the arm. "Watch that big head," Bucky teased me.

Feeling a little guilty that I was definitely warmer than the average person, I scooted slightly away from him. "I don't have to stay here if I'm too hot to lay next to. I know that I run warmer than the average person," I told him softly.

"No! No - No." Bucky grabbed my hand and kept me against him. "If you want to stay, I'd like for you to stay. But..." He pulled the sweat-stained shirt away from himself. "Do you mind?" he asked awkwardly.

Smiling softly at him, I shook my head. "Trust me when I say that I don't mind," I said.

We both smiled as I leaned away from Bucky, allowing him to pull the shirt over his shoulders. He tossed it onto the floor and laid back on the bed. I smiled at his muscles before looking away abashedly. Bucky laid back on the bed and grabbed behind my back. I hesitated for a moment before letting him pull me up onto his chest. My shirt was riding up around my stomach as Bucky pressed a hand into the small of my back. I placed a kiss against his bare shoulder, feeling his muscles tense before looking back and pressing a kiss against his mouth.

His hand dropped down so that he could grab mine. His fingers twined with mine as he gently pressed them back. He broke the kiss to gently graze his finger across my ring finger. "Soon. I promise," he said softly.

Nodding at him, I leaned upwards and pressed another kiss against his mouth. I knew that he would get me a ring the moment that he could. But it still made my heart flutter with nerves when I thought that he was going to propose to me one day. I would still be terrified when the day came. Bucky's hand was behind my neck, keeping the two of us locked together in the kiss. I laid my hand on his chest, gently running my nails over his skin. I could feel how tense he was. We stayed locked together for a long while before Bucky finally released me. My head pressed down into his shoulder as I fingered the ring on my chain. One day soon... It would be real. It took almost no time before I managed to fall asleep, a small smile resting over my lips.


	30. Chapter Thirty

Slowly I twisted to the side in the small bed. The sun wasn't streaming through the windows yet, so I knew that it wasn't too late. It meant that there was time for me to lay around before having to get up. Turning my head over to the side, I realized that I was alone in the bed. My head gently raised off of the pillow to see where he was. I was reasonably surprised to see that he wasn't with me. Normally I was the first person awake. I gently moved to sit in the bed and glance around. I spotted the closed bathroom door and nodded. He must have been in there, getting ready for the day.

A few days had passed since Bucky had given me the ring. Fingering at the dog tags that hung around my neck, I smiled into my lap. The ring hung around the chain, making me blush softly. I knew that with each passing day, we were getting closer and closer to the day that he would give me an actual ring. I knew that he was trying to save up the money. It didn't bother me. We would get around to it soon enough. In the meantime, I knew what we meant to each other.

My fingers went up to my hair to start running them through it, trying to brush out the knots. A few minutes passed before the bathroom door opened. I glanced up to smile at Bucky when I realized that he clearly thought that I would still be asleep. He was in his thin bathrobe, his wet hair pressed down against his forehead. His eyes went over to the bed and he stared at me with wide eyes. Our cheeks immediately went red as we laughed at each other. I wasn't sure if he was wearing anything under the robe, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know. It was too late for him to dart back into the bathroom, so he merely smiled at me.

"We have to stop meeting like this," I teased.

It seemed like we were always being caught in awkward circumstances. Bucky laughed once more and pushed back his wet hair off of his face. "I thought that you would be asleep for a little while longer," he told me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I scooted back against the walls, pulling my knees up to my chest. "You know me. I don't sleep that much. I don't like sleeping," I muttered.

Bucky's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know that," he said.

Maybe I hadn't ever told him about my distaste for sleep. "I never wanted to tell you. When I'm asleep I don't hear anything. Everything seems so dark and I feel so helpless. Even in the dark, I can see everything. But when I'm asleep... Things are different," I admitted, the feeling of helplessness that I felt when I was asleep.

Obviously Bucky understood what I meant. He walked towards me and placed a hand on my knee. "You should have said something," he told me softly.

"It makes me feel better with you here. Doesn't feel so lonely," I whispered.

It was just like I had said before. If there was one person that I could be weak for, it was him. "I'll always be here," he said.

And I believed that. "Thank you," I said softly.

"Don't thank me. It's my pleasure," he said. I smiled at him as he leaned down towards me. "Ti amo." My eyebrows rose. I definitely knew that he loved me, but I didn't know that he could say it in another language.

"Since when could you speak Italian?" I teased.

He had never known other languages. Bucky laughed and shook his head at me. "I can't really speak it that well. There are just a few things that I can say. I had the local kids in Venice teach me that one," he explained.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "Ti amo anch'io," I responded.

With a small smile on his face, Bucky grabbed my ankles and yanked me towards him, I laughed as I slid to the edge of the bed, hopping up to my feet. His arms went around my waist as he gently walked me backwards. I smiled as he pushed the hair back off of my face, the two of us walking straight back into the wall. Laughing softly, Bucky caught my lips in a searing kiss. My hands bunched up into the front of his robe, keeping him pressed against me. We both laughed up against each other as his hands dropped a little lower than he had dared before. Not that it bothered me. Not as long as it was him.

The two of us were standing as close as humanly possible when Bucky pulled away from me, pressing a kiss against my forehead. "Wear something that you can move in," I told him.

"Are we training today?" he asked.

Grinning happily, I nodded at him. It was time to start really training them. "I've been taking it easy on you guys for the past few days." Bucky scoffed, obviously not agreeing with that statement. "But we're going on the first mission soon. I really need to be training you guys as much as I can. And as hard as I can," I said.

Humming softly at me, Bucky shook his head. "Not sure that I like the sound of that," he said.

"Don't worry. I'll take it easy on you."

"No you won't," he shot back.

Smiling softly, I nodded at him. "No I won't," I agreed.

We both laughed Bucky finally released me from his grip against the wall. I grabbed onto his robe and yanked out his knee, tripping him back onto the bed. We went rolling backwards to Bucky's surprise as I landed on him. He laughed softly at me as I slid slightly off to the side, gently laying against him.

Flicking him on the nose, I laughed as Bucky's hand pressed against my lower back, keeping me against him. "See? You have to show me just how strong you've gotten," I said teasingly.

"Never as strong as you are," he said.

And he was right about that. He would never be as strong as I was. "And you really don't mind that?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head at me, making me smile. "Not at all." I smiled at the admission. "I want to tell you something." I nodded for him to continue. "During those years that you were gone... I'll be honest. I went on a few dates," he said.

I was unsure of what he was telling me that for. I nodded at him, knowing that he had been on a few dates. That didn't bother me. He had thought that I was gone forever. "I'm not upset about that. I knew that you would move on. I'd like to say that I wanted you to move on. But I didn't," I said. We both laughed softly. Neither one of us had ever wanted the other to move on. "Still, I'm happy that you tried."

Bucky pressed a hand underneath my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "There was never anyone that came close to you. Some of them lasted for a while. But I always knew that none of them were right for me. You were always the only person that was right for me," he told me.

Pressing myself up off of the sheets slightly, I leaned forward and pressed a small kiss against his lips. "Can I ask you something?" I said once we had broken the kiss.

"Sure."

Unsure of whether or not I wanted to know the answer, I spoke anyways. "Did you ever come close to proposing to someone?" I asked.

Bucky looked thrown by the question. He was silent for a moment before answering. "Yes." My stomach gave a funny jolt. I had asked the question, I'd known that there was a chance that he would say yes. "Her name was Betty. I dated her for over a year before coming to Camp Lehigh. We broke things off just two weeks beforehand. I really did think about proposing to her. She had already been talking about marriage. I thought about it for a few days before I knew that I couldn't do it. So I called it off and told her that she deserved for someone else to be with her. I told her that she deserved someone else. At the time I thought that it was just because I wasn't ready. But now I know that it wasn't that... It was because she wasn't you," he told me.

His fingers gently dug into my back. I knew that he had always wanted to be with me. Just the way that I'd always wanted to be with him. "Thank you for telling me the truth," I said softly.

"It wouldn't have worked out," Bucky said quickly.

Raising my brows at him, I glanced over to see a very determined look on his face. "Why's that?" I asked curiously.

Bucky turned towards me and pressed a kiss against my lips, pulling away a second later. "Because she wasn't you. You're the only person that I've ever wanted to be with," he admitted.

We stared at each other before I took a deep breath, knowing that I should say something. "I know that you saw my conversation with Logan." Bucky stiffened slightly and nodded at me. "You should know that I only offered for him to come with me because I wanted to give him a chance to walk away from his quest. And it would have been nice to have another mutant around. And Howard... He's a pain in the ass but he is one of my best friends. That's it. When I said that you were the only person that I've ever been with, I meant it," I said honestly.

There was never anyone else that I wanted to be with. Bucky nodded at me. "I believe you. That kiss with Stark, it doesn't bother me. Hell, it's the reason that we got together," he said. We both laughed at the very awkward memory. "I guess that we both always knew that we only wanted to be with each other."

"I think so." Bucky leaned over to me and gave me a long kiss. A moment later, Bucky got up from his spot on the bed. I knew that he was getting ready for the day. I flopped back into the bed, trying to motivate myself to get up. "I'll leave in just a minute," I called after him.

"No rush," Bucky called back.

If we both had it our way, we would stay in bed for the rest of the day. There was nothing that I wanted to do today other than lay in bed. For a moment I was jealous of all of the women back home that could do just that. I spotted Bucky walking into the corner of the room and my eyes followed his movements. I glanced over at him and smiled. He had dropped the robe off of his frame. He was only wearing a pair of shorts underwear. He was shirtless and the bottom half of his legs were bare. My face heated up slightly, but I didn't take my eyes off of him. It was nice to see him like that. He obviously knew that I was looking at him.

His head turned back to me and he smiled. My eyes briefly darted down to his chest before glancing back up. "See something that you like?" he teased as he walked up to me.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I nodded. Not a typical woman, Bucky. "As a matter of fact, I do," I shot back.

Bucky walked up to me to the point that his hips pressed into mine, gently pressing me back into the wall. His hand placed itself on my hip, moving forward to the bottom of my shirt. He bunched it in his hands, pulling it up just a few inches. It pulled our torsos together as Bucky placed his mouth next to my ear.

"Well you could always -"

"Ring first," I interrupted.

His head snapped back to look at me as we both laughed. I did mean it. The ring had to come first. If there was one thing that I wanted to do traditionally in my life, it was that. Even though I sometimes hated myself for making that promise. "Working on it," he promised me. His hands were still knotted in my shirt. "What's on the agenda today, boss?"

My arms wrapped around the bare skin on Bucky's back, smiling softly at him. "We're training today," I said.

"All day?"

"The first mission is going to be in just ten days. I have to have you boys ready before we go," I told him, feeling my stomach churn. They were going to be fine. I would protect them. "Steve's shield is almost done and I think that Howard finished with the weapons and uniforms. I'm going to go pick them up today and then we're going to train."

He didn't look thrilled that we would be training all day, but he nodded at me anyways, knowing that there was no point in fighting me on it. "So we're learning to use everything that we're going to use out there?" he asked.

"Yes. It's best that you're all well-versed in your weapons of choice," I told him. He nodded at me, releasing his grip on my shirt. "Okay, I need to go get ready for the day. I'm going to head over to the base with Steve to get everything and we'll meet the rest of you down in the ballrooms. See you soon."

"I'll get everyone ready," he told me.

"Thanks."

Once more his hands wound around my back. My arms knotted over the back of his neck as he pulled me in for a kiss. We were pressed together for a moment before he finally released me. I pressed a kiss on the underside of his jaw before turning and slipping out of the room, trying to brush off his thoughts that followed me out of the room. My irises turned a bright pink as I realized that he was probably a little more determined to get that ring a faster now. I quickly darted back into the room that Peggy and I shared, barely closing the door in time to keep one of the Army men from realizing that I was trying to get back into my room.

The alarm was chirping on Peggy's bedside table and I watched as she smacked it, trying to roll out of bed. I did feel bad for her. We had stayed up gossiping last night until she'd fallen asleep, at which point I'd gone over to Bucky's room. I changed into my uniform that Howard had designed while Peggy weakly limped into the bathroom. I brushed my hair down over my shoulders before pushing it back over my shoulders. I pinned back my bangs, not worried about doing anything more with my hair. I had my feet up on the bed as I laced up my boots when Peggy popped out of the bathroom, looking slightly more awake now.

She seated herself on the edge of my bed as she began pinning up her hair. I smiled at her as I continued to lace up the boots. "How's Bucky?" she asked.

My head snapped up to her. "Did you call him Bucky?" I asked.

She glanced up at me and nodded. "Yes. We've come to an agreement."

Raising a brow at her, I smiled. I wanted them to be friends. I was glad to see that they were trying. "I'm glad to hear that. I've wanted the two of you to start getting along. I think that you'd like him," I told her.

"If you like him, that means that I like him, too." Turning towards her, I gave a little smile. I grabbed the dog tags and pulled them off of my neck. The uniform was too tight to wear the necklace tucked into it. "You should wear that ring on your finger," Peggy said as I placed them up on the shelf.

Shaking my head at her, I dropped back into the bed as she started to get ready to leave. "It's not an engagement ring. It's just so that I know how he feels about me, in the event that something happens," I muttered awkwardly. But he would be fine. They would all be fine. "Plus I can only imagine what's going to happen if Chester sees the ring. What if he thinks that I got engaged without Bucky asking for my hand?"

That was all up to him. "Is he going to ask?" Peggy asked as she began buttoning her shirt.

Shrugging my shoulders at her, I began to pick at the underneath of my nails. "I'd imagine that he will. He knows that Chester isn't my father but he also knows how much we mean to each other. He's a proper man. He's going to want to ask someone," I said.

Honestly I wasn't one hundred percent positive that Bucky was going to ask Chester. I had a feeling that he would, but I wasn't sure. "What if he asks Steve?" Peggy asked.

My head turned over to her. That was a slight possibility. I was sure that Steve would give his blessing. "Honestly, he might do that, too. That would basically be like asking my brother," I said.

Glancing over at her, I saw that Peggy was smiling brightly at me. "You two are so cute," she told me.

Rolling my eyes at her, I gently reached out and kicked her leg. "We're just like anyone else," I argued.

"You two are so far from anyone else that it's not even funny," she snapped.

"I suppose that's the truth." We were silent for a moment before I glanced back at her. "What are you doing today?" I asked.

Peggy let out a deep breath. I assumed that whatever she was doing today was something that she didn't want to be doing. "Colonel Phillips wants a full write-up on those other Hydra bases. While you're training the men, he wants to start organizing attacks on the troops to make your infiltration missions a little easier," she said.

Definitely not an amusing thing to spend a day doing, but it was something that she needed to take care of. It was something that Steve and I would have to get involved with in the coming days. "Well I appreciate that," I told her.

While I was training the men, it was nice to know that someone was getting ready for the attacks on paper. "I'm heading out," Peggy said, slipping heels on her feet, turning to leave the room. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Howard got Bucky and I a reservation to that little restaurant downtown," I said.

Peggy nodded, pushing her hair behind her ears. "That's right, I forgot that was tonight." I hummed at her as I stood from the bed. "You know what I was thinking about yesterday?" she asked after a beat.

"Probably something that I won't like."

"Hush," she snapped at me. I grinned at her, having known that my comment wouldn't be appreciated. "You think that the two of you haven't been together that long. It's almost December."

"I was aware of that."

We were entering December in just a matter of days. I was rather excited to spend Christmas with everyone this year. "In January, you two will have been together for two years," Peggy said. I glanced up at her, almost surprised. It felt a lot shorter than that. "That's longer than most people are together before getting engaged."

Coughing awkwardly, I gave her a small smile and rolled my eyes. "I'm so glad that I have other people to keep track of my relationship for me," I said teasingly.

Peggy scoffed, knowing that she wasn't going to get any farther with me. She rolled her eyes at me as she turned to leave the room. "Good luck training the men today. I'll see you later," she called through the door.

"Bye, Pegs," I called after her.

She walked from the room and the door closed behind her. Making sure that I had everything with me, I checked myself over in the mirror before turning to leave the room. I walked out towards the lobby, saying hello to a few people that were lingering out in the hallways. It didn't take me long to make my way into the lobby of the building. Steve was already there and I smiled at him. He had been waiting for me so that we could go to the base together. There were probably quite a few things that we needed to pack up.

He was in his Army uniform, as usual. It almost made me laugh. He really was in his element out here. This was really the place that he had always needed to be. "Ready to go?" I asked him as I walked up to his side.

Steve nodded at me as we turned to leave. We had barely made it out of the building when he glanced over at me. "You didn't have Stark redo the design for the suit, did you?" he asked.

"No, but I really should have," I teased.

"I'm glad that you didn't."

Shoving into him, I laughed as his arm fell over my shoulders. "You know, my designs really aren't that bad. It's like you said, you were getting fond of the suit," I said.

"It looked like a costume," Steve shot back.

He wasn't wrong about that. His previous Captain America had definitely looked like a costume. We could only hope that this one would look a little bit less like it belonged in a cartoon. "Howard's might look a little more tactical, but it'll still look like a costume," I told him.

Steve shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at me. "Well as long as it looks a little more like yours," he said.

Snorting under my breath, I nodded at him. "Skintight?" I asked playfully.

He laughed at me and shook his head. His would definitely end up being made of a thicker material, meaning that it wouldn't be as tight as mine was. "Maybe you could add a little more fabric on the stomach and chest. And make it a little looser," he said, referring to my own uniform.

Rolling my eyes at him, I wrapped my arm backwards around his own waist. "Ever the protective older brother," I teased.

"Always."

We walked in silence for a moment before I glanced back at him. There was one thing that I was curious about. "Even with Bucky?" I asked, knowing that the two of them were closer than anyone else.

Steve laughed softly before nodding at me. "Definitely with Bucky." Perhaps it was because they were both so close to me, and each other, that they could threaten each other. "You know that I threatened him after I gave him that ring?" he asked me.

It didn't really shock me. Plus I knew that they would never really fight with each other. "I'm not surprised that you threatened him. I've threatened him myself," I told him. We smiled, knowing that we could both beat him. "I love you both more than anything. I know that neither one of you will ever hurt me. Not purposefully."

"Not for anything," Steve said fiercely.

"Although I would like to see a fight in between the two of you." I was sure that neither one of them would be able to throw a punch at the other. Not after everything that they had been through together. "I don't think that I've ever really seen the two of you fight. Just the one squabble before he deployed," I said.

That was the only time that I could ever remember them having an argument. Everything before that had just been little disagreements. "That was really the only time that we squabbled. There was only one other time," Steve said.

Curiously, I raised a brow. "Which was?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," Steve said quickly.

My heart sank into my stomach. I realized very quickly that the past argument had been about me. My smile fell as I guiltily looked down towards the ground. "It was about me," I muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Steve repeated.

"Tell me what happened," I said sharply.

If the argument was about me, I wanted him to tell me what had happened. Steve sighed but nodded his consent. "You had vanished just a few days prior. Bucky was beside himself. He didn't talk to anyone unless it was to answer a question about you." My stomach churned. I had never realized just how much I meant to them. "We were getting worried about him. I was getting worried about him. So I asked what was going on and he told me to leave him alone. It was the first time that he'd ever said something like that," Steve said.

Their friendship had suffered a strain because I'd left. It only reminded me that I would have to spend the rest of their lives making up that one mistake. "Did you leave him alone?" I asked softly.

Steve laughed and shook his head. "No. I kept bothering him about it. And Bucky finally just shouted at me to go away." I cringed at the thought of that happening. "But I didn't. So we just sat together. We didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. There was only one thing that I could think to say," Steve admitted.

"And what was that?"

"I thought that I had lost you. I didn't want to think about losing him, too," Steve said.

"So what'd you say?"

"I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

Smiling softly at him, I nodded. They had already thought that I was gone forever, they couldn't bear to lose each other. "Brothers through and through," I said, patting Steve on the arm.

They really were. They might have been from two very different families, but they really were brothers. They always had been. "He said it back to me when Mom died. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't want to be around anyone. But just like that day, we knew that the other one couldn't be alone," Steve told me.

It was moments like these that I hated myself for ever rising to Johnathan's bait. I should have just walked away from them. "I wish that I hadn't left," I said, guilt weighing down on me heavily.

Steve wrapped an arm around me once more and pressed a kiss down into my hair. "Can't change the past. But we can make a new future," he told me.

"Together," I said.

"Together," Steve agreed.

We walked together in silence for a moment. We were only walking for a few moments before another question dawned on me. "Have you asked Peggy to go dancing yet?" I asked brightly.

Steve narrowed his eyes at me. "We're training today," he said.

Whacking him on the shoulder, I rolled my eyes at him. "Not today, you dimwit." Steve rubbed his arm before looking down and glaring at me. He was such a baby. He needed to just ask her to go dancing. "Ask her before we go out on the first mission. It might be nice for the two of you to speak to each other," I told him.

Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as we walked into the base. "She's still angry with me," he mumbled.

The two of us were heading back towards Howard's workshop that was set up in the back of the base. "You kissed another woman," I pointed out, glaring at Lorraine's office.

"For the last time, it wasn't my fault! Lorraine surprised me," Steve argued.

Rolling my eyes at him, I stepped past the guards into the back rooms. "You should have shoved her off of you," I told him.

"I still don't understand how this is my fault."

Turning back to him, I grinned. "Nor will you ever. Like Howard has said before. A man and a woman will never really understand each other. We just smile and nod and pretend like we care about whatever the other is talking about," I said as I walked into Howard's workshop.

He was standing behind a desk and glanced up as we walked in. He shook his head as he walked over to give me a quick hug. "Spoken like a single woman - which you are not," Howard snapped at me.

"Shut up. Show us what you've got," I told him.

Howard narrowed his eyes at me before motioning us away. "This way," he said.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I followed Howard over to a table laid out in the back of the room. There were quite a few weapons and suits laid out. Everything was stacked against each other. I couldn't even begin to understand how he was able to keep track of whose uniform and weapons were whose. I smiled as we walked up to the table and started to glance over everything. It was quite impressive for only having a few days to make everything. He must have been working overtime to get everything done in time for us to practice with them.

"So whose is whose?" I asked him.

Howard pointed at a suit at the edge of the table. "This is yours, pal," he told Steve.

The three of us crowded around the suit as Howard unfolded the suit to show us. There was a blue helmet that was similar to the one that Steve had stolen from one of the dancers. The suit was made out of a very thick material. The pants were a medium blue that would be tucked into brown boots. He would also have a set of brown gloves that would go almost up to his elbows. There was a weapons belt around the waist of the uniform, a thigh holster, and a holster that went across his body. Across his stomach was a white material, and on his chest was blue with a white star in the center. There were two red straps down over his chest to keep the weapons belt and pants held up.

Giving Steve a quick look, I saw that he was running his hands over the suit. He looked astonished by the sight of it. So I figured that I would speak first. "Looks good. Well done to both of you," I said, knowing that Steve had had a hand in designing the suit.

"All good?" Howard asked Steve.

Steve nodded, smiling at the sight of everything. "Looks great. Thanks," he said.

My attention had been caught on the shield. It looked much better now. There was a red ring, followed by a silver and another red ring before hitting the center circle, where there was a silver star surrounded with a blue background. "Check out the paint job on the shield," I said, holding it up.

Steve grabbed the shield, looking very much in love with the new weapon. "You said that you wanted some paint on it so I took the liberty of matching the two of you," Howard told him.

"It's great," I said.

"It is," Steve agreed.

He played with the shield for a moment before placing it back down. I could tell that he really wanted to continue holding it. It might become rather difficult to separate them. "The paint will scratch off from time to time so just bring it back to me and I'll redo the pattern," Howard warned about the shield.

"Alright."

Howard moved down the table a few inches to show us the next suit. "Sergeant Barnes's," he said.

Both Steve and I scrutinized the suit that Bucky would be wearing. His uniform was relatively similar to Steve's. He had dark brown boots that would lace up to about halfway up his shin. His pants were the same color, just slightly baggier than Steve's were. Howard had definitely taken the liberty to make the men look a little bit more like soldiers, while I looked more like an assassin. Perhaps that was accurate. He had a long sleeved blue tactical jacket that looked to be able to stop any smaller caliber rounds. Like Steve, had had a weapons belt and a cross-body strap that would hold a pistol.

Turning over to Howard, I nodded my consent. "Perfect," I told him.

The three of us exchanged a look and nodded at each other. I had definitely had a good hand in designing Bucky's uniform. I was glad to see that Howard hadn't done anything terrible to it. "Dugan's," Howard said.

He motioned us down another few inches. Dum Dum's looked a little bit more like a tactical version of a classic military uniform. It was perfect for him. And it was particularly good to hide the flaming red hair. His pants were shaped like Bucky's. They were a dark fatigue pattern that were tucked into deep green boots. He would have a black and grey striped sweater that would be placed underneath a deep brown bulletproof vest; that matched his bowler hat. He would have one belt that had holsters for what looked like grenades, a knife, and perhaps a pistol. The back of the vest had a strap for a rifle.

Nodding at the uniform, I glanced over to Howard. "Looks good," I said.

Howard nodded for us to follow him. "Morita," he said.

We looked over Jim's new suit. He would have brown boots that were pressed against his shins with deep green pads. His pants were similar to Bucky's, but they were a deep brown. On his torso was a deep blue tactical jacket that would be covered with a black and blue military vest. There was a cross-body strap that looked like it would be able to hold something on his back. There was even a strap on the vest that would hold more ammunition. It looked good enough to me.

I nodded at Howard that it was good. "Falsworth," Howard said, moving us along.

Steve and I moved down the line so that we could look at James's suit. He was wearing black boots that wrapped just over his ankles. His pants were slightly tighter than the others and they were a darker brown. There was a red turtleneck that would be placed underneath a brown military grade jacket. There was a holster that went under his arm that would hold a pistol and a cross-body strap that made an X across the front of his chest. There was room for explosives on the shoulder.

Once more, I nodded at Howard. That one was good enough and would provide him the room for the explosives that I assumed that he would carry. "Jones," Howard said.

Nearing the end of the table was the uniform that Gabe would wear. His pants were a deep gray that closely resembled Bucky's. He would have a deep brown jacket that would be layered underneath something that appeared to be a dark brown bulletproof vest. Across his chest was a case for high-caliber bullets. There was also a helmet that he would be able to wear on missions.

That one would work. Howard continued moving us down to the end of the table. "Dernier," he said.

We looked over Jacques' suit. I was very glad that we were almost done. His pants were more of a straight leg that were laid over a pair of black boots. I assumed that it was probably similar to the uniforms that the French wore. There was a blue collared shirt that would be layered underneath a brown military grade jacket. There was a belt that hooked around his waist and connected over his shoulder. It was enough that it would be able to hold a pistol and some explosives.

Once I was satisfied that it was everything that they needed, I nodded at Howard. "They all look great, Howard," I told him.

Howard glanced over at me and smiled. "I thought that you'd like them. I took their specialties into account and developed new tools for them all to use. They're in that case over there," he said, pointing to two large trunks. I raised my brow. Howard must have spent a long time on all of this. "Watch Dernier's."

Turning back to Howard, I gave him a long look. "Why?" I asked.

"Explosives."

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head at Howard. "Wonderful. Thanks for all of this," I said, motioning around to everything that was sitting around us. "And thanks for tonight."

Howard nodded at me and placed a hand on my arm. "You two have earned it. Let me know how it goes, tomorrow, alright?" he asked.

"I will."

Steve and I turned to gather everything so that we could leave. But before we could gather everything, Howard dashed over to me and placed a hand in front of me. "Oh, wait!"

"What?"

"I've got a few new things for you, too."

My eyebrow shot up to my forehead. "Me?" I asked him. He nodded proudly at me. "I don't really need weapons."

Howard nodded at me but motioned for Steve and I to follow him anyways. "I know. But I couldn't resist making a few things for you. I got carried away," he told me proudly.

"I'll say. How many of these things did you make?" I asked, seeing the entire table of new weapons.

Howard motioned to the two weapons at the end of the table. "Well those are more for fun. Check them out." I walked towards them and raised my brow. "That's a kakute," Howard explained.

It was an interesting little weapon. It reminded me of brass knuckles. It seemed to be made of iron and had two spikes. I picked it up and started to mess with it. Placing it on my index finger, I tried to hold it both ways. With the spikes were usually turned inward and applied to pressure points by gripping limbs or even the neck, it wound manage to stun an opponent and cause a nasty puncture wound. Maybe kill them depending on where the hit was. If I turned it outward, it would become spiked knuckledusters. I noticed that Steve hung back slightly as I pulled the ring off, placing it back on the table.

"And that is a haladie," Howard said.

Put simply enough, it was a double-bladed knife. It had two double-edged blades connected to the ends of a single handle. The handle on this knife seemed to be a type of durable steel. They were both ancient weapons that Howard had given a modern spin. It looked like it had been designed as a thrusting weapon, although the slightly curved blade could just as easily be used for slashes and parries. It would be able to stand up to most attacks.

"Those are cool. Not really practical," I told Howard.

"The rings..." Steve muttered.

Howard and I turned back to see what he was talking about. "What about them?" I asked.

"You said that the Chronicle only takes a few seconds to kill someone, right?" Steve asked me.

Raising a brow at him, I nodded. "That's if it's injected straight into the bloodstream. Indirectly would take at least a minute. Three at most." A moment later I turned back to the weapons. A grin started to spread over my mouth. I knew exactly what he meant. "You mean to soak the end of the blade in Chronicle. To poison someone. Look at you, starting to work like a spy," I teased.

He glanced over at me and shook his head. I could assume that he didn't like the thought of doing something like that to someone. "Just a thought," he said.

And it was a good thought. "I'll keep the kakute in mind," I said.

Howard motioned towards the other end of the table. "Those are actually yours," he told me.

My eyes traced over to the end of the table and I smiled. These were the modern weapons and he intended for me to use on a regular basis. Weapons weren't my favorite thing in the world, but I might get to liking these. He had a set of five throwing knives. The blade were double-edged and sharpened to a point. There was a pair of black batons, reasonably similar to the one that I had used to kill the Hydra guard, and a pair of new boots. They looked just like a newer version of the ones that I had now.

Picking up the batons, I twirled them both around in my hands before glancing back to Howard. "Escrima?" I asked Howard.

Howard nodded at me. "In the event that you want to keep someone away from you." There wasn't really anyone that I needed to keep away from me. It was easy to keep people away from me. "You fight the exact same ways all of the time. Try to do something different," Howard said, sensing my hesitance.

So I decided to give it a chance. "I'll take a look at them." Flipping the batons so that I was looking at the blunt end, I realized with a hint of curiosity that - despite the fact that the batons were heavy - there was a channel through the middle of them. "What's this channel?" I asked, pointing to the empty space in the center of the baton.

Howard seemed very glad that I had said that. "Use the electricity," he told me.

Holding the two batons in my hand, Howard pushed Steve back a few steps. I brought up an electrical current and shot it through my hands. That was when I realized that the electrical current shot through the baton and out of the end so that if I hit someone with the baton, it would electrocute someone. I would be able to keep the blast concentrated while using it. It meant less of a risk for others and it was a little more fun for me.

"Concentrated blast. I like it," I told Howard brightly. "Nice new shoes."

Howard scowled at me. "Try them on, asshole," he barked.

Grinning at him, I pulled off my own boots and replaced them with the new ones that Howard had made. They were a little tougher than the ones that I had, but they were lighter. "Easier to move in," I admitted.

"Yes. But that's not what I made them for. There was just a tiny bit of the Vibranium left. Press down on the heels," Howard told me.

Raising my brows, I decided to play into Howard's little game. Whatever he had done with the boots, I was sure that I would love it and the men would not. I tapped down on the heels of the shoes and smiled. Automatically, two blades the size of my thumb shot out of the toes of the boots. They were Vibranium blades. Neat. I pulled one of my legs up and gently fingered at them, feeling just how sharp the blades were. One touch would cut someone's throat.

"Press down on the heel again to get it to go back into the boot," Howard said.

Once more I pressed down onto my heels. The blades slid back into the boots. "Hot damn," I muttered.

"Like them?" Howard asked.

"Love them."

Despite how much I liked the new boots, I could tell that Steve wasn't a fan. I had a feeling that Bucky wouldn't like them either. Not as long as they thought that I might use the new shoes on them. "Don't wear those when you're training us," Steve warned me.

Turning back to him, I rolled my eyes. "Big baby." Steve scowled at me as I turned back towards Howard and smiled. "Thanks for everything, Howard. They're great. I'll let you know how they're all working out later," I told him.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

We exchanged a quick hug as Steve and I picked up everything that we had to take back with us. It was quite a number of things that we had. It was a good thing that the two of us were strong enough to carry everything without a problem. We were heading back towards the barracks so that we could train with the rest of the men. I had a feeling that Bucky had managed to get them together by now. At least, I hoped that he had. As we walked, I noticed that Steve kept looking down at the boots on my feet. He was obviously very nervous.

"You're not going to train with those shoes, are you?" Steve finally asked.

Rolling my eyes at him, I waved him off. He was such a baby about things. "Relax I'm not going to train with the shoes. We're going to be training you with that shield though," I said, motioning to the shield.

Steve looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Trust me when I say that I'm excited for that," he said.

Smiling over at him, I glanced down to see that he was holding the shield. I imagined that he wasn't going to be letting go of it any time soon. "You're going to be great with it," I said.

"Do you know how to train me with a shield?" Steve asked curiously.

Shaking my head at him, I figured that it would be a trial and error sort of thing. "I've never worked with one before but I'm sure that I can manage," I told him honestly. He nodded blankly at me. "I think it matches you quite well."

Steve gently nudged against me and I smiled, balancing the new uniforms for the men. "What do you know? Captain America seems to finally be coming into his own," he told me.

"Soon enough he might even be able to stand up against a mutant," I teased.

"Don't worry, Vic. You'll always be stronger than me," he told me.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I nodded. "Trust me, I know that. I just wanted you to think that you'd have a chance," I shot back.

Steve's face fell as he sent me a little scowl. "You're annoying as hell," he snarled.

"That's what a sister is for," I said as we walked through the ballroom doors. All of the men were already there and laughing with each other. "Looks like everyone is here."

Bucky glanced up as we walked in and smiled at me. "So you don't get to beat them up for being late," Steve teased me.

Shrugging my shoulders at him, I walked a little further into the room towards the table. Steve and I dropped everything on the table for the men to sift through as Bucky walked over towards us. "I'll figure out something else to beat them up for," I teased, turning back to Bucky as he came to stand with us. "Thanks for getting everyone here on time."

He shrugged his shoulders and pressed a kiss into my hair. "You know me. Always on top of things," he said.

Rolling my eyes at him, I motioned everyone forward, gently disentangling myself from Bucky. "These are your uniforms. Come on over and get them. Go get changed and Steve and I will lay out the weapons that everyone will be training with. We'll teach you what they are first," I told the men.

They were all chattering excitedly as Steve and I motioned them to their respective uniforms. They all grabbed them before leaving to change. Since I was the one that was laying out the weapons, they would leave. Not that seeing them in their undergarments would have really bothered me. I'd seen worse. Steve went with them to get changed into his own uniform as I began gathering the weapons and laying them out for the men to use. They took a few minutes before coming back, now chattering even louder. They looked very excited about their new uniforms as they came back in to stand across from me.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I smiled at them. They looked good. My eyes locked onto Bucky for a moment before I looked away as the men started teasing us. "Looking good. I'll be moving around to teach you all about them. In the meantime, Steve, you know hand-to-hand pretty well. Work with each other, okay?" I instructed.

Steve nodded and stepped back to teach the other men about their new weapons. "We'll stay out of your way," Steve told me.

Nodding at him, I looked over the men, debating on which one to pull forward first. I wanted to keep Bucky and Steve for last. "Dum Dum, why don't you come over first?" I decided.

Dum Dum walked over to me and took a seat at the table as I handled the weapons. "What are we doing, boss?" he asked me.

"Let's look at everything that you've got." My hand wandered over to the first of the weapons that Howard had supplied at Dum Dum's request. "Winchester Model 1879. Pump-action shotgun. Sixteen-gauge. Twenty-eight inch barrel. Five shell capacity. Not a bad choice, my friend," I said, glancing through the sights, handing it over to Dum Dum.

Dum Dum took it with a little laugh. "And they say women don't know anything about guns," he said, pumping the gun.

Smiling at him, I reached over and grabbed the pistol from his pile. "And you have your side arm. Colt M1917 Revolver. Six shots, forty-five grain." I opened the chamber and spun it quickly before tucking it back in. "I'd recommend using that shotgun unless your back is up against the wall. Shotgun gets you a little more range," I told him, handing over the Colt.

He grabbed it and looked it over. "Sounds good," he said.

"You know how to fight with that shotgun?" I asked.

Dum Dum glanced up at me, obviously surprised with my comment. He shook his head. "No ma'am," he admitted.

"We'll work on it. Go on over with Steve and the others," I told him.

He nodded at me and placed a hand on my shoulder, tucking the weapons onto him. "I like 'em. Thanks darlin'," he said, walking by me.

"I'm glad that you like the choices." He walked back over to the other men and I turned back to them, deciding to just go down the line. "Gabe. Wanna come take a look?" I called out to him.

He nodded at me and left Steve's side to come stand next to me. "What do we got?" Gabe asked as he walked up to me.

Pulling his pile over to me, I showed him the weapons. "Two new toys." Gabe smiled at my wording. "Browning M1919A4 machine gun. Thirty caliber. Largest and most common variant of the M1919. Twenty-four inch barrel. Two hundred and fifty round belt." I reached over and patted the chest where the bullet belt would go. "I'm going to teach you how to use this and we're going to work together. My force fields can keep you safe while you use this to take out large masses of Hydra soldiers," I informed him.

Gabe actually looked relieved at the news that the two of us could work together to take out mass forces. "I'd much rather have you around me," he said, laughing softly.

Smiling at him, I patted his back. "Glad that we're on the same page. You've also got yourself an M1928A1 Thompson." I grabbed the rifle and flipped it in my hands. "You were issued this during the deployment, correct?" I asked him.

He nodded at me. "Yes. Out before Azzano," he said.

"You like it?"

Gabe stared at it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He seemed a little more than fond of the Browning. "I'll keep the Browning as the primary firearm," he said, gripping it tightly.

Smiling once more, I laughed softly. That would have been my pick if I was him. "Good. I assume that I don't have to teach you about the Thompson then?" I asked.

"I can manage."

"Perfect. Go on back."

Gabe and I turned back in time to see Steve block a powerful hit from Bucky. The two men went into a quick grapple, Steve, being the better trained, having the upper hand. "They're looking good, Victoria," Gabe told me brightly.

"I'm glad that you like it." He walked off with a smile and I glanced back at the other men. "James. Shall we?" I called out.

He glanced up and gave a slight incline of the head as he walked over towards me and came to stand next to me. "What's here?" James asked, standing over my shoulder.

"Sten Mark II SMG. Not bad. British Armed Forces weapon." They were really the only people that used the Sten. Not that it was a bad gun. "Seven-point-eight inch barrel. Weapon of choice, I assume?" I asked him.

James nodded at me. "I was taught to use it when I was younger," James said.

Perhaps his father had been a hunter and had taught him. It didn't matter. "If that's what you're good with, that's the only thing that matters to me. Here we have your side arm," I said, pulling out the pistol that was sitting on the side. "Webley Mark IV. Forty-five grain. Revolver, six shots. Fifty yard firing range."

James laughed softly and I glanced over at him, wondering what he was laughing for. "It's like you've swallowed a textbook," he explained.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I couldn't help but to laugh as well. "So I've heard." I reached over and grabbed the belt of bombs. "Here's a belt of Mills bombs. Hand grenades, better known as. Seven second delay so be weary," I told him, being very cautious to hand it over.

"Filling?" he asked, looking them over.

"Baratol. Mixture of TNT and barium nitrate with a small quantity of paraffin wax."

"Highly explosive," James said.

"Yes. So, as I said, be careful with them."

James nodded at me as he gently placed the grenades back onto the table with his other weapons. "I will. Thank you, Victoria," he said.

"Not a problem. Head on back." James got up to leave and I turned back to the other men. "Jim. Come on down!" I called.

Jim walked over to me, standing above the weapons. "Lay it on me," he said.

Grabbing the first of his gun, I gave it a once-over. Howard must have gotten special authorization for this one. "M3A1. The 'Grease Gun' as they call it. Forty-five caliber. This is a new improvement of the old version. It probably won't be available to the military for another year. But Howard got an early version for you," I admitted, handing him over the new weapon.

It looked like Jim was in love as he began to look over the weapon. It was the only one that had been with his things. I assumed that it was expensive. "Remind me to send him a present," Jim said, not taking his eyes off of the gun.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "Not a problem. Head back, alright?" Jim turned around and headed back to the other men as I glanced back to their lineup. "Jacques, come over," I called out.

Jacques walked over and looked over my shoulder. "What have we here?" he asked.

Moving towards his things, I motioned to them. "A few different things. Sten Mark II SMG. James has the same one. The two of you will work together on it. And we've also got you an M1A1 carbine. Fifteen round magazine," I said, allowing him to give the weapons a good look. "And I hear that you're an explosives expert?"

Jacques glanced back over at me and smiled, giving me a little nod. "Yes, ma'am," he said brightly.

That would definitely come in handy a little later, during the missions to the Hydra bases. "We'll keep that in mind. Any questions?" I asked him as he was still looking over the weapons.

Jacques shook his head at me. "None. Let me know when you'll need the explosives," he told me.

Smiling brightly, I nodded at him. "Trust me. We will." Jacques and I exchanged a smile as he walked backwards towards the other men, leaving only Bucky and Steve. "Bucky!" I called out.

He walked up to me and smiled as he stood behind me. I rolled my eyes, feeling his chest pressed up against my back. "You didn't get me anything that's going to blow up in my face, did you?" he asked teasingly.

Maybe he wasn't teasing me. That was very much like me to get something that would explode in his face. As long as it didn't really hurt him. "I thought about it." He gently nudged against my back and I laughed as I was shoved forward into the table. "We've got all sorts of fun stuff for you to try out," I said, motioning to the table.

"You designed this, didn't you?" Bucky asked, motioning to his uniform.

Screwing my face up in confusion, I nodded at him. "I had some say in it." Howard had asked me what I wanted Bucky to be in. I'd only made a few suggestions. "Why?" I asked.

Was there a chance that he didn't like it? "It's blue," he commented.

I'd always thought that he liked blue. "So?" I asked, slightly harsher than I'd meant.

Bucky didn't take offense. He merely smiled and slid a hand over my arm. I was very glad that the men were too busy beating each other to a pulp to pay attention. "That's your favorite color," he whispered in my ear.

Ignoring his comment - because it was true - I picked up the guns that were laid out for him. "M1928A1 Thompson. Thirty round box magazine. Slightly increased accuracy from the original model." I handed off the rifle to him as I picked up the pistol. "Colt M1911A1 pistol. Side arm, I assume. Forty-five caliber. Seven round magazine. Very common," I said as I handed that one over to him as well.

Bucky racked the slide back and I smiled. "Perfect," he said, releasing the slide.

We stayed in silence for a moment as Bucky looked the weapons over. "You mentioned to me in one of your earlier letters that you frequently worked as a sniper for your Infantry." Bucky nodded at me. "How do you feel about keeping that status? Protect the men from a distance. Watch over everything that I can't see on the ground," I told him.

Bucky glanced over at me and nodded. "I can do that," he said.

"Good." I reached over and grabbed the next of the guns that I'd personally asked Howard to get. "M1941 Johnson rifle. Rotating bolt, ten rounds," I said, handing it off to him.

Bucky spent a few minutes looking over it. "Not bad," he said, as he placed it back onto the ground. "What did Stark give you?"

Smiling at him, I grabbed my little package of weapons. "Kakute." Bucky did not look happy at the sight of that. "Haladie." I noticed him take a step back at that one. "Throwing knives." He watched me spin them curiously for a moment before I placed them back on the table. "A pair of black batons - mostly used for escrima fighting." I noticed him rubbing the back of the neck, probably remembering the Hydra guard whose skull I had crushed with the baton. "And these," I said, motioning down to my feet.

Everything that had obviously been making him uncomfortable before had gone straight out of his head. His eyebrows rose as he glances down at the shoes. "New shoes?" he asked dumbly.

"Watch."

Gently pressing down against the heels of the shoes, Bucky and I watched as the blades shot out. I noticed the color drain from his face. "That's neat," he said weakly.

"Vibranium blades," I explained.

Bucky smiled at me but I noticed that he was standing back slightly. He obviously didn't want me to kick him. "You're not going to train us with those, are you?" he asked carefully.

Rolling my eyes, I pushed Bucky off to the side, walking off towards the others. "Honestly you boys are such babies. I have enough control that even if I was fighting with them, I wouldn't stab you," I told him.

"Just to be safe," Bucky said.

Just so that he would stop whining, I slipped the shoes off of my feet. It would hurt a lot less if I kicked them like this anyways. I turned back to the others and cleared my throat. "Gentlemen! Everyone have their weapons together?" I asked. They all stopped fighting long enough to look at me and nod. "Let's fight." That earned a great deal of groans. "Line up. Who goes first?"

They all exchanged looks with each other and I smiled, knowing that they didn't want to be the one to fight me. Dum Dum stepped forward and sighed. "What the hell? I'll go," he told me, standing across from each other.

Checking to ensure that the rifle was clear, I nodded for Dum Dum to make his move. He was holding the rifle out to me as the men counted down from three. The moment that they hit one, I saw Dum Dum pull the trigger. I ducked into a roll forward as the gun clicked and rose back to my feet. I grabbed the barrel of the gun and jammed it back upwards into his nose. He groaned as I raised my knee and kicked him in the stomach, throwing him over himself. He grunted in pain as I wrenched the gun away from him and turned it back, finger on the trigger. Dum Dum laughed as he raised his arms to me in surrender, weakly stumbling back to his feet.

Smiling at him, I motioned for him to come forward so that I could explain to him the things that he could have done differently. Obviously he could have fired the gun at me again. I had told him that the moment that I reached for the barrel of the gun to fire. For an average person, the heat generated at the blast would cause them to drop their grip. And, if that didn't work, I had mentioned for him to drop the gun and grab my knee. If he was fighting against someone else, it would be the perfect time to pull the knee out of place, effectively putting someone out of fighting.

Once I was sure that he was alright, I allowed Dum Dum to go back into the lineup. Staring at them for a moment, I grinned towards Jim. He sighed at me. "Jim. Wanna try?" I asked.

Jim walked forward with his rifle in hand. "Gonna take it easy on me?" he asked me.

"I already am," I said.

We both smirked at each other as Jim got down into a fighting position. Just like with Dum Dum, the men counted down the fight. It made it a little easier for us to react at the same time. Grabbing a baton from my own arsenal, I swung it around before grabbing the end. I saw Jim swallow a lump as the men got to one. I swung the baton out towards Jim's rifle before he got a chance to pull the trigger. It hit the edge of the rifle and Jim's weapon was knocked from his hands at the impact. I dropped the baton before rearing forward and kicking him under the jaw. He grunted as he stumbled back and I slid forward on my hand and forward with my thighs, grabbing the rifle and turning to point it at him.

Just like with Dugan, Jim knelt over on his knees and laughed, holding up a hand to stop another attack. I laughed and stepped forward so that I could show him what had gone wrong. I showed him that he should have turned the rifle to the side to stop the attack from the baton. And in the event that he was unable to catch my attack with the baton, I had showed him the proper way to catch my leg and shove me backwards before I could react and kick out with my other leg. He was strong and fast, so it might work on the average fighter.

Grabbing his face and forcing him to look at me, I nodded. He would be fine. "You're not that big. Use that to your advantage," I told him.

It meant that there was a smaller target area. "Got it," Jim said.

He was rubbing at his jaw and I cringed. I might have kicked him a little harder than I had thought that I did. "Sorry about the jaw," I said awkwardly.

"That's alright. Hell of a kick you've got there," Jim told me.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "Thank you." Jim stepped backwards as I looked over the men. "Jacques! Come on down," I called out.

He let out a little puff of air and nodded at me, taking a step forward. I'd spotted before that he was not the best with hand-to-hand combat so I decided that I would take it a little easier on him. James was kneeling down with the rifle upright and I watched as the men counted down. The moment that they got to one, Jacques let off a false shot that I ducked out of the way of. As he attempted to shoot again, I ran up to him, quickly turned to gather momentum, and swept my foot across the gun. It was knocked from his hands as I placed my foot back on the ground and used the other to kick him in the chest, flinging him backwards across the floor.

He had definitely done better with the rifle between the two of us, but he still wasn't very good. I showed him how the best method of attack was to drop the gun and catch my leg, shoving me backwards. In the event that I had managed to kick the gun out of his hands, I showed him another way to catch my leg. It was definitely obvious that he had never been given any formal combat training. As much as I liked Jacques, he would not be good to place in the front of a hand-to-hand fight.

Once he had demonstrated that he at least understood what I was talking about, I stood back and crossed my arms. "Did you do hand to hand fighting in France?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head at me. "Non. I am more of a marksman," he said.

That was what I had been expecting. I would definitely keep him in the background as a marksman. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." He stepped back and I looked back towards the others. "James. Take a crack at it," I said. He stepped forward as the men counted down.

Dashing straight towards James, I made a move to grab the barrel of the gun. He was smarter than Dum Dum. He turned it to the side so that I lost my grip on it. He thought that he had won as he tried to jam it back into my face, but I still knew better than that. Shoving the rifle downwards, I used it as leverage as I grabbed the middle of the rifle and jumped over James's shoulders to stand behind him. Turning backwards so that my front was pressed against his back, I kept our bodies together as I yanked upwards on the rifle and pulled it straight into his throat, suffocating him. We fought together for a moment before he tapped my thigh and I dropped my grip on the rifle.

It was one of the more impressive fights that we had all seen. James was definitely good with hand-to-hand - probably the best behind Steve and Bucky - but he was still nothing against me. I showed him the better way was to just drop the gun before I jumped so that I had nothing to choke him with, and I also showed him that stepping on my foot or driving his heel back into my knee would have helped. He seemed incredibly embarrassed that he hadn't thought about either one of those things. I had reassured him that during a fight, people panic and they forget how to properly fight or think through their movements.

Once the two of us had worked through the movements that I had made, I smiled at him, taking a step backwards. "Not bad. What would you think about a bayonet?" I asked curiously.

His face fell with curiosity before he nodded at me. "I could deal with that," he said.

"I think that it might be useful for you. I'll talk to Howard about it."

"Thank you, Victoria."

Nodding at him, I motioned for him to step back. "Not a problem." I glanced over the rest of the men before realizing that Gabe was the only one of them left - as I was still saving Bucky and Steve. "Gabe. Why don't we go with yours?" I called him out.

Weakly he stepped forward. I'd noticed that he was another one of the weaker men with hand-to-hand. I wanted to take it a little easier on him. With the attack on Hydra just a few days away, I couldn't risk accidentally hurting anyone. Gabe had the machine gun that was very easy to take away. Sliding past him on my knees, I rolled onto my back as Gabe aimed the gun downwards. I leaned backwards before raising my heels upwards and jamming them into the gun. It went backwards into his nose and he dropped it. I flipped upwards to my feet and watched as Gabe came to run after me again. He threw a punch and I caught his arm with my forearm, wrapping my other arm underneath his and turning my back to him, yanking forward and throwing him over himself.

Giving Gabe my hand, I grabbed his arm and yanked him back to his feet. While he was back on his feet I showed him the mistakes that he had made. I showed him that he really had to move faster with aiming the gun. Hydra wouldn't give him time to move the gun to aim. I also showed him that he really needed to keep his arms locked into place so I wouldn't be able to hit him with the gun. And, if all else failed, I showed him how he really had to be careful and not let me trap his arm in between mine.

The moment that Gabe had managed to get his breath back, I moved towards him with a guilty smile. "Not much for hand-to-hand, are you?" I asked as nicely as I could.

"That obvious?" Gabe said through a laugh.

"No offense."

"None taken."

Even though he wasn't good with hand-to-hand fighting, he was good with shooting. That was potentially the more important thing here. "But I do hear that you're a hell of a shot," I told him.

Gabe shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not bad," he said.

That was his way of trying to act nonchalant about something that he was clearly quite good with. "I'll keep that in mind. Take a break." He nodded at me and turned back. I looked back to the lineup and smiled at Bucky. "Bucky. We'll leave Steve for last. That shield will take some time to figure out," I told Steve.

He nodded at me and Bucky stepped forward. He was holding the rifle in his hands as he walked towards me. "See? Now I have something to hit you back with," he teased me as he walked towards me.

"You'll miss," I shot back.

And I meant it. As much as I loved Bucky, I was never going to let him best me in a fight. I was very proud of my fighting status against the men. "I might get in one," he told me smartly.

Best of luck with that. "Okay. Go for it," I said.

It was cute the way that Bucky got down into a fighting position. He was holding the rifle up and straight at me as the men began to count down to the fight. Bucky made a move to raise the gun and shoot, but I was faster. I jumped forward into a cartwheel and as I came to be vertical, I swung my legs past where they should have gone, swinging my body out to the side so that Bucky's gun was knocked out of his hand as my first foot came down. As my second foot came down, I kicked Bucky in the head, making him stumble backwards. The gun was on the floor in between us, waiting to be taken back.

Ducking down into a squat, I moved onto one hand and raised my knees and feet upwards as Bucky stumbled back towards me. My feet went straight into Bucky's stomach as he was thrown backwards. He hit the ground as I hit back to my feet and rolled forward, grabbing the gun. Bucky was trying to get up from the ground as I flipped forwards, landing with my legs on either side of his torso. With the rifle still in my hands, I swung it forward and down into Bucky's chest, pointing the barrel of the gun into his chest. He stared at me for a moment, pulling back from a punch that he was about to throw, and put his hands up.

Smiling at him, I got back to my feet and waited for him to do the same. Tossing the rifle back to him, I smiled slightly. He merely watched me as I motioned for Steve to toss me a baton. I took only one, standing up against Bucky with the rifle. Immediately I sprang forward towards him and swung out the baton. Bucky swung out the rifle and I narrowly ducked away from it. He swung the rifle down again as I managed to hook one of the batons underneath it, using the other baton to swing the rifle up and over, keeping it out of my firing range. I used the force to yank Bucky downwards. His torso was parallel with the ground as I pulled up one leg, wrapping it over his back, and used the other to yank him over himself, sending him sprawling and me into a forward roll.

The rifle had been knocked away from us in the brief fight, and so had the batons. Bucky managed to get back up to his feet and launch himself after me. I grabbed his arm as he swung out to punch me before shoving him backwards, aiming a strong kick into his ribs. He stumbled backwards as I placed my foot back on the ground and swung on it, reaching out my other leg to wrap around Bucky's torso. It caught over the back of Bucky's neck and he placed his hands on my waist, trying to yank me off, but it was too late.

Using the leg that was still on the ground, I went into a frontward dive to roll over myself, keeping my legs wrapped around Bucky's torso as I threw him over myself, into a roll. He hit the ground with my legs wrapped over his neck and chest, keeping him pinned as I reached backwards and grabbed the rifle. Sitting upright, I twirled it in my hands before aiming the barrel straight down at Bucky's chest. He looked at me and sighed, tapping my thigh to concede the fight.

There was a soft blush on Bucky's face as I sprung off of him, handing him back the gun, and taking a step backwards. We spent a long time going over everything that he had done wrong. I showed him the very obvious thing that he should have done at my first impact, which was take a step backwards. He felt very stupid for missing that one. Actually, that was what he should have done during most of the fight. He had done well against the batons, but I had made it a point to show him that he should have jammed the rifle upwards into my nose before I'd managed to flip him. There wasn't much that he could have done about the last move.

We finished fighting and I laughed as Bucky wrapped an arm over my shoulders. He looked exhausted as the men began to laugh at his - admittedly very good - efforts. "Good try though," I chirped at him.

Bucky was still wheezing slightly, trying to suck air back into his lungs. "One of these days, Vika, I'm going to beat you in a fight," he told me, sounding very determined.

"Best of luck," I teased Bucky. He smiled at me before taking a step back so that Steve could come forward. "Alright, Steve, your turn. Let's check out that shield." He stepped forward and I smiled, reaching back to the table. "If you get a weapon, I want one, too."

"That's not fair," Steve snapped.

Turning back towards him, I smiled. "You're not going to be fighting against someone that's unarmed. Trust me when I say that I'm taking it easy on you," I said as I grabbed a knife off of the table.

It was easy to see Steve take a step backwards. "With a knife?" he asked, the pitch of his voice rising.

Placing my hand against the blade, I bent it over itself. "Dull and plastic. It's a practice blade. It won't hurt you," I told him.

"Okay," Steve said, not looking completely convinced.

The knife was lighter than I was used to, but I could manage. The men counted down the fight, taking a few large steps backwards to give us enough room to fight. Shield in hand, Steve came running straight towards me. He raised it in front of himself as I sent a punch straight to the shield, stopping the attack dead in its tracks. Steve was shocked at the sudden stop. Seeing as it was vibration absorbent, neither one of us made a move. Knowing that I had to do something else, I used one hand to wrench the shield off to the side and send a kangaroo-like kick at Steve's chest. He was thrown backwards as I hit the ground, jumping back to my feet. Steve jumped forward into a roll as we made a move to fight again. He was definitely better with the shield.

He came back to swing the shield out to hit me but I managed to grab the edge with my hand, punching Steve in the chest with my spare hand. He grunted as he stumbled backwards and I aimed another hit to his face. As Steve recovered from the hit, I used my other hand to grab underneath the shield and turn it over to dislocate Steve's shoulder. But he was smart enough to know what I was doing. As I wrenched the shield over, Steve flipped with it, landing back on his feet. I raised a brow in surprise. He was learning. Holding the shield myself, I blocked two punches from Steve before tossing it back behind us. Steve came back towards me as I slipped the knife from the holster. I twirled it in my hand once as Steve bounced nervously, no longer having the shield to protect himself with. The knife was coated in black grease paint so that we would be able to see where I would hit him.

Coming towards Steve, we grappled for a moment as I slashed the knife back and forth. He was getting better with blocking the hits. But as I tossed the knife from one hand to another, over Steve's arm, I reached up and slashed the knife across his face. There was a black mark across his cheek. I sent the knife back towards his knee and left another black mark as I moved back upwards, slashing across his chest, leaving a thin mark. Shoving him backwards, he very narrowly missed another cut to his throat as I aimed a punch with my spare hand. It connected with his head and he stumbled back. Steve sent a very well-aimed kick, causing me to drop the knife for a moment as he managed to duck behind me and grab the shield again.

He managed to block three consecutive hits from me before I faked a hit to his ribs - causing him to lower the shield - before aiming a strong hit with his jaw, my fist connecting that time. Steve stumbled backwards as I threw my leg out backwards to kick him. He managed to block the kick with the shield as my back was turned - and that was where he made his fatal mistake.

He turned his back towards my own - placing our backs against each other - and made a move to grab me underneath the throat to throw me over myself, and for just a moment, I allowed him the chance to do that. As he flung me over himself, letting the grip drop, I rotated so that my legs caught his throat as I went to the ground. Steve went toppling over me as my legs locked over the arm with the shield on it. We hit the ground together as I landed on the upside-down shield and his arm that was still trapped inside the straps. The knife was behind us as I reached back to grab it and turned my torso, pressing the blade down against his chest, effectively ending the fight.

In a very rare occurrence, we were both breathing heavily. Steve was panting as my breath was coming just slightly faster than normal. The men were watching in amazement. "You almost won," I said, not liking that possible outcome.

The two of us jumped off of each other and back to our feet. "But I didn't," he said, leaning onto his knees.

"That was good," I admitted.

"Can we do another one?" he asked.

Staring at him for a moment, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Are you sure that you want to do another one?" I asked carefully.

There was a small grin on Steve's face. "You kidding? I'm just getting started," he told me.

Smiling softly, I nodded. If he wanted to fight, we would fight. Once more, the men counted us down. Steve had the shield in one hand as he advanced on me, swinging out with the free hand. I managed to lean back and kick away his hand before rearing back and sending the same leg into his sternum. He was thrown backwards as he threw another punch. I ducked out of the way of the hit, blocking four consecutive hits from Steve with my forearms. He swung the shield out towards me as I ducked down, spun in a squat, and did a one-handed cartwheel, shoving my foot underneath his jaw.

He stumbled backwards as I ran towards him again, jamming my knee into his stomach, knocking him backwards again. He raised the shield so that my punch to his head was deflected. Steve was very surprised as I did a spring forward, turning in midair, and grabbing his shoulders as I was straight over him. We both went tumbling backwards as I landed backwards in a squat. I aimed a hit down to Steve's face, but he managed to block it with the shield, shoving the shield upwards to throw me back. I slid back against the carpet on all fours. As I moved to run at Steve again, he came after me and locked his arms around my throat, keeping the shield over my torso. He wrenched me backwards as I flew backwards into a tuck and roll, facing him once more.

Running back towards him, I jumped upwards as Steve raised the shield. I alternated legs with two strong kicks towards the shield before landing once more. Steve held the shield up in front of his face to block a punch as I leaned downwards and swept out his legs from underneath him. He hit the ground as I went into a front flip, grabbing his arm and yanking him back upwards into a stand with me. He was turned away from me as I reached the arm upwards, feeling it crack slightly at the strange angle that I was bending the shield. Steve cried out as I wrenched the shield off of his arm and tossed it off to the side.

Steve desperately aimed a punch at me but I grabbed his fist with my own. His grip was stronger than I thought that it was, so I wrenched it off to the side before yanking it back the other way, sending the both of us into a sideways roll. It took Steve a moment longer to get back to his feet than it took me, so I used my window of opportunity. Turning my back to Steve, I gave a half twist before jumping upwards and sending my legs straight into Steve's chest. He was thrown backwards across the room as I landed sideways, ducking into a roll to regain my balance.

Walking back up to him, I reached down and gave him a hand up. "You alright?" I asked.

As he got back to hit feet, Steve was shaking his head clear. "Remind me to never fight against you without that shield," he said as he crossed the ballroom to get the shield back.

"You've managed for two years. Don't be a wimp," I snapped at him. He grabbed the shield and I smiled. He was actually a much harder opponent with it. "Alright... I think you've found your niche."

Steve held up the shield and patted it lovingly. "Told you that it was useful," he said.

"Don't get too cocky. Like you said, don't get in a fight with me without it. Put that shield down and let's see who wins," I said.

I could spot Steve swallow a lump in his throat. "No thank you," he said quickly.

The two of us walked over to where the rest of the men were standing. They were all laughing at Steve's misfortune. Of course, they would have been much worse off. "That thing's not too bad," Bucky joked, patting the shield.

Laughing at the two of them, I turned back to the others. "You guys are getting better," I told them honestly.

With each passing day I could see that they were getting a little bit better. "You're just telling us that because it's what we want to hear," Dum Dum told me.

Turning back towards him, I shook my head. "I am not telling you that because it's what I think that you want to hear. I'm telling you that because it's the truth. I can see that you're all improving," I snapped at him.

He gave me a bashful look as Steve interrupted the tense silence. "Think we're going to be ready by next week?" he asked me.

There was never going to be a time that we were completely ready. But we were definitely close enough. "We need to get things together before we're actually ready to infiltrate the facility, but in the next few days I think that we're going to be ready to start the attack on Hydra," I told them.

They all nodded at me. "Anything else for tonight?" Gabe asked.

For a moment I debated on fighting with them as a group or individuals. But after a few beats I decided against it. "I took it kind of hard on you all tonight. We'll work on it again tomorrow." They looked very relieved that I wasn't going to make them fight again. I was sure that they were all tired. "What time is it?" I asked.

Gabe glanced down at his watch. "Just past five," he said.

Nodding at him, I took a step backwards. "Okay. The choice is yours, gentlemen. I have things to do tonight. But it's up to you whether you'd like to take a break and go back to the bar, your rooms, whatever, or if you'd like to stay and continue training," I told him, making it very obvious that my preference was that they trained a little longer.

Dum Dum took the hint as he turned back to the others. "What do you say boys? Train for another hour and get Cap to open up a tab?" he offered, patting Steve on the back.

Steve nodded his consent. "Sounds fair."

"See you boys later. Good job today, by the way," I told them all.

The men turned to leave as I made my move to head back to my room. "Come on, Bucky!" Gabe called when he saw that Bucky was hesitating.

Bucky stayed where he was standing and motioned back to me awkwardly. I watched with an amused quirk of the eyebrow. "Uh - We're going out," he said dumbly.

Dum Dum laughed and patted him on the back. "Good man!" he cheered

"Bring us back something to eat!" Gabe shouted from the other end of the room.

Jim walked over and threw an arm over Bucky's shoulder. "What the hell, Bucky? Not taking the rest of us out to eat?" he teased.

Smiling at their moment, I decided to give them some time together. "I'm going to go take a shower. See you boys a little while later." I departed from the men with quick hugs before turning back to Bucky. "Come get me when you're ready to go?" I asked him.

"Of course," Bucky said. We shared a quick kiss as I turned to leave. The other men were laughing at him, teasing him for the moment of affection. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to Steve.

"Take care of them, alright?" I asked him.

He nodded at me. "Sure thing. You're sure that we're ready to start infiltrating the Hydra bases?" he asked uncertainly.

I knew why he was nervous. If we weren't able to succeed on our first mission, we were risking their lives. Even after we'd told them that they would be fine. "I think so. We're going to start planning this week. Chester wants us to move forward with the attacks. The sooner we get the first one done and prove ourselves, the better," I said.

Steve nodded at me. "We can do that. Enjoy your night, alright?" he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Smiling at him, I nodded. "Thanks. We'll probably drop by the bar before heading back."

"See you in a few hours."

I was about to turn to leave when I saw something funny about his arm. "Come here," I said.

"Why?" Steve asked.

"Your shoulder is dislocated."

"I wondered why it felt so funny."

The two of us smiled at each other as I walked behind him. My hand gently pressed against the back of his shoulder as the other pressed against his front. The men watched curiously as I gave the shoulder a rough shove. It slipped back into place as Steve leaned over himself, obviously in pain. I knew that putting back dislocations was not a pleasant feeling.

Steve stood back upright and glanced over at me with dark eyes. "Next time just leave it," he said breathlessly.

Smiling guiltily at him, I gently tapped against his arm, feeling bad about accidentally hurting him. "Sorry about that," I said awkwardly.

"It's alright. Thanks for fixing it," he told me.

"Not a problem. I'll see you later," I said as I placed a kiss against his cheek.

Ignoring the men that were still teasing Bucky about taking me out on a date, I walked out of the ballroom and headed down to hall to my room. There weren't that many people around, considering that most people were still out at work. I softly padded into my room and said a quick hello to Peggy, who was writing something at her desk. I slid off my boots and placed them on the table with the rest of the weapons. Once I had everything together, I walked into the bathroom and hopped into the shower.

A small smile formed on my lips when I realized that Bucky and I really weren't a traditional couple. Men and women normally went out on dates all of the time. I could remember Bucky taking out a few girls in high school and he'd been out with them multiple times, no matter how short-lived the relationship was. But as for us, even after having been dating for some time - we had only been out on a few dates. This would be the third official date that we had been on. We'd gone to Coney Island together for his birthday and we'd gone out on the double date with Steve, Connie, and Bonnie before he deployed.

Once I had washed the shampoo out of my hair, I got out of the shower and let off a quick blast of flames, immediately drying myself off. I grabbed a robe and wrapped it around myself. As I walked out of the bathroom, I headed straight towards my dresser. But almost immediately I breathed out a puff of air. I wasn't sure what I should wear for something like this. Was it formal or did I wear the kind of thing that I normally wore? My head slowly turned back to Peggy.

She was still at her desk. "Hey, Peggy -"

"I've already got your things together," she interrupted. She got up from her chair and motioned towards me. I smiled at her. She must have known that I wouldn't know what to do. "Sit."

"Thank you," I said dumbly.

Peggy rolled her eyes at me but smiled anyways. We chatted back and forth about our days as her makeup brushes went over my face and as she began to curl my hair. I merely sat and let her do what she wanted. I'd learned that it was easier to just let her do whatever she wanted to me. About twenty minutes passed before she finally handed me a dress to step into. She helped me into it and pushed a pair of black high heels towards me for me to wear.

Once she was done with me, she allowed me to get up from the chair and look in the mirror. She had done my makeup reasonably demurely tonight. There was only a hint of mascara on my eyes and I was sure that she had done something to my face. I couldn't tell. Makeup was not something that I was good with. My hair had only been loosely curled, allowing it to fall over my shoulders. I looked different than any other girls that would dress up, but I supposed that was the point. The dress that Peggy had given me was black and off the shoulders, having little cap sleeves at the top of my bicep. The dip in the chest was rather low and I blushed at it. It was tight down my body until the middle of the thighs where it began to flow out to underneath the knees.

It was definitely my preferred look. The dress wasn't quite what I had been expecting, but it was a cute look. "It looks nice, Peggy. Thanks," I told her as I brushed the curls off of my shoulders.

Peggy smiled, looking over her handiwork. "You're welcome. You look lovely," she told me.

"Well it's all yours so I would hope that you like it," I responded. We both smiled at that as I disentangled the Murano Glass from the dog tags, slipping it over my neck. "Steve is going to be in the bar tonight with the men..."

"Victoria -"

"Come on!" I interrupted. She merely glared at me, placing her hands on her hips. "I've dressed up two times over the past two weeks. It's your turn to repay me. Just go. He'll ask you to go dancing." She glared at me and I let out a quick breath. "I promise. He can't be so clueless as to miss a chance."

Peggy was silent for a moment before conceding. "And why do I say that I'm there?" she asked.

"You wanted a dance," I suggested.

She didn't like that one. "Try again," she snapped.

Thinking for a moment, I easily came up with another excuse. "Tell him that Chester needs us to go over the maps in the morning to start planning out the attacks on the Hydra bases," I said.

Peggy thought about that one for a while before nodding. "That could work," she said slowly.

"So you'll go?" I asked hopefully.

"It means that much to you?"

"It does."

We were silent for a moment before Peggy nodded. "I'll go."

Smiling at her, I wrapped her in a hug. "You're a doll."

"Yes - Yes - I know," she said, waving me off.

The two of us stood together with little smiles on our faces as a knock at the door sounded. Glancing backwards, Peggy held me still for a moment so that she could fix my hair. She pushed back a few strands of my hair, rearranged the dress, and gave me makeup one last look before nodding at me. Once she was satisfied, she released her hold on me and I swung the door open. My heart gave a little flutter when I realized that he was in his uniform. It was the same one that he had been wearing when we had gone to the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition in New York. He looked quite handsome.

And it was very obvious that he knew it, too. "Don't you look dashing?" I asked teasingly.

He smiled at me and grabbed my hand. My heart gave another pathetic flutter as he pressed a kiss against the back of my hand. "Aren't you quite the dish?" he shot back. I laughed softly at him as Bucky straightened up and looked back at Peggy, realizing that she was watching us. "How are you, Peggy?"

"Have fun on your date," she chirped, flippantly dismissing us to enjoy ourselves.

Smiling at her, I walked over to her quickly and wrapped her in a hug. "I'll see you later. Thanks for helping out." The two of us smiled at each other as I walked back towards Bucky. "Go to the bar!" I shouted after her before we could leave.

I heard something rather profane get called back to me, but the door shut before I could say anything else. "The bar?" Bucky asked.

"Steve is going to be there."

Bucky's grin turned upwards as he shook his head at me. "Still trying to get the two of them to go on a date?" he asked.

"They don't even need to go on a date. They just need to go dancing," I said.

"Think he'll ask her?"

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head at him. "No. But I hope that they'll at least manage a conversation." We both laughed as we walked out of the building. Bucky's arm wrapped around my waist as we headed off into London. As we walked, I glanced up at Bucky. "You know that this is only the third date that we've ever been on?" I asked him.

Bucky looked extremely thrown by that comment. "That can't be right," he told me.

Smiling at him, I nodded, tucking myself a little further into him. The breeze was definitely cold. "It is. We went out to Coney Island during your basic training, we went out to the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow Exhibition partly for my own business and a very failed double date, and now today," I said.

It was cute the way that he had looked very bashful when I'd mentioned the failed double date with Connie and Bonnie. "How about if we count all of the times that you've kicked me around?" Bucky teased.

We both laughed at that. "Well then we've been on quite a few," I said.

Bucky's arm dropped slightly so that his hand went around to sit on my hip. "And to think that we've slept in the same bed. I think that you're a bad influence," Bucky said.

"Shut up!"

The two of us laughed but I could tell that something was still bothering him. And I knew what it was. The thought that we really hadn't been out on that many dates. He hadn't taken me the normal places that a man took a woman. "I'll spend the rest of my life taking you wherever you want," Bucky told me.

"No," I snapped, harsher than I meant.

Bucky's head snapped over to me. "No?" he asked.

"No," I repeated. "We spend it doing whatever you want."

"Vika -"

"I've got the rest of eternity to do whatever I want. You don't have that," I said, reaching my hand around to place it over the one that he had on my hip. I felt it tighten slightly. I could feel his guilt at the thought that one day he would leave me alone, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. "We spend it doing whatever you want. Because the only thing that I want is to spend as long as I can with you."

Bucky glanced down at me and placed his spare hand under my chin, pressing it upwards so that we could share a quick kiss. "And that's going to happen. We do whatever we want to do," he told me softly.

Once he had released me, I smiled, looking off towards the sinking sun. "Go swimming," I muttered.

"Swimming?" Bucky repeated, obviously surprised.

Turning my head up towards him, I smiled once more. That was definitely one of my preferred activities, not one that I got to enjoy that often. "Yeah. I like the water," I said bashfully.

There was a small smile on Bucky's face. "I didn't know that," he told me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I gently dug the heel of my shoe into the cobblestone. "As stupid as it sounds, I think that there are still lots of little things that we don't know about each other," I mentioned quietly.

"We've got a long time to figure it all out," Bucky told me sweetly.

Smiling up at him, I nodded. We had been walking for a while now and I still had no clue where we were going. Howard had told me that it was easy to find, but it didn't seem to be the case. "Howard told me that the restaurant was just a few blocks away from the base. He mentioned that it was hard to miss," I mumbled as we walked.

"You've got some of the worst directional skills that I've ever seen," Bucky commented offhandedly.

"Excuse you!" I barked, whacking him on the shoulder.

Bucky laughed and wrapped his arm up around my shoulders. "Come on, Vika. Remember when we were kids? We would always get lost whenever we were trying to find someone's house," he told me.

It would usually be Bucky and Steve that would be invited to someone's house and they would drag me with them. That was why I would let them remain lost without helping them out. "You two would get lost. I'd be trying to read their minds to find them," I told him.

Bucky looked surprised at that admission. "Did you ever do that to find Steve and I?" he asked curiously.

"Sometimes," I admitted.

Instead of looking offended, he merely laughed and shook his head at me. "That is so violating," he chuckled.

Glancing up at him, I gave a sweet smile. Bucky cocked his head to the side when he saw my eyes flash a brighter yellow than normal. It was teasing. "Want me to tell you what you're thinking right now?" I asked him playfully.

"Not particularly," Bucky said quickly. I noticed that his colors were coloring slightly. He must have been thinking something that wasn't exactly appropriate. Smiling at his embarrassment, I leaned up and pressed a kiss against his lips.

As much as I'd really been trying not to hear his thoughts, I couldn't help it. They were so loud that I'd heard it on accident. And it made me blush slightly. I deepened the kiss for a moment before ducking back down onto my toes. Although for a moment I kept my mouth by his ear. "I like the tighter one, too," I whispered into his ear.

The hand that he had around my waist tightened slightly and I giggled as I pushed back down onto the heels. Bucky cleared his throat very awkwardly as he let his hands drop from me. He was awkwardly pulling the tie away from his throat. I giggled softly and looked down at my hands. "You're the only woman that I know that wouldn't slap a man for thinking something like that," Bucky said.

"Considering that I was thinking something very similar about you..." I admitted, my irises turning pink.

He grinned at me once more and pressed a kiss into my hair. Bucky pulled back to stare at me and motioned to himself. "You like the uniform?" he asked.

That uniform was definitely one of my favorite things that he worse. "I love a man in uniform. But I liked the way that you were dressed earlier," I teased, referring to when he'd been standing in his underwear earlier.

Bucky's eyes darkened and I smiled, knowing that I'd gotten to him. "How about skipping dinner?" he asked.

And I had known that he would say something like that. As much as I would have liked to hang around and stay in bed with him for the evening, I really was hungry, having not eaten all day. "Hold your horses, I'm starving!" I teased, pulling him along with me. "I'll come over after I get changed."

He smiled down at me and nodded. "What's this place called?" Bucky asked as we walked.

"Howard said that it was called Criterion."

Bucky looked around the block that we were standing on before straightening up. "I think that's it," he said, pointing to the end of the block.

Following his line of sight, I spotted it. Criterion was at the end of the road and I smiled, pulling Bucky with me. My jaw dropped when I saw it. The restaurant looked like it had been a theater, once upon a time. It was gorgeous. Bucky's arm looped in mine as we walked into the building. If I had thought that the outside was impressive, I was dead wrong. The inside had arching ceilings and there were intricate paintings all around the ceilings and walls. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling as arches separated the tables. Most of them were couches that were around the tables and I smiled. Howard had definitely outdone himself.

Bucky blew out a little puff of air and I smiled. This was definitely a little more than either one of us had been expecting. "This place looks a little fancy," he said through a laugh.

Thankfully we weren't the ones paying. I had a feeling that it would bankrupt us. "That's why Howard is paying for dinner," I said, earning a laugh from Bucky. "I told him that I'd pick up a bottle of some fancy scotch that they serve here while we're here."

Before Bucky got the chance to respond, a waiter walked up to us, giving us a very short bow. "Ma'am. Sir," the waiter greeted.

"The reservation should be under Stark, Howard," I said, smiling softly.

The waiter's eyes turned up slightly. I assumed that Howard was probably someone good to have around with all of the money that he had. "Yes, Mr. Stark told us to be expecting you. Sergeant Barnes and Phillips?" he asked us.

"Yes," Bucky and I said together.

The waiter nodded at us and motioned for us to follow him. "Right this way." The two of us followed him to a table near the back of the restaurant. "Here you both are." The waiter pulled out a chair for me to seat myself in, pushing it in after I had sat down. "Mr. Stark has requested for me to bring you a bottle of Glenfiddich Single Malt Speyside Scotch Whisky. Aged forty years. Shall I bring it now or at the end of the meal?" he asked us.

"The end. A glass of Johnnie Walker Black Label now, if you have it?" I asked him.

"Yes, ma'am. Sir?"

Glancing down at the table, I smiled to myself. I knew that Bucky wasn't one for anything high-class. Simply because he thought that it was a little silly. "I'll have the same," Bucky finally said.

"Right away."

The two of us nodded at him as he walked off. Bucky waited for the waiter to leave before glancing over at me and laughing. "You make me look so stupid whenever we go out," he teased.

"I don't think that it's limited to when we go out," I teased. He laughed at me as I reached across the table and gently rubbed my leg against his own.

Exchanging a quick smile, the two of us thanked the waiter as he returned with the drinks. It took quite some time to figure out what we wanted to order, considering that Bucky didn't know half of what was on the menu. But eventually we managed to figure everything out. The food was not anything that I'd had before - and it was definitely a little too fancy for me - but it was nice for Bucky and I to have a night to ourselves. We were probably one of the more annoying pairs in the restaurant. We were laughing the entire time and chatting excitedly. And I was sure that we were going to get kicked out when the waiter brought us fondue.

The two of us were sitting around for a few minutes before leaving. Bucky gently nudged against my leg as I finished off my glass of water. "So what are the plans for tomorrow?" he asked.

"We're going to be doing the same things for the next week. I'm trying to figure out how to arrange the attacks. That's half of what I do when we're all training together. I find strengths and weaknesses and learn how to play them to our benefits. Steve does it, too. We'll figure it out together," I told him.

"That sounds like a good plan."

Glancing over at him, I noticed that he was fidgeting slightly. He had always been the leader. It must have been strange to take a backseat to Steve and I. "We'd like you to help us," I said.

The two of us got up from the table and slowly made our way out of the restaurant. "I'd like to help," he said.

"Great. Then you'll come with us in the morning so that we can start planning," I said. He nodded at me as we tried to push past the tables. "Are you ready?"

Bucky glanced over at me and smiled. "We've got you protecting us. I'm ready," he said, nudging me gently.

As we walked past the entrance, the waiter that had seated us called after us. "Thank you for joining us. Give our best to Mr. Stark," he said as he held the door open.

"Thank you!" I called back.

Bucky caught my hand in his as we walked back out onto the street. I could hear the noise from the bar just a few streets over. "You know, that fight between you and Steve... That was incredible," he said slowly.

"I'm glad that it didn't scare you," I said honestly.

The way that I fought wasn't nice. It was just the way that I always had fought. Desperate to win and unwilling to lose. "Of course not. It's incredible that you can fight the way that you do. You never lose," Bucky told me.

"I'm kind of a sore loser," I teased.

He looked down at me and smiled. "That's okay. You'll always be able to beat me," he said.

And he was right about that. "I might let you win - just once!" I added, when I saw just how excited he looked at the prospect of winning. In the meantime, I saw the men stumble out onto the street from the bar. Peggy was with them, smiling at something that Steve had said. "Looks like they were having fun."

"Peggy's still with them," Bucky said curiously.

Just like him, I was a little surprised to see that she was still with them. We had been gone for almost two hours. "Maybe Steve actually managed to ask her to go dancing," I said, not really able to believe it.

"Let's find out."

The two of us walked up to the men and I smiled as Peggy came to stand at my side. "Gentlemen," I greeted. They all turned to me and gave very sloppy salutes. I rolled my eyes at them. "How was the extra training?"

Dum Dum laughed and patted me on the back. "Well Steve is quite a bit easier to beat than you. But with that shield, it doesn't really matter," he told me.

"Don't worry buddy, you're tough to beat," I said, patting Steve on the stomach.

Steve laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Thanks."

Glancing up at him, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Did you ask Peggy to go dancing?" I snapped at him.

Steve glared at me as he shook his head. I rolled my eyes at him. I should have known that he wouldn't really ask her on a date. "No I didn't but we did sit and talk for a long time." I smiled at him. At least they had managed to have a nice evening together. "It was nice. I'll tell you about it later. I'm sure that Peggy will tell you about it later," he said.

"Probably."

"So how was the date?" I overheard Gabe ask Bucky.

Bucky smiled at them. "It was really good. Kind of a hell of a place that we went to actually..."

As Bucky's voice trailed off in the distance, Peggy walked up beside me and pulled me into her so that they couldn't overhear us. "Do you want to leave with him?" she asked me softly.

"Please and thank you," I told her.

"Go and I'll keep them distracted."

"Thanks, love." Before she could walk off, I ran after her. "Wait! Take this to Howard, will you?" I asked, handing her over the bottle. She nodded at me. "Tell him that I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Sure."

As Peggy walked back to the men and shouted a very loud order at them, Bucky slipped away from the conversation and back towards me. I raised a brow and smiled at him, wondering what he wanted. "Come with me," he said, grabbing my hand.

Laughing softly, I walked with him. We were dashing off towards the base once more and I stumbled over myself. Wherever we were going was somewhere very important. "Where are we going?" I asked him.

Bucky turned back to me and smiled. "I want to show you something," he said.

The look on his face told me that he was extremely excited about whatever we were going to see. I thought about asking him where we were going or reading his mind, but I knew that he wanted it to be a surprise, so I merely went along with it. We walked back into the base but instead of going out to the bedrooms or heading into the ballroom, we went down into the lower levels. We went down two halls before coming out into an underground chamber. Bucky opened the door at the end of the hallway that we were in and I laughed softly. We were standing in the entrance to an indoor pool.

Turning back to Bucky with a disbelieving look, I walked into the room. Bucky followed me and let the door close behind him. "A pool?" I asked, my laugh echoing off of the stone.

Bucky merely smiled at me. "You said that you wanted to go swimming," he said.

"How long have you known about this?" I asked.

Bucky kicked off the boots that he was wearing and rolled up his pants as he walked over to the water, dipping his legs in. I kicked off my heels and followed him, sitting on the edge. The water was cold, but it felt good. "I saw it down here a few days ago. The men were talking about it. Figured that you could come down here and use it when you wanted. It's got the privacy lock," he said, motioning back to the door.

"This is perfect."

Bucky turned towards me. "So you like it?" he asked.

"Love it."

The two of us turned towards each other as Bucky leaned in, pressing a long kiss against my lips. I sighed into the kiss and wrapped my hand around the top of his jacket. His hand was gently pressed against the back of my neck as we stayed locked in the kiss. And suddenly a little hint of mischief welled up in my chest. I leaned back slightly and raised my knees up to my chest, easily kicking Bucky in the stomach. He tried to regain his balance, but it was too late. He tumbled headfirst into the water before popping back out, looking very irritated with me. He was soaked to the bone as my laughter echoed in the small chamber.

Even though there was a scowl on Bucky's face, I could tell that he was having a very hard time not laughing. "You're not funny," he told me as he swam back over to where I sat.

"I'm hilarious." He came to swim up to me as I leaned over and pushed the hair off of his face. "You look adorable," I teased.

Bucky laughed at me as he shook out the water in his hair. I chuckled softly as the little beads sprayed me. "I'm glad that you like it," he said. A moment later he placed his wet hands on my bare thighs, slowly tracing them up underneath the loose skirt. I knew that he wouldn't go too far, though.

But we both knew what he really wanted. "Go on. I know that you want to do it," I conceded.

We both smiled as Bucky hooked his hands underneath my thighs and gave me a quick tug off of the stone tile. I laughed as I slid into the pool and let myself sink underneath. Even under the water I could hear Bucky laughing at me. I did a quick swim back and forth under the water - being able to hold my breath much longer than the average person - before popping up next to him. He was watching me with a smile and I pushed my hair back off of my forehead. We were both still laughing.

The water was slightly too deep for me to stand in. So I swam over to Bucky and gently wrapped my legs around his waist to keep myself upright. His hands were around my back as I grabbed his jacket and pulled him backwards with me. He gasped as we plunged under the water. He took a deep breath and I smiled, releasing my hands from his jacket to push the water out around our heads. The rest of our bodies were still surrounded by the water as we floated underneath the surface, but it was like there was a bubble of air around our heads. Bucky let out a breath and laughed as he looked back towards me.

Bucky gently prodded the outside of the bubble. His fingertips hit the water but the rest of him remained dry. He plunged his arm back into the water. "That's incredible," he said softly.

"You like it?" I asked.

My legs were still around Bucky and they tightened as he twirled us slightly. His hands were wrapped tightly around my back. "I love you," Bucky said, pressing his mouth against the crook of my neck.

"I love you too," I muttered, spotting the water waver slightly at my lapse in concentration.

It wasn't long before Bucky looked back at me and smiled. His pupils were blown wide and I was sure that mine looked exactly the same way. Pulling his head back up towards my own, his lips captured mine in a searing kiss. His hands daringly hooked underneath my thighs and lifted my body onto his. My legs got a slightly stronger grip as he kept one hand underneath my thigh - keeping it attached to himself - as the other went to the shallow of my back. His fingers dug into the dress and I was sure that the material was going to split underneath the grasp he had on it. Peggy would forgive me.

We stayed under the water for a few minutes until Bucky tightened the grip he had on my leg and pushed us back up into a standing position. His legs were down against the ground and myself - being too short to actually stand - decided to wrap my legs tightly around his waist. He gently walked us back so that I was pressed into the stone wall of the pool. The water was sloshing around our waists as Bucky's hand went up to tangle in my wet hair. His other hand was against the top of my thigh, tangled in the material of the dress. It was starting to slip a little lower against my chest, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

My hands went down to the jacket buckle at his waist when Bucky's hands wrapped around my own. "Hang on. The door - Someone could walk in," he mumbled against my lips.

His breathing was fast and so was my own. I turned back from him and gently raised a force field to slam the lock into place. I turned back to Bucky with a little smirk. I could see the reflection of my deep red eyes in the water. "No one's coming in," I whispered.

"Did I ever tell you that I love that you're a mutant?" he asked me.

"You can say it again."

Bucky's lips moved against my own, his voice rumbling deep in his throat. "I love that you're a mutant," he muttered.

Smiling softly at him, I reached forward and grabbed at the buckle on his waist. Easily undoing the strap, I let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Bucky smirked as we easily pushed the jacket off of his shoulders. It made a soft splash in the water as it floated away from us. My mouth was pressed against his own as I felt him bunch the material of the dress much higher than was appropriate - not that anything that was happening was appropriate. He made up for it by keeping his hands at a somewhat-respectable distance. My fingers darted to the top button on his button-up shirt when he pulled back.

My brows knitted in confusion. I'd thought that he was enjoying himself. "Still waiting for the ring, right?" he asked me, making sure that we knew when to stop.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Right," I said, almost regretting it.

The word had barely gotten out of my mouth when he captured my lips in another searing kiss. My heart was pounding as my shaky hands undid the buttons on his shirt. His tie was yanked off of him as I tossed it backwards. I helped pull him out of the shirt as I leaned backwards and grabbed it in my hands, chucking it in a sopping mess onto the tile. He laughed against my mouth as his hands traveled underneath my thighs, dipping the two of us underneath the water once more. My hands sprawled over his chest as one of his hands traveled back up to the strap on the dress. His fingers were gently tugging at it as I brought the air bubble just barely large enough so that we could breathe.

There was a zipper on the back of the dress that had become slightly tugged downwards; I wasn't sure who was to blame for that. Bucky's warm hands slid into the slight opening on the dress, wrapping around my bare back, as we continued to slip under the water. It was one of the rare times that my brain shut down and I allowed my heart to work alone. There was a haze in my brain as his hands dug into the bare skin of my torso. It was safe to say that even though the bit of innocence that I had remained intact that night, we never did make it back to our beds.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

The moment that the image formed in my brain, I knew that it was a dream. It was the same dream that I had been having for the past few days. It was the dream that I wished could come true again. I was once more dreaming of my night in the pool with Bucky over a week ago. The image began to get a little fuzzy as I slowly started waking up. A smile fell over my face as I started thinking about the ending of the night. We'd moved up to the shallow end for a while before finally settling on the stone floor near the edge of the pool. We had originally laid there just so that we could dry off, but we'd ended up falling asleep there.

That night had been one of the best that I could remember. The morning was another story. There had been a good amount of laughs and jokes exchanged between the two of us in the morning. It had been very difficult to slip back to our own rooms in the clothes that we had been wearing the night before. There had been a very awkward conversation between Peggy and me the next morning about what had happened over the night. It had taken me hours to convince her that nothing more than some heated kissing had happened. She had finally believed me when I'd offered to show her the entire night. She had merely laughed it off and told me to keep the dress.

And I certainly had kept the dress. From time to time I liked to tease Bucky and tell him that I would wear the dress whenever he wanted to. I could tell that he was trying so hard to keep sure that I couldn't hear his very impure thoughts. Not that they bothered me. Neither one of us had returned to the pool since that night. It was probably for the best, as much fun as that entire night had been. I had a strong feeling that if we went back there I wouldn't be able to restrain myself, and neither would he.

But there were also much more important things that I had to be thinking about. Today was the first day in a long time that I found myself nervous about something. It was the first time that I was nervous since having to go and get Bucky back. Today was the day that we were going to attack the first of the Hydra bases. We had been planning the attack for the past week. Everyone had been working together to ensure that we knew exactly what we were going to be doing. The only thing that I wished was that I could lay in bed today instead of having to go out there. It was already early December and Christmas was just a few weeks away.

There was a slight chill in the wind that was absolutely terrible. Thankfully there was a radiator in the corner of Bucky's room. Not that I wasn't a radiator of my own. Like usual, I had fallen asleep with Bucky last night. There had only been one night that I was working with Peggy on the attack today that I hadn't fallen asleep with Bucky. Peggy and I had fallen asleep at our desks. Yawning softly, I rolled over and sighed. I had faith that nothing was going to happen to my boys. Bucky gave a little jump and I sighed, knowing that I had woken him up. It really had been an accident. He was facing me and his eyes slowly peeled open so that he could smile down at me.

"I was wondering when you would wake up," I said softly.

Bucky gave me another small smile. He leaned down and gently pushed me over so that he could roll me onto my back. "You could have woken me up yourself," he teased me.

"You might not have wanted me to do that," I said.

And I knew that I was right about that. There was no way that he would have wanted me to wake him up. I would have done it by shoving him out of the bed or something like that. Something that wasn't very nice. Because that was just the kind of person that I was. "Am I ever going to get that back?" Bucky asked me, looking down at my body.

Grinning softly, I shook my head. The two of us had gone out to the bar a few nights ago with the other men but Bucky and I had left first. We had decided to leave before everyone else. On our way back we had headed straight for Bucky's room and I had collapsed in the bed. I'd been so tired from all of the men wanting to dance all night long. I really didn't want to get changed out of my dress and I really hadn't wanted to go back to my room to get changed. It had led to him giving me his thin robe to sleep in. I had ended up sleeping very scantily clad in my underwear with the robe over it. To both of our surprise, I had been doing that since then.

"No. I like it," I told him, grabbing the robe around me.

Bucky laughed softly and grabbed the edges of the robe, pulling it a little tighter around me. It became a little more revealing, but neither one of us said anything about it. "It looks better on you anyways," he said.

Smiling softly, I shook my head and gently nudged him. "Are you ready for today?" I asked, after a beat of silence.

Bucky nodded at me. "You trained us. You tell me if we're ready," he teased.

The comment that should have been a joke made me slightly sick to think about. There were so many ways that everything could be ruined. There were so many ways that they could be hurt. "I think that we could have the next year to train and we still wouldn't be completely ready. Hydra knows what they're doing. But so do we. That's what we have to rely on," I said, pressing my legs in between his.

It was easy enough to feel the slight shudder that Bucky gave. "We're going to be fine, Vika," he told me.

"I know that I'm going to be fine." Bucky scoffed indignantly at how big-headed the comment sounded. "It's you that I'm worried about," I said.

He looked down at me and sighed, pushing the hair back off of my forehead. He leaned down for a moment and pressed a kiss against my cheek before leaning back up. "I'm going to be fine. So will Steve, and everyone else. You've taught us well enough and we might not have been as useless as you liked to say that we were," he teased, gently nudging me.

"You boys will always be useless," I shot back.

A loud scoff came from Bucky, making me laugh. As much as I did love him, he really was a little bit useless. Although he was a good shot for a sniper. "We're not that bad," Bucky argued.

Smiling at him, I shook my head. "No. But still a little useless," I teased.

Once more he scoffed at me. Bucky pressed his forehead against mine and pushed down with some force. I laughed at the slight head-butt. "Thanks for that." We both smiled for a moment as Bucky rolled back so that I could lay on him. "How long do you think it'll take today?" he finally asked.

Sighing softly, I shrugged my shoulders. That wasn't a question that I had an answer for. "I'm not really sure. Depends on how many men are at the compound," I told him. The less people were at the base, the faster that we could get in and out. "If Schmidt is there, he'll be gone the second that he realizes that we're there. And he's our end goal."

"How do we get him?" Bucky asked me.

It would certainly end up taking a good amount of time. "We take care of all of the Hydra bases. Make sure that he has nowhere else to hide," I said. That was part of the reason that we were attempting to destroy all of the Hydra bases. We were hoping that it would end soon enough, once we had all of the Hydra bases as rubble. "Maybe even get Dr. Zola. If anyone knows what Schmidt is up to, it'll be him. That's his man."

The two of them were obviously quite close. They were apparently always spotted working together. If anyone would be our ticket to Schmidt, it would be Dr. Zola. "You said that the Tesseract could kill him," Bucky said, after a few beats of silence.

It seemed like the Tesseract could kill him, but I wasn't sure. It might just suck him through the void of space. But I supposed that it was as good as dead. "I'm not sure. Loki didn't seem to know exactly what would happen. I know that anyone that can't hold the Tesseract essentially gets sucked into a deep void of space where no one can ever return from. There's a potential that he would be killed after touching it," he said.

"So who can hold these Infinity Stones?" Bucky asked me.

"Beings of immense power."

Bucky glared at me and shook his head as I smiled. I knew that he wouldn't appreciate me saying something that he already knew. "I knew that. I meant people. Is there anyone else that can hold them?" he asked.

For a moment I hesitated. There had to be someone else out there. But it didn't even seem that Loki - a god in his own rights - could manage to hold it. "I don't know. Loki seemed under the impression that I was the only person that he knew of that could actually hold them. But there are more. I'm sure of it," I said, more for my own sake than his.

"And these things are dangerous?" Bucky asked curiously.

As far as it seemed, those Stones were either the most dangerous things in the universe, or seriously close to it. "Yes. But they're not what we need to be concerning ourselves with right now. Until the day comes that we need to be concerned about the Infinity Stones falling into the wrong hands or until the day comes that the Earth ceases to rotate, we will act as though it intends to continue spinning," I told him, smiling slightly and shaking my head at him. The Infinity Stones were not the things that I wanted to talk about right now.

Bucky smiled at me and pressed a small kiss against my lips. I laughed softly and pressed a hand against his bare chest. "Spoken like a true soldier," he told me, once he had pulled away.

"You would know what that sounds like," I teased.

"I suppose that I would."

Yawning softly, I pushed myself so that I could sit up. Bucky followed a moment later so that I could lean into his lap. "When we go out there I need you to be careful. I'll stay in between the seven of you but I can't keep an eye on everyone at once. Okay?" I asked softly, pressing my hand against his cheek.

Bucky smiled and grabbed my hand, placing it down in his lap. "I think this should be the other way around," he said.

I rose my brow. "What's that?" I asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one that's protecting you?"

Normally that was exactly the way that it was. The men protected the women. But it wasn't like that this time. I was the one that could protect him. "Not when I'm the one that can live through anything," I told him sharply.

"Still..." Bucky trailed off slightly. He sighed softly at me and rolled me back over so that he could press himself over me. He was pushing the hair back off of my forehead so that he could press a soft kiss there. "I want to be the one that protects you. Isn't that the way that it's supposed to be?"

That was definitely the way that it was supposed to be. Maybe it would always be that way. I could only hope that people might eventually see that women weren't that weak. "It might not be the way that it will always be. There's going to come a day and age that women don't need to be protected." That was just something that I wished would happen. It might not ever happen. "It just so happens that I already don't need to be protected," I teased, shoving him away from me.

He laughed and leaned back over me. I could tell that he was tensing up slightly so that I wouldn't kick him out of the bed. "I know that you don't need to be protected. But I want to be able to do that for you," he told me, pressing a kiss against my cheek.

Sighing softly, I glanced down at the sheets for a moment before looking back up at him. There was something strange in his eyes that made me desperate to know what he was thinking, but I refused to do that. I would just have to wait. "Just be here for me. That's all that I want," I whispered.

Bucky nodded at me and pressed a kiss against my lips for a moment. "I'll always be here for you," he promised.

And I knew that he meant it. There was no way that he would ever leave me. Not until the day came that he was no longer physically able to be around. But I loved him and I knew that he would always be in my heart. No matter what happened. Bucky leaned down and pressed a long kiss against my lips. My arms went up around his shoulders to press into the shoulder blades as his legs fell over my own. We rolled slightly so that I was laying over him, rolling us over once more. We both laughed as Bucky's hand fell from my cheek, over my shoulder, and down to the knot of the robe at my waits. I smiled, breaking the kiss with him. My self-control was getting worse and worse with each passing day.

As I broke the slightly heated kiss, I leaned backwards and placed myself over Bucky, keeping my legs on either side of him. He laughed at the sudden brashness of my move. "Or we could just skip the mission and go back to the pool," I teased, pressing a kiss underneath his chin.

"Don't make me that offer. I might just take it," Bucky warned.

My heart gave a soft flutter. That was exactly what I wanted to be doing right now. "I might like that," I teased. I could immediately see his eyes darken. "Who am I kidding? I'd much rather do that."

There was a dark smile on his face that made me smile. At least I would always know that he thought the same thing about me that I thought about him. "It'll make us finish the mission a little bit faster," he said.

"Stay safe out there, alright?" I asked, pressing a hand against his face.

Bucky nodded at me as I leaned back up and sat upright on the bed. Bucky followed a moment later, holding my hand gently. "That's not a problem. There's something that I have to do," he said.

And I knew what he meant by that. He was still waiting to get to buy me a ring. It wasn't something that really bothered me. I would be waiting for it in the meantime. But that didn't mean that I couldn't mess with him about it. "Something that you have to do? You better get on that pretty soon. I might just get a little bit impatient and go find something else..." I teased.

A shocked look fell over Bucky's face. "I don't think so," he snapped at me.

It was rather funny the way that he was jealous. We were both the jealous types, not that it really mattered, considering everything that we meant to the other. But that didn't mean that we couldn't mess with each other. Bucky jumped after me and pushed me back over into the bed as I laughed at the impact. He knew that he didn't have to be gentle with me, so sometimes he just went at it. It must have been nice to not have a weak woman in his life. He was pressing me down into the bed as our lips met and we exchanged another long kiss. My leg slipped slightly out of the robe and I gently grazed it over his own, feeling goosebumps rise at the moment.

Pulling away from him while I still had the motivation to do so, I looked back over the edge of the bed. "Did I leave my uniform in here?" I asked, searching the room for the black uniform.

We had come straight from the ballroom last night as I had been preparing the men for the attack today. Bucky glanced over the edge of the bed and nodded towards the desk. "Yeah. It's over there," he told me.

And there is was, pushed back behind the desk. "I'll be right back," I said.

Giving each other a quick kiss, I rolled out of the bed front first and landed on my feet. Bucky was laughing as he got himself back to his feet, much less impressively than I had. I walked into the bathroom to get changed back into my uniform, leaving the robe hanging on the hook on the back of the door. The bathroom door was slightly cracked open as I gathered myself into the uniform. The pants were still so tight that it took a few minutes to pull myself into them; not without almost falling over. As I fixed my shirt I glanced back and saw that Bucky was getting changed back into his uniform. I finished getting changed first and walked back out into the main room.

Glancing up I saw that Bucky was just in his underwear as he laid out the uniform that we had been together. He really does look good like that. "I could get used to that," I said, walking back towards where my shoes were.

"Good. I think that you'll have to get used to it," Bucky said.

He was slowly walking back towards me. He had left the uniform back on the desk. "Is that so?" he asked, his voice lower than normal.

Bucky nodded at me. "Yes."

The two of us stood together and I smiled as Bucky pressed himself up against me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as his arms went around my midsection. His fingers very gently hooked into the waistband of my pants and I blushed softly. It was the closest that he had ever come to placing his hands where they really didn't belong. I giggled softly and pressed my hands up against his chest, pushing him back gently. His feet began to stumble back against the floor as we hit the bed and collapsed backwards onto it. I laughed once more as I pressed a long kiss against his mouth. His hands tangled in my hair, pulling my head backwards, as my hands dropped down to his waist.

We were together for a long time before we backed away from each other. We were both breathing heavily as we backed away and smiled at each other. "When we get back," Bucky told me, tightening his arm around me.

"Definitely," I agreed.

We were together once more as Bucky pressed a kiss against my temple. "I love you," Bucky whispered, as we pressed our mouths together in a soft kiss once more.

"I love you too." Bucky was about to get himself up but before he could, I grabbed his arm. "Wait a second. Come back," I said.

He glanced at me and smiled as I pulled him back down onto the bed and over me. We both laughed as our lips pressed together in another heated kiss. We were together for a while before I tightened my legs around his hips and flipped him over so that I was laying over him. We were both laughing as I leaned over him and kissed him once more. My arms went around his neck as I sat back on his lap and pulled him upright. We both laughed as our kiss deepened. His hands were still tangled in my hair as he kept my head pressed against his and my hands were gently pressed against his stomach. I couldn't help it. I heard his thoughts clearly and blushed as we pulled away from each other.

Bucky was watching me curiously, wondering why I had broken the kiss. Not that I'd wanted to break the kiss. "Trust me, it'll get much better," I whispered, leaning in and pressing another kiss against his lips.

The color drained from Bucky's face as he looked at me and I smiled. "What happened to not reading my mind?" he asked weakly.

"Your thoughts are screaming."

Bucky laughed and awkwardly pushed the hair back off of his forehead. Obviously he'd forgotten that I could read his mind. "How the hell do I make that stop?" he asked me.

There really wasn't a way to stop it unless you were well trained. Plus there was the thought that I liked hearing what he thought about me. "I don't want it to stop," I whispered back to him.

Bucky grabbed my hips and pulled me up against himself. The two of us shared a long kiss as I pressed my hand against his cheek, keeping the two of us together. When we finally pulled away, I realized that Bucky was staring at me. "Trust me when I say that it'll never stop. Especially considering that you'll always look like that," he said, pointing to me.

Laughing softly, I nodded at him, pressing a kiss against his cheek. I would always look this way, but in just a matter of years, Bucky would start looking much different. "Don't worry, I'll think your wrinkles are cute," I teased, pressing at his cheeks.

We both laughed as Bucky's arms went around my waist. I was smiling as he kept us pressed right up against each other. It was one of the many moments that the two of us were together and I felt completely at peace with everything. But I knew that it wouldn't be long. The two of us met in another kiss as my fingers ran through his hair for a few minutes. Bucky's second alarm went off and we broke apart, sighing at the fact that we had to get a move on. The two of us got up from the bed together and immediately started getting ready to leave. Bucky was near the floor-length mirror as he got changed into his uniform and I straightened my own out.

Once I knew that I couldn't stall leaving any longer, I walked over to Bucky and began buttoning up his shirt for him. He was staring down at me and smiling at the rare action. "I'll meet you on the air field with everyone else in half an hour, okay? Chester is going to give us a quick conversation about the attack before we head off," I told him.

"Okay. Try not to worry about today," he said, running his hands over my bare arms.

"You either."

We shared one more kiss and stayed together for a few moments before breaking apart. As much as I wanted to be together with him for another hour, I knew that it wasn't the time for that. So I pressed a kiss against the underside of his jaw before turning and leaving into my own room. I slipped in quietly and headed into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and hair out quickly. I stumbled around the living room for a few moments as I put on my boots, debating on putting any weapons. I wasn't sure that I wanted any. I was more in the mood for hand-to-hand. As I stood and relaxed myself, the door to the bedroom opened.

Turning back, I smiled as Peggy walked in with a two cups of coffee in her hands. Just like me, she was already prepared for the day. "Morning. How are you?" Peggy asked as she took a seat at the desk.

Letting out a breath, I pushed myself back against the wall next to the bed. "Ready to get things done with. The sooner that we take out these Hydra bases, the better," I said, wringing my hands together.

"Here you are," Peggy said, handing me the spare cup of coffee.

"Thanks."

As I grabbed the cup of coffee and began draining it, Peggy stood and headed over to my bed, taking a seat on the side. "You should eat something before you go out there," she told me.

She sounded like a mother, but I was trying not to mess with her about it. "I'm not really hungry," I muttered.

It wasn't that I was worried about myself. I had no problem with anything that was going to happen to me, my problem was just in case something happened to the boys. I couldn't bear something happening to them. "You're worried about them?" Peggy asked me.

Glancing up at her, I nodded. It really did make me nervous that I might not be able to protect them all. "Yes I am a little worried about them. I really want them to be safe. We've gone over the plan a thousand times. I know what's going to happen and I know what we're walking into, but still..." I trailed off, not wanting to think about what might happen.

Letting out a soft breath, Peggy moved towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. She'd be on the plane with us, but she wasn't coming into the fight. "They're going to be okay. Don't worry about it, Vic. Things are going to be fine," she said.

Groaning, I leaned back against the wall. "It's pathetic, isn't it?" I asked her, rolling my head over towards her.

Peggy glanced over at me and shook her head, wrapping an arm over my shoulders. "Not at all. That's your best friend and the love of your life risking their lives out there," she said. Glancing over at her, I nodded. She was right; Steve and Bucky being out there was absolutely terrifying. "But they're going to be fine. They've got things to take care of."

The last thing that I wanted was to continue this conversation. We'd have it if something happened. Not for any other reason. "That's right. Steve has to ask you to go dancing," I teased her.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. It was rather cute the way that she jammed her head back into the wall the same way that I had done before. "He's not the only one with something to do," she shot back to me after a minute.

I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. There was the whole engagement thing again. It was a recurring theme lately. "I think that you're all a little too excited for the engagement. It hasn't even happened yet. It might not happen for a long time," I told her.

There was a definite sad tone in my voice. I didn't want the proposal to take forever but I knew that Bucky didn't have the money right now. I would just have to be patient. "I don't think so. If that night in the pool is any indication..." Peggy trailed off, a mischievous smile on her face.

My face immediately turned bright red. I wished that I hadn't told her about that night. "Stop! I knew that I shouldn't have told you about that," I muttered, dropping my head on the pillows.

Peggy laughed and rolled me over. "You're red as hell," she commented.

"I hate you."

She laughed as I leaned upwards and gently kicked her backwards. Peggy laughed as she bounced back to where she had been sitting before. She gently nudged at my legs. "Come on, Victoria, that sounds like it's the hottest thing for the two of you. I'm very surprised that the two of you managed to restrain yourselves," she told me, giggling softly.

My face was still bright red. I was so mortified that the night in the pool had happened. At least none of the men would ever find out. They couldn't know. "Can I tell you something?" I asked after a few beats of silence.

Peggy shifted and moved forward happily. "Please do," she chirped.

"I really didn't want to restrain myself," I whispered.

The both of us laughed as Peggy moved a little closer towards me. I really had wanted to keep going but I had already made the promise that I would wait; something that I was kicking myself for. "So you really wanted to?" Peggy asked.

"Yes. And I know that he did too," I added awkwardly.

Peggy snorted at me and nodded. She knew as well as I did that he wanted to do what we had barely managed to stop ourselves from doing. "He's a man. Of course he wants to be with you. In every way," she said.

My face once more heated up. "God, it's so embarrassing to even think about," I muttered.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's natural."

For a moment I hesitated on asking the question. But finally I couldn't restrain myself anymore. I had to know. "Have you?" I finally asked her.

She looked a little surprised as she looked over at me and shook her head. "No. One day, but not today," she said.

So she hadn't even done anything with her ex-fiancé. Suddenly I felt a little bit worse about myself. I had been so close to actually doing something with Bucky, but we had only stopped moments before it was going to happen. "Maybe one day the two of us will... Seems that we always manage to stop ourselves just before something serious happens," I muttered irritably.

Peggy gave a soft scoff that really did surprise me. "Well that's no fun," she said. The two of us stared at each other before we both burst out with laughter. I gave Peggy a slight shove, still laughing at her words. "You're going to have to tell me everything when it finally does happen. I want details!"

The laughs that we let out were more like shrieks. There were shouts next door to keep our voices down as Peggy and I laughed at each other, leaning against the other for support. "You're the worst! But I probably will tell you everything anyways," I said honestly. That was what girls did. We told each other everything like that. "When the time comes with Steve..."

Finally it wasn't me that blushed. She was the one that turned pink that time and she definitely looked like she wanted that to happen. "He hasn't even asked me to go dancing," she muttered.

"Make the first move," I offered.

"And who made the first move with you and Bucky?" Peggy asked.

I knew what she was doing. She wanted to prove a point that she wasn't going to make the first move because I hadn't done it with my own relationship. "Technically it was him. But it was only after I admitted that I had feelings for him. He was just the one that leaned in for the kiss first," I tried to argue with her.

The moment that she opened her mouth to say something, there was a soft knock at the door. I walked over and opened it, meeting face-to-face with Chester. "Are you ready?" he asked me.

Was I ready? I would just have to figure out how to be ready. "I don't think that there's any other choice. Yes. We're ready," I said, motioning between us. "Are you?"

Not that he was really going to be out there. He'd be in the airplane the entire time. So would Howard and Peggy while we were out there. "I'm not the one going out there. We're going to be on the plane with you but once the eight of you are ready to jump, that's it. We're going to be in the dark until you're done," he told me.

And he was right about that. We were going to be in the dark out there, separated from each other. "Don't worry about that. I'll be able to speak to you while we're out there," I told him, just in case.

It would be easy enough for us to be able to talk to each other. "You're worried about him," Chester commented.

For a moment I just stared at him. Peggy had gone back into the bathroom to give us a moment of privacy. "Yes. Of course I am. I just want to make sure that he's going to be alright. All of them, not just him. They're family. Just like you, Howard, and Peggy. I want to have all of you with me," I said, gently placing my hand on his arm.

Chester gave me something that was akin to a smile. "They're going to be fine out there. They've got you watching over them," he said.

"You're right about that."

They were going to be just fine as long as I was there and watching over them. I'd keep all of them safe. "Everything's going to be okay out there. Just keep focused and be prepared for whatever happens," Chester told me.

"I will be. I'll take care of them out there. We'll be back in a few hours with one less Hydra base in the world," I said.

"That's the spirit."

Probably sensing that the tense part of the conversation was over, Peggy walked back into the room. I glanced at them both and smiled, trying to pretend that things were okay with me. "So we're ready for this?" I asked.

Chester nodded at us. "Yes. Time to head to the air field," he said.

My stomach gave an irritating flutter. It was nothing about me. I knew exactly how the mission was going to go. I wished that I could go in there alone. It would be so easy to end things for me alone with no one else to worry about. But with the boys... There were people that I had to watch over while we were out there. There were things that I would have to be careful about. But I could manage myself. I would just have to be careful to make sure that I had my eyes on the boys while we were out there.

Chester, Peggy, and I left the room so that we could head over to the air field that was right outside of the base. I knew that we needed to get up into the air soon. Peggy was going to be listening over the radio in the plane for anything that might be coming towards the base for us. She would also be listening for any problems with us, just in case something happened during the attack. On our way out of the building I saw that Steve was standing in the corner. Like me, he was already in his uniform with his shield held in place on his back. His helmet was strapped onto his waist. He looked nervous but excited to get things done.

Stopping in my place, I looked over at Peggy and Chester, motioning for the two of them to keep walking. "We'll be there in a few minutes," I said, motioning back towards Steve.

Chester nodded at me and said, "Okay."

The two of them walked off together and I smiled at them, trying to reassure them that everything was okay. Once they were gone, I turned back to where Steve was standing and walked over to him. "Ready to head out there, Soldier?" I teased.

"I'm ready. Are you?" he asked.

There was a small smile on his face. I wasn't sure if he was nervous or not. "Yes. I just want to keep you boys safe," I said.

Steve sighed and placed a hand over my shoulder. "We're going to be alright, Vic. We've got you training us. We're ready for this," he told me.

If there was anyone that was good to train them, it was me. Hopefully they had actually learned something. "I know that you guys are. And I'll be there to protect you. All of you," I said determinedly.

Maybe they felt the way that I normally felt when men wanted to protect me. But I couldn't help it. I really didn't want to have to watch any of the boys get hurt. "Don't worry about it. We're going to all be back here tomorrow safe and sound. Because I would hate to see what you'd do to one of us if we were hurt out there," he said, earning a laugh from me.

"Yes you would. So be careful," I snapped at him.

If anything happened to them, I'd bring them back just to kill them myself. "I will, Vic, I promise." I smiled weakly at Steve and grabbed his hand. "Is Bucky alright?" Steve asked after a few beats.

"He's fine. Being a typical man. He wants to be the one to protect me," I said, adding in a little eye-roll.

We both smiled and laughed softly. That was just the way that Bucky was. Even though he knew that I could protect myself, he still wanted to feel like he was the man. "None of us are ever going to get over the fact that we're the ones that have to be protected by you, not the other way around. It's not exactly normal," Steve said.

"Trust me, I know that I'm not normal," I said.

But none of us were really normal. We were all the outliers in the rest of the world. "But being not normal is the best. That's why you were always so amazing to us," Steve told me, grabbing my hand gently.

Laughing softly, I nodded at him. I would always be appreciative that I meant so much to them. They would have had every right to never speak to me after breaking into their house. "Thank you. You guys were always pretty amazing to me too," I said.

Steve laughed at my wording and I raised a brow. I couldn't understand how that was funny. It was the truth. "How?" he asked me. I merely stared at him blankly. "We got mediocre grades in school, I was never that strong, and Bucky was always in the middle of the class; there was nothing that we did that ever made us different."

But that wasn't the truth. There was one thing that he had done that had always made them so amazing to me. The fact that they were the only ones to ever look twice at me? "Wrong. When everyone else ran from me, or treated me like I was the dirt on the bottom of their shoes, you two were the only ones that were ever there for me. Every single time," I said, feeling very guilty. I was here now, but there had been a long time that I wasn't. "Even after I left you both. You were always there."

It was pretty obvious that Steve could see that I was upset. I was always upset when I thought about the fact that I had left them for so long. "And we're always going to be here. For as long as we can," he said.

Wanting to lighten the mood slightly, I gave Steve a gentle shove off to the side. We both laughed as he wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "You better not embarrass me out there with that shield," I warned him.

Steve reached around his back before yanking the shield off of his back. There were magnets on the back strip of his uniform that were designed to hold the shield in place while he fought without it. "Come on, Vic, I learned from the best. I know how to use this thing," he said, tapping the shield fondly before placing it back on his back.

"I think you're in love," I teased.

Before Steve got the chance to say anything back to me, Bucky walked up in between the two of us. "You would know," he told me, throwing his arms over our shoulders.

Rolling my eyes, I shoved the two of them away from me. "Idiots. Both of you," I snarled.

"Ah but we're your idiots," Bucky responded.

And they would always be my idiots. A day wouldn't pass that I wouldn't love either one of them. "Fair enough. And lucky me, that's just what I've always wanted," I said, nudging the two boys.

They were about to respond to me - probably to tell me just how lucky I was to have them in my life - before Steve was called away by Peggy to make sure that he had everything together. It was probably more to try and speak to him in private. As he walked off, Bucky leaned over me. "And I think that I know exactly what you want," Bucky said, placing his lips near my ear.

"Funny. Don't forget, I know everything that you want," I shot back, letting my hands run down his chest.

His entire body tensed at my touch and I smiled, knowing that I had gotten to him. Just like I always did. "There's only one thing that I want," he told me, pressing a kiss behind my ear.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I gently pushed him away from me and smiled at him. "Eye on the prize for today," I said softly.

"I've always got my eyes on the prize."

His eyes were locked onto me. A soft blush was on my face as I made a move forward to kiss him. He had no idea what everything that he said meant to me. But the moment that our lips were about to touch, Howard interrupted us. "Hate to interrupt this beautiful moment, but there's a few things that we need taken care of before heading out," he said.

Both Bucky and I glanced over at him. Bucky awkwardly ran his hand over the back of his neck as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Go finish getting ready. I'll see you in a few minutes," I told Bucky.

"Okay."

Bucky walked off towards the other as Howard took a step forward. I glanced over at him and set a glare over my face. He was such a jerk, having to interrupt that one moment. "You two are adorable," Howard said.

"Shut up," I snapped. "What do you want?"

Howard looked a little surprised as I raised my brow, wondering what it was that he wanted. Then he made a sudden move. "Oh I didn't need anything. I just wanted to annoy you," he told me with a teasing grin.

Rolling my eyes at him, I popped out a hip. "You've succeeded," I deadpanned.

Howard smiled at me and pressed a kiss into my hair line. "But it really is time to leave. Is everyone ready?" he asked me.

Glancing backwards, I saw that everyone else was already surrounding the plane that Chester and Peggy were currently checking over to ensure that everything was alright. The rest of the men were all standing around and chatting with each other. "Yeah it looks like everyone is ready." I turned back to Howard. "You're piloting the plane?" I asked.

I had merely been assuming that he was the person that would take the plane in. He was the best pilot that we had. "Aren't I the only person who's mad enough to brave the Hydra air space?" Howard asked me.

Smiling softly, I nodded. "Yes you are. Thanks for doing this."

"My pleasure. Ready to go?" he asked.

Would I really ever be ready? If it was just me, I would probably be perfectly well past ready. "I'm not so sure that I'll ever be quite ready to leave and go out there. But it doesn't matter, it's time to go. We have to get this taken care of and the sooner that we leave, the sooner that we can get back," I told him, grabbing him with me and pulling him towards the plane.

With the wave of my hand, the rest of the men began loading into the plane. "Works for me. I've got a date," Howard said.

My eyebrow rose as my head snapped back to him. "You're going on a date?" I asked disbelievingly.

For as long as I had known Howard, I had never known him to go on a date. He didn't go on dates. He only had his little friends that would hang around for a few days and then move on. Howard nodded at me and said, "Nurse named..."

When he trailed off I realized that he didn't even remember her name. "Really?" I asked.

That was pathetic. He couldn't even remember what her name was. We stood in silence for a moment before Howard snapped his fingers. "Ruth! That's her name," he said.

"A true romantic," I teased.

The two of us both laughed as we crossed the yard towards the plane. He would manage to be a romantic one day. I genuinely believed that the day would come that he would be a wonderful husband and maybe even a father. But that day wasn't today. And Howard was still young. That was okay. He had time. We walked over towards the plane and I looked it over. It was the same one that we had taken to the Hydra base that Bucky and the rest of the men had been held in. Everyone was already in the plane and getting ready to leave.

Ready to move on with the day, the two of us walked into the plane as the rear door was closed. Howard walked up to the front of the plane to begin to pre-flight checks before we took off. Dum Dum, Gabe, and Jim were up in the front of the plane with Chester and Peggy. James, Jacques, Bucky, and Steve were standing together towards the rear of the plane. It was just our small team that was infiltrating the base. That was the whole point of our little team. We were a special operations division, which meant that while we worked under the Strategic Scientific Reserve, we would be going on the missions solo. But that was easier for us.

The plane took off and I waited for us to get to altitude before heading over to a seat in the center of the plane and spreading out the few sheets that we had about the base. "Alright. Come on over," I called over the roar of the engine.

"We'll get everything together before we head in," Steve added.

As we rolled out the papers, I leaned over them and glanced down at them. "Here's the plan. We've put together a map of every Hydra base that we saw when we were rescuing Sergeant Barnes and every Hydra base that the S.S.R. knows of. This is it," I said, showing them the top paper.

"What are we looking at?" Bucky asked.

Between Steve and me, our hands flitted over the page to show them what we were talking about. "Two bases here in Switzerland. Another two here in Northern Italy. There's this one in Belgium. They have more in Greece, Poland, and in Czechoslovakia. Then we have the one here in France. This is the base that we'll be infiltrating tonight. It's right near Strasbourg, about forty miles west of the Maginot Line. We infiltrate the base, striking hard and fast. It won't take Hydra long to know that we're there," I told them.

They were silent for a few minutes as they processed what I had told them. It was never fun to hear just how much we were going to have to do. "How do we go in?" Dum Dum asked after a few beats.

Glancing over at them, I nodded with a small smile. We already had a full plan. "We go in as a group. Outside of the base will be all of the soldiers that are there to protect the men inside. We strike them first. The weaker ones will be inside. France is under Hydra's control right now. That means that there won't be anyone in hiding as they have nothing to concern themselves with. No sniper on this mission. We need everyone down at the base," I told them, mostly Bucky.

They were all nodding along as the men started to figure out what was happening and what the plans were. "So we attack from the outside and work our way in?" Bucky asked me.

"Yes," I said.

"And then we trap them like mice," Steve added, surprising me slightly.

As much as he liked to try and be noble about everything, he really could be a hell of a fighter. "There's one way in and out of that Hydra Facility. At least the main entrance. Two high-grade steel doors. Steve and I can open them. From there we will storm the building," I told them.

Once more they started nodding. Steve took over the conversation quickly. "This is how the line-up will go. I'll be in front. Bucky, you'll be on my right behind me, Dum Dum, you'll be on the left. James, you'll be behind Bucky, and Jacques, you'll be behind Dum Dum. Gabe and Jim, the two of you will bring up the rear and take care of anyone behind us," Steve explained.

"What about you, Victoria?" Jim asked.

"I'll be in front of all of you," I said blankly.

That was the one way that I could make sure that the boys would all be safe when we were ready to storm the building. The men didn't seem overly fond of that idea. "That a good idea?" Gabe finally asked.

After a few seconds, I nodded at them. "Their weapons cartridges will empty in ten seconds. That's how long that I'll keep up the force field. When I drop it, you'll all come forward and take out the soldiers," I told them. The men nodded but I did notice that Bucky and Steve were watching me nervously from the corner of their eyes. "Steve and I will handle the stragglers hand-to-hand. It's up to the rest of you to take out the first division."

That was all that we needed. While the men shot down the large chunks, Steve and I would be able to take down the stragglers hand-to-hand. "We can do that," Jim told me.

"How long until we get there?" Dum Dum asked.

"About a hour and a half. We'll be dropping into the woods about two miles outside of the base. Once we're down, don't speak. We don't know if they have any spies. To communicate... I know it might sound strange, but think loudly. I'll hear your thoughts," I told the men.

It didn't sound very normal, but it was the thing that would work. "That's useful," Gabe finally said.

Everyone laughed at the thought that thinking loudly would ensure that I could hear them. "I think it is. In the meantime, look over the maps. Be prepared. I'll come get you guys when we're getting close," I told them, placing my hand on Steve's shoulder.

As they leaned back over the maps that they were reading over, I got to my feet and left the table that we were all sitting around. There were a few rows in the back of the plane that I was planning on sitting in for a while. I just wanted to think for a few minutes before we actually got there. Once we were there, it would be impossible to slow things down. I took a seat in one of the back rows and plopped down into the chair, holding up my fingers and letting the sparks fly over my fingertips. They were crackling gently, just barely audible over the roar of the engine. A few minutes passed before Bucky came and took a seat next to me.

He was looking down at the sparks flying off of my hands and smiling at them. I debated on sending him a little shock, but figured that it would be nicer to not do that. "Can I grab your hand or are you going to electrocute me?" Bucky asked me.

"We'll see," I teased him. Bucky leaned forward and risked grabbing my hand as I smiled at him. I immediately dropped the electrical currents so that I wouldn't accidentally electrocute him. He looked very grateful that I hadn't shocked him as he leaned forward and pressed a small kiss against my mouth. "You ready to get there?"

"No more than you," Bucky said.

My legs crossed over themselves as I watched Bucky out of the corner of my eyes. He was doing the same thing to me. "This is a good thing. I know that what we're doing is a good thing, I just wish that we didn't have to risk your life to do it," I said, placing my hand on his thigh.

Bucky smiled at me and leaned over to grab my hand once more. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. We're all going to be okay. Besides, there's some unfinished business that I have to attend to," he told me.

I smiled back at him and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Still unfinished?" I teased.

The ring would be here one day. "I'm working on it," Bucky said.

One day I would get that ring that I wanted so badly, but until that day came, I wouldn't panic about anything. There was nothing that I could do, other than wait for him to get the money. "I know. I'm just messing with you," I told him. We sat in silence for a while before I looked back over at him. "You know I think that this is the first time in a long time that I'll actually really genuinely enjoy my Christmas."

Bucky raised a brow at me. "What about last year? You had Steve," Bucky told me.

Last year, Christmas really had been the best one that I had in a long time. But I had really wished that he would have been here last year. "Yeah I was really happy that Steve was around. It was the first Christmas that we'd spent together in a long time. But I didn't have a lot of people with me. Chester, Peggy, and Howard weren't there and the worst part was that you weren't there either. I didn't have a chance to see you. I didn't even know if you were alive or not," I said sadly, trying to give him a sweet smile.

That comment very obviously bothered Bucky, despite the fact that I really hadn't meant to do anything like that. "I wish that I would have been there. But I'm here now. And I'm not going to leave at any point soon," Bucky promised me as I gently laid my legs over his lap.

"I know that you won't," I whispered.

And I knew that he wouldn't. There was no way that he was ever going to leave me. Not after everything that had happened between the two of us. "Everything's going to be fine out there," Bucky told me.

"I know," I said confidently.

Bucky raised an eyebrow at me. "How's that?" he asked.

"Because I'll kill you myself if anything happens to you."

The two of us laughed at each other as Bucky's arms wound around my legs and wrapped underneath my thighs. I laughed softly as his fingers splayed over the material. "I know that you will." We were silent for a moment before Bucky said, "I don't think that I've ever seen you as nervous as you are right now."

"Oh just go back a few years," I muttered.

I'd really meant to keep that in my head, but I had accidentally ended up saying it out loud. That really wasn't something that I wanted to get into. Or maybe I did want to say it. "What do you mean?" Bucky asked.

It was unsurprising to hear that he wanted to know what I had said. I just had to admit it. "When I was in Stryker's lab -"

"You don't have to tell me this," Bucky interrupted.

But I shook my head at him. This was something that I really wanted to tell him about. So I shook my head at him and grabbed his spare hand, pulling him into me and keeping my voice low. "It's okay. It's like I told you the other week, you can't change things that happened to you, but you can talk about them and try to make things less painful." Bucky nodded at me. I knew that it was the best way to try and move past something that had happened to someone. "I had a schedule in Stryker's lab. Every day it was exactly the same thing. Shortly before I was allowed to leave for the night, I had to fight. Every day there was a new man for me to fight. A few days after I first got to his laboratory, Stryker started all of the new lessons.

"The things that he would spend seven years teaching me. Some were worse than others. Some were bad in different ways. But one of the worst things that he'd done was use me to fight. Three years passed before I finally won a fight. I used to have to be dragged out of the training room because I couldn't even stand once they were done with me. Pain was something terrible." Bucky cringed at the comment that I'd made. It was the truth. I'd had to be dragged out of the training room a number of times and some days I had been passed out from pain. "But then I learned. I learned to push past the pain and I learned to live with it.

"So I got up that day and went to the training room to fight the new man. I was nervous. I was shaking and too afraid to make the first move. So he did. He hit me so hard that he broke my jaw." Once more, Bucky cringed. "But I still won the fight. After he hit me, I knew that I couldn't let that happen again. So I hit him back. And I just kept hitting him until he stopped moving. I still don't know if he died or not. I know that quite a few of the men that I fought ended up dying. Stryker cared for them no more than he cared for me.

"Anyways..." I trailed off for a moment when I realized that I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I had just admitted that I'd killed someone. Multiple people when I'd only been a young child. I couldn't believe that I'd done something like that. It was just something that I had to live with. "That was the first fight that I won. After that, I never lost another one. You were all wondering just how I can manage to beat you all without a problem. That's how. I spent years knowing what would happen to me if I lost a fight, so I ensured that I'd never lose one again."

Bucky was silent for a long time after I'd admitted to him what my life had been like before I'd walked back into his. He finally leaned over to me and kissed me behind the ear. "That's never going to happen again," he promised me.

Glancing up at him, I shook my head. Nothing like that was ever going to happen to me again. "I know that it won't. Because I wouldn't let it," I told him stubbornly. There was a little hint of pain is his eyes that I wished so desperately that I could get rid of. I leaned forward and pressed my hand against his cheek. "I love you, Bucky. You know that. I'm sorry that it doesn't always seem that way."

Making me smile slightly, Bucky leaned into me and grabbed my hand, tightening his grip around my thighs. "It does seem that way," he argued. I was glad that at least he thought that I was in love with him. "I saw the memory with your parents when you were listening in." I cringed at the distant memory. "They were wrong. There are so many people that love you. It's not just me. Peggy, Colonel Phillips, Howard Stark, and Steve... The rest of you guys. They're your family."

He was right. They were my family. And they were so much better than the family that I had been born into. "They're better family than I ever thought that I could have. My family..." I trailed off as I grabbed Bucky's hand and pulled him into me so that I could press a small kiss against his mouth. "They're right here."

Bucky's eyes briefly flitted downwards towards my chest and I raised a brow, wondering what he was looking at. His hand went towards my chest and I jumped backwards slightly. But I realized quickly that he was only reaching for the chain around my throat. He grabbed it and pulled it upwards and out of my shirt, smiling at the ring that was hanging off of the edge of it.

Bucky was merely smiling at the sight of the temporary ring. "I didn't know that you had this with you," he said, running his hand over the ring.

He looked rather impressed that I had it with me. "I just like having it with me, I guess," I muttered.

"A better one is coming," he promised.

"Good."

Because I really was getting sick of feeling like I was doing something wrong when it came to the two of us. We were always doing things that only married people should be doing. "What are all of these?" Bucky asked, pointing to the papers on the table.

I pointed to the paper that was the closest to us. "Aerial views of the Hydra base that we're headed to. There are a few outdoor posts over here," I said, motioning towards the few buildings that were outside of the main building. "We might be dealing with an attack before we even get inside. But it'll be fine. We have one benefit."

Bucky smiled and motioned towards me. "We have you?" he asked me with a smile.

Laughing under my breath, I shook my head. "That too." Having me around would definitely make the entire attack a lot easier. "No. They don't know that we're coming," I said.

We had the element of surprise and that was everything that we needed. Bucky smiled at me as he pressed his hand against my leg, gently pushing it off of his lap. I watched him get up with my eyebrow raised. "I'll be right back, okay?" he asked me.

"Okay," I said. As Bucky walked off, I went back to the aerial views of the compound and started formulating a plan in my head.

Bucky's P.O.V.

It was something that Bucky had been debating back and forth for a while. To be completely honest, it was something that he had thought about since they were kids. But he knew that it was finally time to act. They had been together for almost two years. That was much longer than most people spent together before taking the plunge. He knew that it was time and he knew that he finally had the money for it. Maybe not for an extremely nice one, but it would be everything that she'd want. Bucky walked over to where Steve was seated and took a seat next to him.

Steve glanced up and smiled at Bucky. He was doing the exact same thing that Vika was, reading over all of the plans for the Hydra base. "Vic alright?" he asked.

Bucky nodded at him. "She's fine. Looking over the aerial views of the Hydra base," he said, motioning down to the plans that Steve was reading.

But obviously he hadn't really been reading them. He had merely been staring at them. "Yeah, we should go do that too," Steve said.

He was about to get up so that he could start reading over the plans when Bucky put an arm around. "Hang on. Can we talk for a second?" Bucky asked, earning a strange look from Steve.

"Sure."

They both got to their feet and headed away from where the other men were sitting and looking over the plans. Bucky wanted to keep what he had to say as secret as he could for as long as he could. They walked over to a secluded piece of the airplane where no one else was seated. Bucky had made sure that they were seated in sight of everyone else in the event that they needed each other, but far away enough that no one could hear what they were saying. Particularly Vika. If there was ever something that he'd wanted to be a surprise for her, it was this.

"Everything alright?" Steve asked as they seated themselves.

Bucky laughed and ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah. Yes. Everything's fine. You ready for the mission? Ready to use that thing?" Bucky asked, pointing to the shield, wanting to change the subject for a moment.

Steve laughed and patted the shield. "Vic made sure that I was ready to use it. Should be a good time. Time to prove to her that we can manage ourselves," Steve said.

They both laughed at the thought that Vika was always talking about how useless they were. She knew that they weren't useless, but she really did enjoy messing with them. "Doesn't matter. We're always going to be the weak ones," Bucky said.

"That's true," Steve said.

They were both merely staring at each other. It was obvious that Steve wanted to ask Bucky what he was really over here for, but he wanted to give them a chance. "I got a few checks from the Army recently," Bucky finally said. "Some of them are payments from the deployment and others are from the current situation with the S.S.R. They just started coming in last week."

There was a small smile on Steve's face. "And?"

"In a few weeks I gotta get out there. I've saved up enough money for a ring," Bucky admitted quickly.

Both men laughed under their breath. Bucky saw a smile on Steve's face that was bigger than he had seen in a long time. Vika was like his sister, and their being together was something that he had waited for, for a long time. "You're gonna buy her a ring?" Steve asked.

Bucky nodded, wringing his fingers together. He was smiling at the thought that something was finally going to happen between them. "Yeah. I'm gonna use the excuse that I'm going out to buy her a Christmas present," Bucky said.

Steve laughed and place a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Buck, man, I'm really happy for you both," he said happily.

"Doesn't bother you?" Bucky asked.

Even though Vika was an only child, Steve might as well have been her brother. The two of them loved each other. "The two of you have belonged together since you were kids. It's about damn time that you make a move," Steve said, making them both laugh.

Bucky laughed and punched Steve on the shoulder, knowing that he could take the hit. "You little punk." They both laughed once more. "I've just been trying to get the money back so that I could afford a ring. I've finally got it and I want to go and get her a ring. And I wanted to ask if you'd come with me to do it," Bucky said.

It was half because he knew that Steve would do the same thing when he was ready to propose to someone, and half because it really wasn't something that he wanted to do by himself. He wasn't even sure what to look for when it came to rings. Maybe he should ask Peggy to come with them. "Nothing would make me happier. Of course I'll go," Steve finally said.

"Thanks, Steve," Bucky said.

"Not a problem. When are you planning to propose to her?"

Bucky wasn't completely sure when he wanted to propose to her. He knew that he wanted it to be special and he knew that he wanted to do it soon. "I don't know. Hopefully on Christmas," he said, smiling softly. She had always loved Christmas and they had even met on Christmas. It would be a nice way to do everything. "There's a few things that I need to do first. Peggy wants to see the ring before I do anything. I'll have to ask Colonel Phillips about it. Who knows, maybe I'll even ask Stark. Or at least let him know. The two of them are close."

That was another thing. He wasn't sure who he wanted to ask or what he even wanted to say. "That's a great idea. They're going to love the whole thing. Everyone knows that the two of you are supposed to be together," Steve said, making them both smile. The men would be thrilled when they heard about it. "Good luck asking Colonel Phillips to marry Vic."

Both men snorted with laughter. Colonel Phillips loved Vika, but Bucky was sure that he was not going to enjoy that conversation. "I already know what I'm getting into. It's worth it," Bucky said determinedly.

"Let me know when you're ready to go," Steve said brightly.

He was sure that he was going to go shop for the ring soon. He just wanted to make sure that they got out before Christmas. Bucky was hoping to propose to her on the holiday. "I will," Bucky said.

The two boys sat together and went looking through the maps. After a few minutes, Steve glanced up at him. "Sick of waiting?" he asked.

Bucky laughed and nodded at Steve. They had been waiting for so long. It was time to make the move. "Hell yeah I'm sick of waiting. It's been fifteen years in the making," Bucky said, laughing softly.

Everyone had always known that Bucky and Vika would somehow manage to end up together. And Bucky now needed to get up the nerves to go out there, buy her a ring, and officially propose to her. It was long past time to do that. Steve smiled at his best friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Bucky," he said.

"Thanks." A strange thought hit Bucky. "She's still gotta say yes," he muttered under his breath.

Steve scoffed at his friend and shook his head. There was no way that she would say anything other than yes. "You really think that she wouldn't?" Steve asked. Bucky said nothing, nerves clawing at his stomach. "Bucky, she's going to say yes. It's no big deal. It's just saying the one thing that everyone's been waiting for since the two of you met."

"I guess we really were always that obvious," Bucky said with a little laugh.

They really were always supposed to be together. And everyone had known that. Bucky just hated that it had taken him so long to figure that out. "Oh yeah," Steve laughed.

The two men laughed, placing their arms around each other, throwing their heads back. It really was so obvious that Bucky and Vika had always been meant to be together. From the day that they had met, they had always been meant for each other. Bucky and Steve sat together to chat back and forth about anything and everything. For both of them, it really was good to be back together with the other. They had missed each other while Bucky was deployed. They had always been brothers and it had been so strange to be away from each other for so long. Vika had always been one of their best friends, but sometimes it was nice just to sit with each other and reminisce on the old days.

Victoria's P.O.V.

It ended up taking us just over an hour and a half to get into the airspace of the Hydra base. Just about what I had been expecting. As the men chatted back and forth about everything that was going to happen and the things that they were going to do to the same men that had held them captive for months, I had been looking over the papers. We would have to take our time before the attack. It was something that we could rush, because the moment that we made our first move, everything would go into overdrive. We would land in the woods and infiltrate it from there.

The plane was getting quieter as we made our way into the Hydra airspace and I smiled as Bucky walked back over to me. I had heard him with Steve, laughing and joking with each other the entire time. "Sounded like quite the amusing conversation over there," I teased.

He smiled at me as he took a seat next to me. "Plotting," Bucky said.

My head turned up towards him and I raised my eyebrows at him. "So now you're plotting?" I asked. He merely nodded at me, pulling my legs back into his lap. "That can't be good."

"You always think that I'm up to no good," Bucky said.

And he was always up to no good. They were always up to no good. That was part of what the boys did. Fooled around so that none of them could ever be trustworthy. "Are you not up to no good?" I asked.

Bucky laughed and nudged me. "Come on, Vika. I'm always up to no good. You want to know where I got all of that from?" he asked me. I nodded at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "You."

My jaw dropped as I whacked him on the chest playfully. He was definitely the reason that we were always getting into things. "You're such a jerk. Need I remind you that I was always the one that got straight A's and I was always the one that never missed a day of school? You and Steve were always the ones that were getting into trouble," I told him.

Bucky scoffed at me and pressed a hand against my thigh, pulling me a little bit closer to him. "Says the one that got a week of lunch detention," he told me, a small grin over his face.

Scoffing softly, I shoved him away from me. "Like that mattered? I was defending myself from Johnathan Harper," I snapped. Bucky looked furious at the thought of anything like that ever happening. But it was long in the past. And there was nothing that I could do to change it. "Actually Principal Sanders wanted to expel me."

The look on Bucky's face had suddenly dropped. He looked horrified at the thought that I had very nearly been expelled from school. "How'd you convince him not to?" Bucky asked after a few beats.

"You realize who you're talking to?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

The realization suddenly struck him of what I was talking about. He merely shifted awkwardly and laughed, running his hands a little further up my thighs. "You controlled Principal Sanders's mind?" he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders, playing with the ends of my hair. "Not my fault he's a grown adult that can't control himself against a child," I said.

Bucky laughed loudly and tightened his hands around my legs once more. "Come here," he said.

It wasn't long before he tightened his hands around my legs once more. It was rather sweet the way that he grabbed me and yanked me into him. I laughed as I wound up half in his lap from the sudden force. He would never be able to do that with another woman, but I was different. Leaning halfway onto him, I pressed a long kiss against Bucky's mouth. My hands were pulled over his shoulders and knotted behind his back as Bucky's hands were on my hips, keeping me against him. One of his hands went up to my hair, but it didn't last long. There was a clattering on the floor behind us and the two of us sprung apart, myself jumping off of Bucky's lap.

Our heads snapped up in the direction of whatever had made the noise and I glared when I saw that Dum Dum was standing behind me with a little smirk on his face. "Sorry about that. We're almost there, lovebirds," he told us.

Laughing softly, I looked up at Dum Dum. "Yeah I'm sure that you're really sorry," I muttered.

Dum Dum merely laughed and gave me a hand up from the chair, out of Bucky's lap and back to my feet. "Well if that's your way to say good luck to everyone..." Dum Dum trailed off, giving me a pointed and playful look.

"Get lost," I snapped.

Dum Dum laughed and smiled at us. "Just kidding," he said.

We all laughed once more. Everyone knew that no one wanted anything to do with me that was anything more than friendship. We all knew that I was just supposed to be with Bucky. He was the only person that I would ever belong with. "We're going to get everyone ready for the attack. Come on," Dum Dum said, motioning us with him.

Both Bucky and I nodded as we made our moves to get up. Dum Dum headed towards the front of the plane as I leaned down and gave Bucky my hand up. His arm went around my shoulders as my arm wound around his waist and we headed up towards where everyone else was standing. I noticed Steve give me what looked like a very pointed smile and I rolled my eyes. We walked up to the middle of the plane and I glanced around at the other men. Everyone was grabbing all of their weapons and final pieces of their wardrobes so that they could be ready for the attack. It looked like they were all ready to get moving forward with the attack.

We walked up to the table that all of the plans were laid out on and I glanced at the view, motioning towards a large blurry dot just around the entrance of the base. "Okay. This is a gas tanker that they're holding near the entrance of the compound. There are men walking back and forth all throughout the base. We can't just come in guns blazing. There's only eight of us and there could potentially be hundreds of them. Even with me, that's tough. But that gas tanker could be a good distraction," I told them.

"So what do we do with it?" James asked.

Glancing over at him, I smiled. It was easy enough to figure out what we had to do. And it was a good thing that I was with them. "What happens when gas heats up?" I asked.

It was obviously Jacques that figured it out first. "Combustion..." he muttered.

Almost immediately a small smile spread over my face. I was very proud of the beginnings of my plan. "Exactly. If we're going to hit them, we have to hit them fast and hard. Surprise them. That might be a little surprising," I said, referring to the gas tank explosion.

"She's right," Steve said, making me look over at him and smile. "We're going to be about two miles from the base out into the woods. We'll make our way up to the base from there. Vic is going to move in first. She'll blow up the gas tanker and distract - maybe kill - some of the Hydra soldiers." He glanced over at me and I nodded my consent. Hopefully we would kill most of them with the blast. "From there we're going to clear out the outside of the base before moving in. Corner them."

Grabbing Chester's hand, I looked over and pulled his watch towards me. We were almost there. "We're about forty-five seconds from the landing site. Howard!" I called up to the front of the plane. "How are things going?"

Howard glanced slightly back over his shoulder. "No one's spotted us yet. We'll be down there in a minute," he said.

Nodding at him, I glanced back towards the rest of the men. "Great. Mr. Stark, Colonel Phillips, and Agent Carter will remove the plane to approximately five miles out so that they will be safe from the attack," I told them. They all nodded at me, knowing that at least we wouldn't have to worry about protecting them. "I'll call out to them once the base is ash and we're ready to return."

"Everyone ready?" Steve asked, looking around.

"Yes," they all chirped together.

Peggy gave what appeared to be a very nervous smile. I felt terribly for her. She would just have to sit here and wait until we got back. "Good luck out there. To all of you," she told the rest of the men.

Almost immediately I felt the plane's nose turn down into a dive. I let out a deep breath as I felt Bucky's hand briefly tighten around my thigh. I smiled and placed a kiss against his shoulder before turning and going back towards where Peggy was. She was standing there and smiling at me as we were making our way towards the landing strip in the woods. Peggy and I stayed in a long hug as the plane landed, deeply hidden in the woods. The back door of the plane dropped open as we were exposed to the woods. Peggy gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as I grabbed her hand as we turned to leave. But just before we headed out of the plane, I turned back to Peggy once more.

"I'll call out to you when we're ready," I told her.

She nodded at me. I could see her wringing her hands together from nerves. "Be careful," Peggy whispered.

"Always."

Before we could leave, Howard walked over to me and pressed a kiss against my cheek. I smiled at him and walked over to Chester. "Take care of them out there," he said. I smiled at him and nodded. They would always be under my protection. "Take care of yourself," he added.

Once more I smiled at him. It was reasonably easy for me to take care of myself. I nodded at him and grabbed his hand quickly. "Of course. I'll see you soon. Get out of here," I said. I left the plane and moved to stand in front of the boys, giving them all reassuring nods. "Let's head out. Don't speak and move quietly. We'll be there in a few minutes," I warned them.

And so that eight of us moved through the woods very quietly. I made sure to warn the men to be quiet and walk without crunching the leaves or branches. In case Hydra had scouts out in the woods, we had to be careful. None of the men made any moves to alert me to anything since I was scanning the woods, ensuring that no one was here. My eyes were glazed over white so that I could listen in and see if anyone was near us. But no one was, and ten minutes after we had left the relative safety of the plane we were on Hydra ground once more. I could see the way that the men stiffened, probably from the memory of our last encounter at a Hydra base.

It rose over the hill in the distance and I looked over it. There were more men outdoors then I had been expecting. There looked like there were at least fifty men outdoors and I assumed that there were at least three times as many indoors. I could see the gas tanker near the center of the base, not far from the doors to the front of the base. The blast probably wouldn't be enough to pry them open, but hopefully we could kill the workers that were close to them. We were only about a thousand feet away from the base as I ducked through the trees, trying to get as close as I possibly could.

The men fell backwards so that I could move forward first. I was the one that needed to send out the heat wave through the gas tanker so that I could make it explode. I had faith that it would work out just fine. I just wanted to make sure that it would kill as many men as possible. I motioned the men to stand behind me as I moved forward towards the gas tanker once more. I was only about five hundred feet from the tanker in the middle of the compound. Raising my hands, they began to glow a soft red as I brought the gas inside to a complete boil. It would need to get up to four hundred and ninety-five degrees before it would ignite. I pushed myself behind the trees as it got closer and closer.

Glancing back towards the men, I wanted to make sure that the men would all be safe. They were hiding as the temperature passed the five hundred degrees point. And that was all that it took. The gas was bubbling as it expanded and finally reached the ignition point. The gas tanker wasn't strong enough to hold the blast as it detonated like a bomb. The flash of light nearly blinded the men as the Hydra soldiers tried to make a run for it. But it was too late. The explosion automatically killed the fifty men that were standing within the immediate vicinity of the tanker. It lit even more on fire and I knew that they would be dead within a few minutes. There were screams as the Hydra soldiers started running in a panic.

We had our window of opportunity. I moved forward and motioned the rest of the men with me. "Go! Now!" I shouted.

That was all that it took. The men began running off in a sudden bout of movement. We were all sprinting down towards the base. Most of the men that were still on the Hydra base trying to figure out who had infiltrated the base were still clueless. That was all that we needed. At first I hung back for a few minutes so that I could watch the men to make sure that they were all alright. They immediately opened fire on the Hydra soldiers and I smiled as I saw one after another drop. I pushed forward slowly and ran towards the Hydra soldiers that were near the doors to the compound.

There was a large jumble of Hydra soldiers that were standing in front of the doors and I knew that it was time for them to be taken down. The men all noticed me as I walked onto the base and brought the flames up to my hands. They were all watching me as they began to shoot. But it was easy to manage to avoid the barrage of bullets. And a moment later I brought the flames into giant whips and sliced them through the torsos of three of the soldiers, ripping them in half. Their corpses fell to the ground as I turned and threw a ball of flames through two more of the soldiers. I shot out a large current of flames and took down eight more of the soldiers that fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

But the moment that I had managed to take them down, more took their place. I switched from the flames and allowed the current of electricity to run up through my arms. They were brilliant silver streams of electricity as I shot out at the sudden movement of another ten Hydra soldiers. The shot of electricity went straight through their bodies as they all dropped to the ground. Black char marks were all over their bodies as they fell to the ground. Their hair was standing on end as they hit the blackened dirt.

Once I was sure that all of the men were gone, I turned back and checked out what was happening to the other men. Thankfully they were all fine. Steve was off in the distance, fighting off three men with his shield. He was having an easy time keeping all of the Hydra soldiers at bay. Just behind him was Dum Dum, Jim, and James - all of whom were shooting at the soldiers. Gabe was using the Browning to tear through the large sections of Hydra soldiers while Jacques was throwing small grenades off in the distance. Bucky wasn't far from me, shooting at more of the soldiers.

As they all continued through everything that they were doing, I turned back and saw that there were a few stragglers of the Hydra soldiers. They were some of the few that hadn't come forward and come into the main fight. As the men advanced on me I brought up a force field to keep the bullets from flying towards me. There were four men that were moving forward towards me to try and take me down. But I continued to block the bullets that they were trying to fire at me. It was a few minutes before their guns finally began to click. I smirked, knowing that they were out of bullets and I was about to take care of them.

Running towards the first of the men - the one that had been standing the closest to me - I ducked underneath the knife that he threw out towards me and spun sideways over myself, throwing out my leg and kicking him in the side of the head. A little bit of blood flew out of his mouth as he hit the ground and tried to get back to his feet. As I straightened up, I kicked him across the jaw and backed off. He tried to get back to his feet once more as I jumped forward into a front flip and kicked him over the head. He stumbled backwards once more as I righted myself and grabbed his shoulders, flipping over him and wrenching him down to the ground with me.

As the first man was down for the count, I looked towards the second. The second man leaned down to grab his pistol to shoot at me, but I acted faster. I ran after him and used his bent knee as a step. I had one foot down on his bent thigh as I leaned forward and wrenched the gun from his hand. My other leg was on top of his shoulder as I brought the gun up and shot through his skull. As I leaned forward once more, I hooked my foot behind the man's head and brought the two of us into a sprawl. I rolled forward off of the corpse and leaned up towards the third man.

Sliding past the man first, I jumped back to my feet and pulled the trigger. I was met with a little click. Empty. Figures. Instead I tossed the gun off to the side as the man arrived at my side. I tried to hit him but he was faster. As he threw his fist out, I managed to catch it in my own hand. Our hands went off to the side before I wrenched them back upwards and over in the other direction, sending the both of us into a sprawl sideways. I immediately dropped his hand and made a move to get back to my feet.

The man attempted to get back to his feet from the sudden movement but I reacted first, knowing that it wasn't a very hard move to recover from. I slid forward on my knees and swept out his legs. The man grunted as he hit the ground and I flipped forward from my kneeling position. As I came back over myself I jammed my foot into his helmet, effectively crushing his skull.

The moment that I was sure that he was dead, I glanced back towards the fourth of the Hydra soldiers. He ran towards me without a weapon in his hands and I smirked. This one would be easy. The man missed grabbing out at me as I stepped off to the side of him and used a small box as a stepping stone. He reached up an arm to try and stop me but I merely wrapped a leg over his arm and onto his shoulders. I jumped up onto the man and placed my hands over his throat, electrocuting and killing him. His body fell backwards as I rolled forward off of him and back to my feet. My eyes immediately scanned the few remaining fights. Bucky was currently fighting one man with another walking up behind him.

They were some of the last few Hydra soldiers that remained outside of the base. As Bucky sidestepped to shoot at the Hydra soldier that had his full attention, he seemed to finally notice that another was advancing on him. I moved forward, unwilling to let anything happen to him. I slid forward on my knees and underneath the gap in Bucky's leg, stealing the garrote that was tucked into the waistband on his pants. Bucky stepped back in surprise as he shot the first man that had been advancing on him.

In the meantime I jumped back to my feet and loosened the garrote that was in my hands. I had a feeling that Bucky didn't know how to use it anyways. The other man that had been about to attack him merely stepped backwards in fear at the sight of me. I advanced forward and grabbed the man's shoulders. I spun over his back before placing my thighs on either side of his neck, pulling the garrote over his throat and tightening it. I fell backwards, keeping the garrote tight around his throat. He was thrown over himself onto the ground as I hit the floor, back on my feet.

The man was down on his stomach - desperately clawing at the garrote - trying to suck air back into his lungs. I merely flipped forward and used the tight grip that I had on the rope to pull the man back to his feet. I could already see that it was cutting through the skin. The entire time, Bucky had been watching in shock. I nodded my head towards him and he understood what I was getting at as he looked back at me and raised his own gun, shooting the man through the forehead. He fell to the ground - dead - as I finally dropped the grip that I had on the garrote.

As I walked back over to where Bucky was standing, I saw that his chest was heaving softly from exertion. I hadn't made a move to indicate that I was tired. "I had him on the ropes," Bucky muttered.

I smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm. It was the same thing that Steve had said to him almost a year and a half ago. "I know you did," I said.

My hand was on his arm as Bucky gave me a gentle shove. He knew that I was just messing with him. I loved him more than anything, but that didn't mean that I was always going to be nice to him. I glanced up towards the rest of the men and was very relieved to see that the rest of the men were all still alive and well. They were already handling their ends of the bargain. They all had dead soldiers all around them. It seemed that everyone that had been outdoors during the attack was gone. That meant that all we needed was to take care of the men in the building.

They must have still been hiding from us. They must have known that they were being attacked. Steve made his way over to me and I looked down at the shield in his arms. "How's that shield working out?" I asked him.

"Thank God they can't fight like you," Steve said.

Everyone laughed as I turned over to them and smiled. We wouldn't be doing very well if they could fight like me. "That could pose a problem. Nice job, tough guy," I joked, patting against his arm. "Gentlemen! Shall we?"

"We shall," Dum Dum said.

They all made their move to form a line with their weapons drawn. They were all holding their rifles and ready to get into the fight. As they were holding the rifles and weapons, I saw that Steve was holding his pistol. I was the only person that would be walking in without a weapon. Steve and I made our way towards the doors first and I leaned back, kicking them apart. The metal bent as the doors went flying apart and my force field went up. The bullets immediately began ricocheting off of the force field as we walked forward. It was just a few seconds before the men had to stop to redraw. I dropped the force field and rolled out of the way for the men to be able to take over their rolls in the fight.

It was easy for them to move forward and shoot down all of the soldiers that were coming in droves. I was the person that was supposed to be taking out the strays. Bucky's voice cut through the loud bangs of the weapons. "Left corner!" he yelled.

Glancing up, I realized that he was right. There were six or seven Hydra soldiers that were running towards the men. "I got 'em! Keep moving!" I shouted, running after them.

As the men continued to advance through the building, I ran off to the side towards where the rest of the reinforcement Hydra soldiers were on their way in. I ran back towards the double doors that they were running through and moved towards the first man. He was running towards me as I dropped to my knees and slid past him, grabbing his knee and yanking it out of the socket. He was screaming in pain as I got back to my feet and ran towards the rest of the men. One man was standing right in front of the other as I ran towards him and grabbed him around the neck, pushing my legs forward and sending a kangaroo kick into his stomach.

The second man fell as I kept my grip around the first's neck and did a quick run on the ground, pulling him with me, as I hit the wall and ran up it. Two steps up the wall and I flipped over his back, sending him sprawling as I turned back. There was another man standing not far from me and I smirked, running after him. The man was watching me as he raised his rifle towards me. Although I was very easily able to jump upwards and use the rifle as a step up onto his shoulders. I used my weight to spin around on his shoulders and rip him off of his feet. He was thrown towards the ground as I rolled forwards and shoved his head into the ground, crushing it.

Another man ran after me and aimed his rifle towards me. I was just barely able to duck out of the way as I grabbed the rifle, shoving it back into his face. He stumbled backwards as I kneed him in the stomach. He grunted and collapsed to the ground, throwing up blood, as I grabbed the rifle and turned back towards the next man to advance on me. I used it to throw the other man's rifle out of his hands as I dropped the one that I had stolen. I threw out my leg into his stomach as he stumbled backwards. Another man came from behind me and I turned back, swiping my leg out to kick the rifle out of his hands and delivered another kick towards his stomach.

The man that had just recovered from my earlier hit came after me and I ducked out of the way, turning away from him and reaching back behind his neck. I leaned down and yanked him with me, throwing his body over myself. He hit the ground as his neck snapped and I got back to my feet. The last of the men that was coming after me let off a shot that I barely managed to avoid. I slid past him on my knees - getting out of the way of a few more of his shots - before getting back to my feet and running after him. I ducked down before getting back up and jamming my fist into his nose. The cartilage shoved upwards into his brain and he fell backwards, dead.

Two more Hydra guards were running towards me and I looked around for a moment. There was a desk not far from me that was turned onto its side. I slid towards it and kicked it straight towards the first of the guards. He grunted as he was crushed in between the desk and the wall as I got back to my feet and jumped over the desk. I punched the man in the stomach before reaching my arm over the back of his neck and twisting, snapping his neck and allowing him to slump dead against the desk. The second Hydra guard caught me around my throat and I groaned as I shoved my elbow back into his gut and flipped backwards over him.

As I landed back on my feet, Steve passed me and threw the shield into the guard, knocking him out. I gave him a quick nod before sprinting off towards three more soldiers. Two were standing close together as a third advanced. I ran towards the first and ducked down, sweeping out his legs from underneath of him, as I got back to my feet and grabbed the second man's hand, turning my back towards him and throwing him over myself. I leaned down to him and punched him in the face as the first soldier got back to his feet. Dropping my grip on the unconscious second man, I turned back to the first and swept my leg out across his skull, crushing it under the force. A third man ran towards me as I ducked out of the way of his punch and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind me. I easily jammed his head into my knee twice before throwing him over himself.

Coming back to a stand, I realized that more soldiers were still advancing on me. As the men realized that I was the real problem, they were coming for me. Another man ran towards me and threw out a fist that I was easily able to catch as I spun underneath him arm and threw my leg straight up into his neck. He leaned over, gasping for air, as I jumped up onto his shoulders and rotated around his front. As he was thrown into the floor, I rolled off of him and back to my feet as another man came towards me. I jumped over the first man's body and sent a kangaroo-kick into the second man's chest. He was blown backwards off of his feet as I landed on the first man's back, breaking his spine with my elbow as I hopped back to my feet.

Two more men ran towards me as the first threw out two consecutive punches to my head. I dodged both before grabbing his arm and shoving him into the ground, keeping my grip on his arm, as the second man came to stand at my other side. I kicked him in the throat, making him stumble backwards, as I wrapped my leg over the arm of the man that I still had a grip on. He was thrown to the ground as I rolled us over ourselves, breaking the joint of his shoulder. He fell in pain as I released him and got back to my feet. The other man was running back towards me as I jumped out of his way, and grabbed his shoulders, pulling myself up and over him, only to throw myself back towards the ground. He was thrown over himself once more as I hopped back upright, spotting that two of his vertebrae had been broken.

Barely a second had passed before another group of men ran towards me. One man ran after me and I ducked out of the way before swinging my leg up and out, swiping across his head. He hit the ground as two more men came towards me from opposite sides. I waited until they were parallel with me before jumping up and kicking my legs out, making them both go flying backwards at the impact. I rolled backwards and upright so that as I came back up, I went into a back-flip, kicking one of the men in the jaw, cracking the bone and breaking it. As another man ran towards me, I kicked the rifle out of his hands with one leg before turning and using the other to break his skull.

As another man - clearly one with martial arts training - made a move to kick at me, I ducked underneath and placed his leg on my shoulder. I shoved him forwards and onto the ground as I stepped over him, placing his knee in between my own, and yanked. His knee broke at the sudden movement as I turned back and leapt forwards towards another man. He was not expecting the hit as I caught onto his front and pulled myself up onto his shoulders. I sat on him for a moment before swinging myself downwards, throwing him to the ground.

It was almost immediate that another man ran towards me. I ducked underneath his legs before grabbing under his thigh and yanking him down towards me. He fell over the top of me as I rolled behind him and back upwards, grabbing his arm and twisting it backwards. I heard the pop almost immediately and I let go, bouncing back to my feet. There was another man that had been trying to sneak up behind me and I whipped back around. The man turned on his heel to run, but I was faster. I launched after him and grabbed his shoulders, rolling us forward and over ourselves. I caught one of his legs underneath mine and the other in my arms as I twisted backwards, feeling the tendon separate.

The man's screams were enough to tell me that he wasn't getting up anytime soon. So I stood and noticed that Bucky was shooting at another man. They had too much cover in between the two of them to shoot at each other. "Bucky, get down!" I shouted.

Bucky barely had time to move before I was at his side. He ducked down onto his hands and knees as I ran after him. As expected, the man that was shooting at him stepped out into the open to try and shoot at me. As usual, I was faster. I reached Bucky and used his back as a spring to propel me in the air. As I sprang towards the man, I kicked out at his chest and sent him flying backwards. I hit the ground and bounced back up, glancing back towards Bucky. He was about to get back to his feet as I motioned him to stay down. I ran back towards Bucky and threw my leg out over his head, connecting with the man that had been running towards us, throwing him backwards.

Another man came at me from the corner and I turned to run after him when Bucky acted first. He shot the man in the head and I watched as he dropped. I turned back to Bucky and laughed softly. I was about to say something when I saw that another soldier was headed towards him. I sprinted towards Bucky, who was smart enough to open his legs so that I could slide underneath them. I got back to my feet as I ran after the man and punched him in the head. As he recovered from the blow, I turned back, placing my back against his front and hooked my thigh back around his waist. Jumping forward with the leg that was on the ground I threw the two of us over ourselves, landing on top of the man.

He grunted at the impact as I rolled forward off of the man so that Gabe could shoot him. "Thanks," I called out to Gabe. Just a moment later I saw a man sneaking up on him. "Knife!"

Gabe needed no more warning. He tossed his knife at me as I ran after the man. He got no warning before I threw myself forward into a front flip. He dropped the rifle that he was holding as my legs went up around his shoulders. He grunted in a sudden panic as I pulled myself up so that I was sitting on his chest and leaning over him. The knife in my hand went straight down into his heart as his eyes widened and he dropped backwards, allowing me to drop the knife and roll forwards off of him.

Two more men were running after me and I rolled my eyes. It was like they never ended. There must have been more here than I thought. As he threw out a punch, I caught his arm and turned backwards, looping my arm around the back of his neck before throwing us up and over. I landed on the man and rolled forward to let Bucky shoot him. A second later I got back to my feet and turned back to where the second man was. The man had no time to think as I ran after him, wrapping my legs around his neck, and throwing us back to the ground. He was thrown into a sprawl on top of another man as I slid forward on all fours.

And then came three more. I rolled my eyes but moved forward anyways. I ran towards the first man and stepped up onto his thigh. He had an arm around my leg, trying to pull me off of him, but I was rooted in place. Using his leg as support, I leaned backwards and kicked out at another advancing man with my free leg. The man that I was standing on began to lose his balance as I twisted to the side, throwing one leg over his back. He fell to the ground as I threw him into an airborne spin and rolled off of him. Another man threw a punch at me that I ducked out of the way of as I grabbed his arm and placed the other behind his neck. I jumped to place my back against his front and roll the two of us forward.

My hand was underneath his knee as I took his leg and jammed it upwards, tearing the muscle. Another man moved towards me while I was down on the ground and I grabbed his arm, wrenching it backwards to dislocate it. He screamed in pain and tried to stand up to get away from me, but I moved first. I grabbed him and spun around so that I was sitting on his shoulders. I fell backwards and tore the man off of his feet with me. He was thrown across the floor as I landed on all fours.

Getting back to my feet, I saw Jacques firing at a group of men not far from us. "Jacques! Come on!" I shouted.

He nodded at me and shot at two men before running after me. I smiled and ran towards the center of the building. It was part of our plan. Once we had managed to clear out most of the soldiers, we were supposed to set up explosives to demolish the rest of the building. We had to make sure to destroy all of the knowledge that Hydra had. Jacques began to load the explosives into the building as I stood back and kept watch for any other Hydra soldiers. The men were finishing off of most of the rest of the Hydra soldiers out on the edge of the base.

It wasn't long before two more Hydra soldiers came running up to us. Jacques glanced up at us and I shook my head at him. "Keep going. I've got them," I said.

Walking back towards the men, the first one ran towards me and swiped out for a punch. I ducked out of the way before twirling up into the air to aim a kick at him. My first leg went over his head as my second was thrown out - kicking directly in the center of the man's chest. He was thrown back into the wall as I dropped back down to the ground. The second man ran towards me and I stood my ground. The man was bent down slightly as I ran after him. I leapt upwards and wrapped my legs around his neck before leaning backwards and rotating over myself. The man was thrown to the ground as I landed back on my feet.

I was about to finish them off as Jacques called to me. "We're done!" he shouted.

"Run!" I shouted. Both Jacques and I ran from the center of the building up towards the front. I was just behind Jacques as I brought up a gust of wind and blew the men backwards against the wall. They collapsed on themselves as I ran back out into the main building. The rest of the men were still firing at the remaining Hydra members. "Let's go! Charges are set!" I yelled out them.

That was all that it took. They all began to sprint from the building with us. We didn't need to make things any more dangerous than they already were. The charges would detonate in a matter of seconds. James was in the front as he started firing at the few remaining members of the Hydra division. The Hydra men were trying to run after us as I turned backwards and brought up a force field, stopping the men from escaping the building. A second later, it detonated. Explosions began rocking the ground as the building imploded on itself, killing all of the Hydra members that were trapped inside and the the men that were trapped in my force field.

A few minutes passed before I was sure that the explosions had stopped. I eventually let the force field drop and straighten up. I motioned for the men to wait as I walked forward and did a quick analysis of the land. I smirked quickly, knowing that we had managed to completely wipe out this Hydra base. There were now at least two hundred less Hydra soldiers in the world and there was no way that they would be able to salvage anything from this base. I turned back to the men and smiled brightly.

"Not bad, boys," I chirped.

"Wa-hoo!" Dum Dum yelled.

We all laughed as I was brought into the middle of a pile of the men. I smiled at the men as I was dunked underneath the pile of them. "We had a good teacher," Bucky told me as they released me.

They had all done such a good job out there. No one was dead and no one was injured either. The only casualties were Hydra soldiers. "You made me proud out there. Now let's go home. I could use a shower," I said, really meaning it. I'd kind of been rolling around in the dirt and dust. The men all laughed as Bucky and Steve threw their arms over me. They smelled terrible. "Ew. And so could you two."

Once more everyone laughed. They really did need a shower. They smelled like sweat and a little like metal. Probably from blood. "Well now we know that you were taking it easy on us," Jim said.

I was definitely taking things easy on them. I laughed and wrung out my hands, cracking the bones that had tensed up during the attack. "Oh I needed a good fight," I said happily.

Once more everyone laughed. I really had needed a fight. It was the reason that I hadn't taken one of Howard's pills before coming out here. I could feel the electricity sparking through my hands as we walked back towards the place that the plane had been left. It only took us half an hour to get back to where everyone was waiting for us. It had been a long time since we had been back with the rest of them. It had been about three hours since we had left for the fight. I was sure that Peggy, Chester, and Howard were getting nervous by now.

So I decided to slip into Peggy's mind and let her know that we were still alive. We're on our way back, I said into her mind.

Everything alright? Peggy's voice called back to me.

We're here.

The airplane was rising in the distance as I glanced upwards and saw the back door of the plane dropping once more. Peggy came running out towards us, Howard and Chester following closely behind. "What happened?" she asked desperately.

"There's one less Hydra base in the world," I told her.

Smiles fell over their faces as Chester walked up to me. "Not bad, kid," Chester said, wrapping me in a hug.

Laughing at him, I brought him into a hug. "Thanks, old man."

"You took care of everything?" he asked me.

Nodding at him, I walked over towards the map and made a move to take the Hydra base off of the map. "Everything. We took out all of the Hydra soldiers and detonated the base. There's nothing left there. I did a check to make sure that we were the only survivors," I said, letting them know that I was sure that we were the only person that had walked out of there.

"Well done," Chester said to me, before turning and looking at the rest of the team. "To all of you."

I noticed that he had added it begrudgingly. "We'll take it off of the map," Peggy said.

"When do we move forward with the next mission?" Bucky asked.

To my surprise, it was Steve that spoke first. He did make a good leader when it came to things like this. "We have to spend some time getting everything together. Look at maps and make the plans. Vic has seen us in action and she'll know how to alter our training," he said. I raised my brow and crossed my arms over my chest. "Right?"

He had turned towards me with a slightly nervous look. It almost made me laugh. He would always make sure that I was alright with whatever the plans were. "Right. We should wait until after the holidays. After the New Year?" I asked everyone.

"That'll work," Chester said. "Rest. You've all had a long day."

Everyone slowly started moving off to carry on with whatever they wanted to do for the next hour and a half or so. Bucky grabbed my hand and pulled me with him towards the chairs in the back. "You were incredible out there," he told me as we sat down.

He grabbed my legs and pulled me halfway into his lap. "That was nothing," I said honestly.

Bucky smiled and grabbed my hand. I was a little concerned that he might spot the bloodstains on my fingers. But if he did, he made no note of it. Maybe because I noticed that there were a few flecks of blood on his uniform. "It was the most impressive thing that I've ever seen. And I've seen you do some pretty impressive things," he said.

"Thanks," I said, with a small smile. A moment later I pressed my hand against his cheek. He did the same to me, running his thumb down over my lip. "And thank you for keeping yourself safe."

Bucky moved forward and pressed a small kiss against my lips. "You had my back in there a few times," he said.

"Always."

And I meant it. I was always going to be there to protect him and have his back, no matter what happened. The return to the base was relatively uneventful and not at all peaceful. It didn't take long for the other men to come over and join Bucky and I. We didn't leave from our positions but we didn't actually hang over each other. Instead we spent most of the ride back talking and laughing with each other. It was the nicest that I'd felt in days, knowing that everyone was safe and had made it through the attack. By the end that we did return to the base, it was already midday.

When we walked back into the base I noticed that men and women were already standing around everywhere and waiting to hear what had happened. They were all very excited to hear that the base had been destroyed with all of the soldiers. I had been very embarrassed that all of the men had made it a point to tell them that I was the reason that they had made it out. I was sure that the entire story would be in the tabloids by the morning. We had to stand and talk about everything for a few hours before we were allowed to leave back to the barracks; which was good, considering that I was exhausted from the lack of sleep from the past few days.

"How about a trip to the tavern?" Dum Dum asked as we walked in.

Glancing up towards the clock that was mounted on the roll, I shook my head at them. It was the middle of the day and they wanted to go drinking. "It's the middle of the day," I commented dryly.

Gabe laughed and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. He smelled just about as bad as everyone else did. "We just beat Hydra. Who cares what time it is?" Gabe asked me teasingly.

"I'll be there in a few hours. I'm gonna lay down for a while," I told them.

Going out to the bar sounded like a fantastic time, but I really wanted to lay down for a while before actually doing anything that involved more work. "Hurry over. I want a game of darts," Jim told me.

"You'll lose," I commented. I glanced back and saw that Steve was heading over towards the barracks. "Where are you going?" I asked him.

Steve looked back at me and I noticed the bags underneath his eyes. He must have been exhausted. "I think that I'm gonna follow your lead and take a nap for a few hours. I'll be at the bar around seven or eight," he said.

"That sounds perfect to me." Before he could walk off, I reached my arm over and placed it on his shoulder. "Hey. Good job today. Seriously. You did so well out there. I don't think that I've ever been so proud of you. Those training sessions with me... I could do whatever I wanted, but I would have never really hurt you. This was your chance to prove to me that you've learned something. And you definitely have," I told him happily.

That was the most impressive that I had ever seen Steve do out there. He had looked incredible out there. Much better than I'd been expecting. "Thanks, Vic. We made a hell of a team out there," he joked, nudging my shoulder.

Laughing softly, I nodded at him. "Yeah. We did. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" I offered.

"I'll come get you both when it's time to head over," Steve said.

There was a small flush on my face from what he'd told me. Was it really that obvious that Bucky and I spent those nights together? I hoped that not everyone had noticed so far. I wanted to keep that a secret for as long as possible. "Thanks," I said, laughing awkwardly.

Bucky patted Steve on the back. "Good job, buddy." Steve and the others walked off as Bucky turned back to me. "What would it take to coerce you into coming and taking a nap with me?" he asked.

Glancing over at him, I smiled and walked into him. He pressed a hand behind my back, keeping me pressed against him. "Coerce, that's a big word. I'm proud," I told him, teasing him slightly. He laughed and shoved me as he tightened his grip on my back. "Honestly, it wouldn't take much."

That was all that it took. Bucky and I headed straight back towards his room as he pressed a hand over the lower half of my back, pulling him with me. Even though it was only the middle of the day, I really was exhausted. I yawned deeply as I leaned into Bucky's side. It was the most comfortable place that I could have thought that I could be in right now. I would probably end up falling asleep almost immediately. We walked into Bucky's room and he closed the door behind us as I dropped into the bed.

It did make me giggle the way that Bucky plopped on top of me a few moments later. My eyes were closed but they sprang open again as I felt his body lay on top of my own. He pressed the hair off of my forehead and my hands went down to the jacket of his uniform. As he caught my lips with his own, my hands went to the buttons on the jacket that he was wearing. It was easy to undo them all so that he could push it off of his shoulders and drop in back to the ground. His hand made its way underneath the skintight shirt, just barely able to push it up slightly. I smiled as I broke the kiss for a moment, allowing us to undo the laces on our shoes.

"You're terrible at punching, by the way," I said as I kicked my boots back to the ground.

Bucky's head shot up as he kicked off his own. "I am not!" he shouted, affronted.

"Yes you are."

A small smirk formed over his face as I raised my brows. "Well I'll tell you what I'm not terrible at," he said.

My eyebrows rose as he leaned into me and pressed another kiss against my mouth. I laughed and let him push me back into the bed. My legs pushed their way in between his as one of his hands dropped dangerously low on my waist - not that I really cared - and the other came up to tangle in my hair. Our mouths moved together in a slight frenzy as I was pushed back into the bed. My hands were busy pushing the shirt up around his chest as I tried to push the thoughts of what I really wanted. There was no ring on my finger yet, so I couldn't go too far... But I was no fool. I knew that we weren't getting to sleep anytime soon. And that was perfectly alright with me.


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two

Even though the window coverings kept most of the light out of Bucky's room, I could see the faint glow of the sun outside of the building. That meant that it was almost time to wake up for the both of us. Not because there was any work to be done. There always was, but we were getting a pass for a few days. Just because I had to get back before people saw me stumbling out of Bucky's room first thing in the morning. We didn't have much to do today, so I would have much rather slept in. But I did still have to buy presents. We were a mere five days out from Christmas here in London. It was the first Christmas that I would spend with Steve and Bucky together in a long time.

In fact, it would be the first Christmas that the three of us would have together since I was fourteen. I yawned softly and rolled slightly in the bed. It still surprised me when I saw that Bucky was awake before me. I had turned to tuck myself into his chest and smile up at him as his blurry eyes were focused on me. His arms wound tightly around my waist as his fingers dug into the material of the robe. I had become rather attached to it in the few weeks that Bucky had been letting me use it. He pushed the hair back off of my face as his fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me into a searing kiss that I never wanted to break.

But eventually we had to come up for air. "What do you think about getting lunch today?" I asked, threading my fingers through his own.

Bucky looked a little bit awkward. "Actually I have plans," he muttered.

Sitting upright slightly, I raised my brows at him. The two of us always had things to do during the day, even if there was nothing to do with work. "Better offer?" I asked, only half-teasingly.

"Steve and I are going out, actually," he said.

Feeling very stupid for thinking the worst, I smiled at him. "Oh..." It was nice for the two of them to get some time together. I wanted them to have a good time together. They didn't get much of a chance to have their boy time. Whatever that meant. "Well if it's you and Steve, I suppose I'll have to let it go. Just remember to keep your hands at a respectable distance and have him home by ten," I teased.

Bucky laughed and shoved me slightly, nearly knocking me out of the bed. "You're an ass," he snapped.

But I could hear that he wasn't serious about it. Of course not. He knew that I was just messing with him. He knew that I loved him more than anything. "And you love me anyways," I shot back.

A small smile appeared on his face. "I do," he said softly.

The two of us smiled at each other and pressed his hand back behind my neck. I smiled at him as he pulled me in and pressed a long kiss against my lips. I was pushed back against the bed as he leaned over me. A small smile fell over my face as I ran my hand up over his bare chest, gently running my nails over his muscles. The top of Bucky's robe that I was wearing was loosened slightly from the movement and I knew that he would be able to look down and see the underwear that I was wearing if he really wanted to. It would have been easy to see. But it seemed that he wasn't going to do that. He was respectful enough to not do that. As Bucky broke the kiss, I leaned in and pressed a small kiss against his neck.

On top of me, I could feel him give a small shudder at the movement. I smiled into his neck and laughed as he pressed a kiss against my jaw. "I should go," I muttered under my breath, steeling myself to leave, as much as I really didn't want to.

"Why's that?" Bucky asked.

Smiling softly, I leaned into Bucky and gently nudged him. "Because I have a date," I teased him.

Bucky's eyes flashed slightly. I knew that he would be jealous if there was ever anyone else. "Funny," he snapped.

But I would never do that. There was only one person that I wanted. And that person was laying right next to me. "I know that you think that I'm funny," I teased, allowing my eyes to briefly flash white.

"Stop doing that."

"Why?"

"It's creepy."

Rolling my eyes at him, allowing them to go back to their normal yellow, I shoved him into the wall. It wasn't that bad. Okay, maybe the white eyes was a little bad. They even creeped me out when I did it. But that didn't mean that I wouldn't tease him. "Honestly you're such a baby. How did you ever make it through the Hydra infiltration?" I asked.

Bucky laughed at me and leaned forward, pressing a kiss against my temple. "Because you had my back the entire time. Speaking of which, my back still hurts from you jumping on it," he added.

"I don't weigh that much!" I barked.

Although I was sure that I had managed to surprise him with that. Maybe I should have given him a fair warning. "That is not what I meant. I just wasn't expecting you to do that," he said, probably worried that he would insult me.

But he hadn't. I knew that it probably had hurt him when I'd jumped off of him. "Well maybe if you would have acted first..." I trailed off.

"You didn't let me. You just went for it and strangled that guy. I didn't even know that I had the string in there," he said.

"Garrote," I interrupted his thought process. His head snapped over to me. I could imagine that he hadn't been expecting me to say that. "That's the word you're looking for."

Bucky snorted under his breath. "Romantic... Talking about killing Hydra soldiers," he said.

"Gets you going, huh?" I asked brightly.

"As long as it's you that's talking."

A rather large and embarrassing blush popped up on my face. That was definitely not what I was expecting him to say. Not that I hadn't known that he felt that way about me. We were both getting sick of waiting. But we would, because I'd already made it clear that I wanted to wait. Damn me. Bucky leaned down towards me and pressed a small kiss against my lips. My arms wrapped up and around Bucky's shoulders so that I could pull him against me so that I could collapse in the bed with him. His hands were knotted in my hair, keeping my head with his. We stayed together for a few minutes before I gently pushed Bucky away from me and sat up slightly.

He was laying back in bed with his arms crossed behind his head. My eyes briefly darted down to his bare chest before looking back to his face. "So what are you getting me for Christmas?" I asked.

"Don't you dare read my mind," he snapped.

He must have had something that he wanted to keep a secret. "You are so mistrusting. I'm not going to read your mind. You can surprise me with your gift and I'll surprise you with mine," I said.

"You have a gift in mind?"

No. "Of course I have a gift in mind. Do you?" I asked, hoping that he didn't.

Bucky smiled at me as he sat up himself. "I actually have a wonderful gift in mind. I think that you're really going to like it." I smiled at him as he placed a hand on the back of my neck and pulled me into another kiss. I hummed against his mouth as Bucky pushed me back onto the bed, laying himself over me. "Or we could just stay here all day," he suggested.

That was all that I wanted to do. "I'd like that. But if you keep me here, I don't think that I'm ever going to leave," I said.

"I don't want you to leave."

Smiling softly as he leaned in to give me another peck against my lips, I kept pressed against him as I spoke. "I won't ever leave," I told him softly. And I meant it. I was never going to leave him. "But I probably should leave soon. I have things to do today and I'm thinking that you do too."

"Stay. For a few more minutes," Bucky mumbled against my lips.

"And what should we do?" I asked.

"How about this?"

Bucky smirked at me as he pressed me back into the bed once more. Our lips tangled together in a heated kiss as his hands wound up to my hair, knotting into it and keeping me against him. Our kiss gradually became more and more heated as my hands fell to the waistband of his pants. My stomach gave a little jolt as Bucky's hand fell to the knot on the robe that I was wearing. I had been in a dress last night and I'd had nothing else to wear so I had been forced to borrow one of Peggy's things. I did have a slip on underneath the robe, but it wasn't much. It was extremely short and dipped lower on my chest than anything else that I owned.

Despite knowing that I should have stopped him, I allowed his hands to linger at the knot as Bucky leaned forward and laid himself in between my legs. My legs were on either side of his torso as his hands dipped back down to the knot on the robe. I smiled at him through the kiss and nodded, motioning so that he could untie the knot. My heart was hammering in his chest as he pulled the knot undone. I leaned upwards through the kiss and allowed Bucky to slip the robe off of my shoulders. Bucky broke the kiss for a moment to look at my bare arms, legs, and the excess skin on my chest. I blushed deeply as I heard his thoughts about me.

"See something you like?" I asked.

It was pretty obvious that he did like what he had seen. And he knew that I knew. "I do," Bucky said, running his hands over my bare arms.

One of his hands wound its way to my shoulder and the strap gently fell off. I knew that it wouldn't be long before we couldn't stop ourselves. "I should go. Before..." I trailed off awkwardly.

"Yeah," Bucky muttered.

"One day this won't be so awkward."

We both laughed as Bucky leaned in for another kiss. His arm was around my back as he pulled me to sit upright. "Have a good day. I'll see you tonight?" he asked, and I nodded my head.

"Have fun with whatever you and Steve are doing today. I'll see you both a little later," I said.

Bucky nodded at me, sitting up in bed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

We both jumped out of the bed as I moved forward and kissed Bucky. He was laughing at me as he turned back and pressed me into the wall. I could feel the slip shifting under our movements and for a brief moment I swore that Bucky shifted it upwards slightly. But I wasn't going to say anything. After a few minutes we finally broke apart and I gave him one last peck on the lips before grabbing the robe, slipping it back over my shoulders, grabbing the dress from the floor, and darting from the room.

Heading straight back to my own room, I darted inside and shut the door before anyone could tell that I hadn't slept in my own room. And I hadn't for weeks. I tossed the dress into the laundry before dropping Bucky's robe onto the back of my chair and letting the slip fall off of my shoulders. Peggy was sitting on the bed in normal clothes and I glanced over and smiled at her. We weren't working much over the coming days since the holidays were right around the corner. She glanced up at me and grinned as I began to change.

"I need your help," I told her.

"With what?"

"I haven't bought Bucky a Christmas present yet. I've gotten everyone a present with the exception of him," I said honestly. The pile of presents was under the bed so I could wrap them with Peggy on Christmas Eve. "What the hell do I get him?"

It seemed like there was nothing that I could do that would compare to what Bucky would do for me. "You're so cute," Peggy snorted.

"I'm serious, Peggy! What do I get him?"

She rolled her eyes at me but glanced upwards, probably trying to figure out what I could do for him. Finally something sparked in her eyes. "Is he afraid of heights?" she asked me.

That wasn't what I was expecting. "I - I don't think so. Why?" I asked.

Peggy smiled and hopped up from the bed, dragging me with her as I just barely managed to pull on my shoes. "I have an idea. There's a place not far from here that I think the two of you will really love. Come with me. I want to show you what I'm talking about. Do you have plans with Bucky today?" she asked.

Not that it would have mattered. She probably would have brought me with her anyways. "No. He was saying that he's going to go out with Steve. It's nice. The two of them haven't gotten out that much together since everything happened," I said.

"Oh. That's nice."

She gave me a funny look that I was sure meant that she was hiding something from me. I had a feeling that they were all hiding something from me. "Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?" I asked.

"No reason. Come on, girl's day!"

Both of us laughed as Peggy grabbed me by the arms and dragged me from the building. I was laughing as I barely managed to grab my hair and tie it back up. I really did want to know what was going on. I could tell that Bucky was going to do something special for me. It was obvious enough by the way that everyone was speaking to me. But as much as I wanted to know, I wasn't going to go into his mind and figure out what he was doing. I knew that he wanted it to be a surprise.

Bucky's P.O.V.

As Bucky headed over to Steve's apartment, just a few places over from his own, he found himself nervously wringing his hands back and forth. It was something that he found himself extremely nervous for. There was a wad of cash in his pocket that he was fidgeting with the entire time that he walked. He had been hiding it from Vika over the past few days. He didn't want her to get suspicious of what he was doing. He didn't want her to realize that he'd pooled together all of his savings to buy the ring.

He wouldn't have much money left over afterwards, but that was okay. The only thing that he wanted was to be married to her. They could figure everything else out later. She was the only thing that mattered. Money wasn't a big deal. She had Colonel Phillips to help support her and the Army was still paying the both of them. All that mattered was that he knew that she was going to say yes to him. There wasn't a chance that she wouldn't. She had to say yes. He had never been so sure of something in his entire life. And there were lots of things that he'd been sure of before.

Bucky walked up to Steve's door and knocked quickly. It opened a moment later with Steve tightening his tie. "Ready to go?" Bucky asked.

"Let's go," Steve said as they walked out of the apartments and headed towards the shopping center. "You know where we're going?"

Bucky nodded at his best friend. "Yeah. There's a jewelry store not far from here. It's just a few blocks over. I saw that they sell engagement rings," he said. He'd seen the store a few weeks ago when he had gone to that fancy restaurant with Vika. "I'm sure that I can find something for her."

He was hoping that he could find something. Steve smiled and patted Bucky on the back. "You'll get something. Still planning on doing it on Christmas?" he asked.

Once more, Bucky nodded. Five days... It was only five days away from the biggest moment of his life. "It's always been one of her favorite days and she hasn't had a real one - with everyone that she loves - in so long," Bucky said. He'd always known that she loved Christmas more than any other day of the year. Even more than her birthday. "Yeah. I think that's when I'm gonna do it."

"Any idea what you're going to say to Colonel Phillips?" Steve asked.

He let out a deep breath and shook his head. "If I can get it out, I'm going to ask him if I can marry his daughter," Bucky said.

They both laughed softly. Bucky was just hoping that he wouldn't pass out before he could finish speaking to Colonel Phillips. "And how do you think that's going to go?" Steve asked.

Bucky was just hoping that he would be able to make it out of Colonel Phillips's office alive. "Probably not well. I can't imagine that Colonel Phillips is going to take it too well that someone wants to marry his daughter. They might not have been around each other for that long, but they've become family," Bucky said softly.

Steve smiled at his best friend and patted him on the back. "And you've always been family. We all have," Steve said. They both smiled at the thought. "Colonel Phillips might not love you asking to marry her, but he knows that you're going to treat her right."

"Always."

They walked together for a while towards the town center. Big Ben chimed off in the distance and Bucky smiled. He knew that Vika loved hearing it chime. "So what are you going to do? To propose to her?" Steve asked, breaking his train of thoughts.

"I kind of have a plan, but I need some help with it."

"I'll do whatever you need."

"From everyone. You, the rest of the team, Stark, and Peggy, too."

He had the perfect plan for the perfect night, but he wanted to make sure that he had the help to put it all together. "We're all in. But you know that you're going to have to tell them that you're going to propose to her?" Steve asked.

Bucky turned towards his best friend and nodded. He was already prepared to tell everyone that he was planning to propose to her. "They've known that I wanted to propose to her. I just haven't told them that I'm actually finally going to do it. I've been nervous about telling them. She can read minds. What if she finds out?" Bucky asked, feeling nervous once more.

The last thing that he wanted was for her to find out that he was planning on proposing to her. "Mind-reader or not, she's a smart girl. She'll probably figure it out," Steve said honestly.

"I hope not. This is one thing that I want to surprise her with."

"Somehow I think that she'll still be surprised."

Both men laughed at the thought that so many years after Vika had stumbled into their apartment, dirty and tired and barely speaking, Bucky was now preparing to ask her to marry him. "It's still a few days away and I'm already so nervous for it," he said.

And he was. He had found himself barely able to face her without getting nervous. He couldn't believe that she wasn't getting suspicious of his stumbles. "Nervous for what, Buck?" Steve asked. Bucky groaned but otherwise stayed silent. "She's gonna say yes. And don't worry about making an idiot out of yourself, everyone's already expecting you to do that. And so is she."

Bucky laughed and shoved him roughly to the side. "You're a punk," he said.

Steve laughed as well as the two men turned onto a side street. There was a jewelry store that rose above the rest of the small shops on the street. "Is this the place?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. This is it."

There was a collection of rings in the window that made Bucky's palms start to sweat. "You ready?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. Let's do this."

Steeling himself with the knowledge that when he walked out of the building, he would have a ring in his hand, he walked inside with Steve. He was almost immediately blinded by the sparkling of the jewelry in the display cases. Bucky's feet froze in their spot as Steve placed his hand on Bucky's shoulder and shoved him forward. There were price tags on the rings and Bucky's eyes widened. The prices were a lot more than he was expecting. But he would be able to afford one. Although it would take him forever to find a ring that would work for her. It seemed like there were thousands in the little store. They'd be here all day.

A woman appeared from behind the counter. She appeared to be in her early forties and had curled red hair. She was gazing at the two of them from over the cases. "Gentlemen," she greeted, sporting a thick British accent. "May I help you?"

There was a very awkward look on her face. Bucky stepped forward and smiled at her. "Y-Yes. My name is James - uh - Bucky. Everyone calls me Bucky. This is Steve. He's my best friend," Bucky introduced, Steve taking a step forward to shake her hand. The woman looked a little less bothered by the knowledge that Bucky and Steve were only friends. "He's here to help."

"I see. You know the potential fiancé, then?" she asked Steve.

"We actually all grew up together. She left and found her way back into our lives a few years ago. She's one of my best friends," Steve said.

The woman smiled. "Very sweet. She is like a sister to you?" she asked.

"Yes."

Once more the woman smiled. She glanced at Bucky for a moment before her eyes were drawn back to Steve. Her brows knitted together as she stared at him. "Have I seen you somewhere before?" she asked.

"No," Steve said quickly.

The woman nodded and looked between them. "Strange. Familiar face you have. My name is Charlotte. I'd be more than happy to help you gentlemen today." Her gaze shifted towards Bucky. "Tell me a little bit about your - hopefully - fiancé," Charlotte said.

It was obvious that by now she was excited. This must have been her favorite part of the job. "Her name is Victoria. She's a Sergeant in the United States Army. We're all here on deployment. She's the smartest and strongest person that I know. We were best friends growing up and I think that I knew from the moment that I met her that I wanted to marry her one day." Charlotte smiled. "She's not a typical woman. She can't sew, she really can't cook, and I don't think she's ever spent a day around a kid in her life. But she's perfect for me," Bucky said.

He had been slightly afraid that Charlotte would cringe or roll her eyes at them, but she merely shook her head and smiled fondly. "She sounds like a very different woman," Charlotte said.

"She is. But she's the best person that I know. I've known for years that I wanted to marry her. I'm glad that I'm finally getting the chance," Bucky said.

Charlotte smiled at him and nodded. "And so am I. My job is only to help along the process. I always hope that each engagement I contribute to will succeed," she said. The boys both nodded as she motioned along to a case near the back wall. "So, tell me about the kind of clothing that she likes."

Bucky and Steve exchanged a look. "She's kind of got a simple style," Bucky said.

"Dark colors -" Steve added.

"Mostly a little loose on her frame but she does have some tighter things -"

"She doesn't really wear dresses -"

"She never dresses up -"

"She's casual," Steve finished.

Charlotte was watching the boys speak back and forth with a small smile. Bucky turned towards her and nodded his confirmation. "That's probably the best way to put it," he said.

"So something simple?" Charlotte clarified.

That was always the best way to put Vika. She was simple. Despite everything that she thought about herself, she was a rather simple person. "I think that's for the best. Something simple with maybe just a tiny hint of something... special?" Bucky asked awkwardly.

It seemed that his poor explanation for what he wanted was enough for Charlotte. She smiled and walked out from behind the case, motioning Bucky and Steve with her. "With me, gentlemen. I'll get you out a few rings that I think might be appropriate for her," she said. She walked behind a case and pointed Bucky and Steve towards the rings. "What color is her hair?"

"Blonde. But it's really light, it's almost white," Bucky said.

Charlotte smiled as she moved away from one section of the case. "Sounds pretty," she said.

Bucky smiled at her words. "It is."

"And what color are her eyes?" Charlotte asked.

Bucky and Steve exchanged a look before Bucky finally glanced back at Charlotte. "Yellow," he said slowly.

Charlotte merely nodded at him as she continued to look through the rings. "Like a light amber?" she asked.

"No. Yellow. Like the sun."

That was all that it took for Charlotte's gaze to snap upwards towards Bucky. Steve stepped in almost immediately. "It's not a joke. She really does have yellow eyes," Steve said. The three of them merely stared at each other. "It's always been a soft spot with her but we love them. It's just something that makes her different from anyone else."

To their surprise, Charlotte merely smiled and nodded, moving down another two cases. "Then she'll need a different ring. Let me see what I have." She looked through the rings for a moment before smiling. "Ah! How about this one?" she asked. Charlotte picked up a large ring with a large green gem in the middle and three square-shaped diamonds on each side. "Brand new. Natural emerald."

Bucky grabbed it but found himself very hesitant to take it. He merely stared at the ring with a hopeless feeling. He was convinced that she wouldn't like something like that. "What do you think?" Bucky asked Steve.

"You really think that Vic would like something like that?" Steve asked.

Bucky nodded and handed the ring back to Charlotte. "No. No, sorry," he told her.

Charlotte placed the ring back in the case before going through them once more. "How about this one?" she asked. She pulled out a ring even larger than the first. There was a circular blue gem in the center surrounded by innumerable smaller diamonds. "Natural sapphire and diamond. Very large. Everyone will know that she's off of the market."

"Way too big," Bucky said.

"How about this?" It was a smaller ring with a gray diamond in the middle. It was the right size, but something didn't sit well. "A little more demure. Gray diamond. Very special and not that common. Much like your girl," Charlotte said.

Bucky shook his head once more. "Pretty, but -"

"No," Steve interrupted.

It didn't really look like an engagement ring. "Well we aren't letting you out of here without finding anything. We'll go through and find something for her. Come now," Charlotte said, motioning the boys with her towards another case. "There are over a thousand rings in this store."

There were so many rings in the store and an hour after they'd gotten to the store, Bucky was sure that they'd looked at all of them. They had shopped for well over an hour and he could see the irritation in both of their faces every time that they looked down at the reflections of the cases. They were weakly leaning back against the door and glancing at the cases up front. Charlotte seemed to be irritated as well, but she did seem to enjoy the prospect of having a difficult client.

Bucky began to pace through the store as he glanced down into the cases. And finally one caught his eye. "That one. What about that one?" he called out to Charlotte.

She walked over towards him and smiled, looking a little surprised at his choice. "That one is a little older. It used to be a best seller. There aren't many people who are wearing rings like that. Color is the big deal right now. But... It's quite the beautiful ring. Platinum with seven white diamonds. Any woman would love it," she said, handing the ring over to Bucky.

Bucky showed the ring to Steve. "What do you think?" he asked.

Steve smiled at Bucky, briefly taking the ring. "It's gorgeous. She'll love it," he said, handing it back to Bucky.

But a sudden thought hit him. "Can I afford it?" Bucky asked Charlotte.

Charlotte smiled weakly at him. "It's almost in your range. Just one hundred more," she said.

He knew that it was only a hundred dollars, but it was a hundred dollars that he couldn't spare. He shifted on his feet for a moment before shaking his head. He knew that he wouldn't be able to buy the ring for her. "Um... I can't do that. There'll be another one," he said, handing the ring back to Charlotte.

Steve stepped forward before she could put it back in the case. "No. I've got a hundred," he said.

He went digging through his pockets as Bucky moved forward. "Steve -"

Steve shook his head and placed his hand on Bucky's shoulder. He made a lot more than his best friend, being Captain America. "Bucky, don't worry about it. Vic is like my sister. It's not just about you. I want the two of you to have everything that you want. This ring is what you both want. So take it," he said, grabbing the one hundred dollar bill and handing it over to Bucky.

"I'll pay you back," Bucky promised.

He would never let Steve just give him a hundred dollars. "Just make her happy," Steve said.

"Thanks, Steve," Bucky said, hugging him.

"So it's a yes?" Charlotte asked, smiling at them.

"It's a yes. Hopefully she says yes," Bucky said.

"She will," Charlotte and Steve said together.

They all laughed as Bucky took the ring and brought it over to the desk that Charlotte was pointing them to. Bucky found the nerves floating away as they went into sizing and purchasing the ring. It was very expensive but that was something that he had already known going into this. He knew that this was all going to be well worth it once he asked her. The only thing that mattered was that she said yes. As terrified as he was to actually get down on one knee and propose, he knew that she would say yes.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The day had passed without too much happening. I'd made sure that Peggy had helped me get something that Bucky would love. We had ended up not actually buying anything, but I had a feeling that what I was going to do for Bucky for Christmas would be much better than anything that he could buy. I knew that he would like it. Of course, he tended to like anything that I got him or did for him.

Currently I was down in the Army training room while Peggy was upstairs and getting some paperwork done. Like most of our friends, she had already gotten her Christmas shopping done. I was placed in front of a punching bag that was hanging up from the ceiling. I was kicking the bag over and over again, trying to get rid of my pent-up energy. I was back in my training uniform with bare feet. I'd already broken through two of the bags and it was pretty obvious that the third was about to join them.

The door to the training room flew open as I reared back and went into a twirl, sending a roundhouse kick straight at the bag. It was unsurprising when the bag broke and went swinging off of the chain. It dropped from the ceiling and split, the sand inside of it going everywhere. I cringed and moved forward to pick up the remnants of the bag and try to clean up the mess. I turned back to tell Bucky that I was sorry for the mess - considering that he was normally the person that cleaned up the messes in the training room - but I was surprised to see that it was Steve.

He was watching me with an amused smile. "I thought that you would be Bucky. Not that I'm not happy to see you," I said as Steve walked towards me. "How was your day?"

"It was good. How was yours?"

"Went sight-seeing for a little while. We've been in London for so long that I kind of forgot that this isn't my home. There are so many places that I really wanted to see," I told him.

Steve smiled as the two of us took seats on the pads near the punching bags. "Name them. You know that we can always go out and see anything that you want to see," he said.

"Maybe once the war is over. You excited for Christmas?"

Steve smiled and nodded at me, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. "It's going to be the first Christmas in a long time that we've all been together. It'll be a nice time. Presents and everything," he said brightly.

"Did you get me something?" I asked teasingly.

Steve smiled at me and nodded. "Of course. Did you get me something?" he shot back.

I'd already gone out shopping for everyone. Peggy and I had gone together, only stepping away when we were getting each other our presents. "I actually got all of you somethings. Bucky, Howard, Peggy, Chester, all of the men, and even you," I said, nudging him gently.

"I was special enough to get on your list?" Steve asked, sounding shocked.

"You were. You should feel honored."

"I do."

The two of us sat in silence for a moment as I leaned against Steve. "So did you have a good time today?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, startling Steve slightly. "Bucky mentioned that you two were going out today. It's nice. I don't think that I've seen the two of you just have a day together since we were kids."

Steve smiled at me as the two of us laid back against the mats. "It's so rare that we actually get a chance for the two of us to be together. He's my best friend, my brother, and I know that he's always going to be there. Now I have to share," he teased, poking at me.

We both laughed at the thought. It was almost like we had shared custody of Bucky. Of course, we all did like being together, too. "We can take turns. Make a list on who gets to see each other when," I said.

"Exactly. We all have to share."

"I'm glad that I have you both back. I love you, Steve."

"I love you, too, Vic," Steve said, pulling me into a hug.

The two of us were together for a few seconds before the door to the training room opened once more. Steve and I both glanced back to see Bucky walking in. He was smiling fondly at us. "Isn't this a sweet sight?" he asked teasingly.

"Get out, Bucky, we're having a moment," I snapped at him.

He merely rolled his eyes at me as he headed back towards us. We were all smiling at each other as Bucky walked over towards me. "Ah. What if I want to be involved in the moment?" he asked.

"Come on. Let's all have a moment together!" I shouted at him.

Falling right into my trap, Bucky walked over towards where Steve and I were sitting. He was such a fool sometimes, but that was what made me love him even more. He walked over to me and I reached up, yanking out Bucky's knee. He gave a little groan as he collapsed to the floor with the two of us. We all laughed as I jumped onto the boys and shoved them both underneath me in a reverse dog-pile. It was easy enough to keep them under me. But I had almost forgotten how strong Steve was now. He grabbed me and tossed me to the floor, holding me down, as Bucky jumped onto me and began to ruffle my hair.

"I hate you both!" I shouted. I electrocuted them softly and they were both thrown back from me. Their faces were charred and their hair was standing on end. "The difference between now and when we were kids. I can actually do that to you."

They didn't look very amused, but I thought that it was rather funny. "Damn that hurt," Bucky groaned, brushing back his hair as he got back to his feet.

"I really wish that you wouldn't do that," Steve added.

Once more we all laughed. It was rather funny with everything that had happened in the past few years. We'd come back together and become the best of friends again. Life was back to normal and better than ever. We all collapsed on the floor together and sat, chatting about the first Christmas that we would have in a long time. It wasn't long before we all passed out together. My head was on Steve's chest and Bucky's head was on my stomach. It felt just like it had when we were kids. But things were far better than they used to be. And I had a feeling that they would keep getting better.

Bucky's P.O.V.

December 24th, 1943

Just a few days after Bucky had bought the engagement ring for Vika - that was safely tucked away in one of his jacket pockets in the bottom of his dresser - the two of them were in bed together. It wasn't long before they went about their own business; of course, it was only after they had done a little bonding. Vika would be working for a few hours today at the base. It was at Steve's request after Bucky had asked him to keep Vika away from Colonel Phillips and the others for today. He had to make sure that he had time to do everything that he had to do tonight before the big day.

After getting changed and heading out into the lobby of the building, Bucky realized that Steve was also on his way to the base. He glanced over at Bucky and smiled. "You ready?" he asked.

Bucky's heart skipped a beat. Was there a chance that Vika was with Colonel Phillips? That would definitely ruin his plans. "Aren't you supposed to be with Vika right now? Please don't tell me that she's with Colonel Phillips. I only have another day to ask him before I run out of time," Bucky said, all in one breath and rather desperately.

Steve laughed and patted Bucky on the back. "Calm down. I've never seen you so nervous. I can't imagine what you'll be like tomorrow," he said.

"Like you used to be before having to run the mile at school," Bucky said.

They both laughed as Steve shoved into Bucky. He really had used to try to do the mile, but he was almost hopeless with it. Now he had a faster mile than anyone else. "She's already on her way to the base. Don't worry about it. I'll keep her away from Colonel Phillips for the day. I'll keep her away from everyone. Just do what you need to do," Steve said.

"I'm working on it."

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Steve asked.

The color drained from Bucky's face. He really hadn't made a speech or anything of the likes yet. He had just been hoping that he wouldn't make an utter fool of himself. "I'm hoping that it will come to me when I get there," Bucky muttered.

If he had thought that Steve might call him a moron for not making a plan, he was wrong. Steve merely smiled and nodded. "You'll figure it out. In the meantime, just don't panic. You love her, she loves you, and everyone knows that. Take a breath before you go in there, by the way. You look like you're about to pass out," Steve said, patting Bucky again on the back.

Bucky merely laughed and shook his head. "I feel like it," he said.

"Oh and stay away from Colonel Phillips's bottle of scotch," Steve suggested.

Drinking something would probably only make things a little bit worse. Not that they weren't already terrible. "Yeah that's a good suggestion," Bucky laughed.

Steve patted Bucky on the back as they walked into the building. "Good luck, buddy. Let me know how it goes," he said.

"I will. Thanks for keeping her busy."

"When it comes to the two of you, I'll do anything that I can," Steve said, making them both smile softly. "See you later. Remember, take a deep breath before going in there."

"Right."

As both men headed towards the places that they needed to be, Bucky found his hands shaking slightly. He had managed to be calm for the past few days, but now that he was about to ask Colonel Phillips for Vika's hand, he found himself incredibly nervous once more. Bucky headed straight back for Colonel Phillips's office while Steve headed towards one of the planning rooms that Vika was already in. She had been told that they were already planning the next Hydra attack. Bucky walked towards Colonel Phillips's office, took a deep breath as Steve had suggested, and knocked on the door. There was a call to come in and Bucky made his way inside.

There were two men standing in the office with Colonel Phillips, who was sitting behind the desk and reading his paperwork. Even though he didn't look up, he seemed to know that it was Bucky. "Sergeant Barnes," Colonel Phillips greeted.

Bucky saluted the the older man and stepped forward. "Colonel Phillips. Might I have a word with you?" Bucky asked.

"Speak, son."

But there were still the two men that were in the room. Bucky awkwardly shifted and added, "In private."

That was all that it took for Colonel Phillips to glance up from his paperwork. The even look on his face faded as he merely stared at Bucky. He nodded before glancing over at the other men in the room. "Go get a cup of coffee, Corporal," he said. The two men that were in the room nodded and saluted Colonel Phillips as they turned to leave the room, leaving the two of them alone. Bucky found himself extremely nervous as the two men faced off with each other. "Take a seat."

Colonel Phillips was motioning towards the chair in front of his desk. Bucky nodded and walked over towards the chair, taking a seat and fidgeting for a moment. "Thank you, Sir," Bucky said.

"What can I do for you, Sergeant Barnes?" Colonel Phillips asked.

He glanced over the edge of his desk to look at Bucky sharply. Bucky felt a little jolt in his stomach from nerves. Just spit it out, you moron. "There was something that I wanted to ask you, actually, Sir," he started weakly.

Colonel Phillips nodded for Bucky to continue. "Go on then, I don't have all day," he prompted.

The comment should have relaxed Bucky and made him feel like he could say it, but for whatever reason, it made him only even more nervous. Maybe it was the way that the Colonel leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, letting Bucky know that he was not a patient man. Either way, Bucky knew that he had to get on with it. So he cleared his throat and leaned forward.

"Well there was actually something that I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

Maybe this was just something that he had to take one step at a time. Colonel Phillips cleared his throat and leaned forward on the desk. "I'm not a telepath, but I know what you want, Sergeant Barnes. Calm down and get on with it," he ordered.

That took some of the pressure off of Bucky. At least now he didn't have to admit what he wanted. Colonel Phillips already knew what he wanted. That would make things easier. Now he moved onto the next step. What the hell is the next step? Bucky nervously shifted in his seat for a moment before remembering what it was that he wanted to say. He had to tell him everything that he thought about Vika. It almost made him laugh thinking about how long they would be here if he told Colonel Phillips everything that he thought about his daughter.

Bucky cleared his throat and moved forward on the chair. "Yes, Sir. I've known Victoria since we were kids. I can still see her wandering into my apartment in the dead of the night, terrified and starving. I knew right then that there was something about her. She's my best friend. She always has been and she always be here. I love her more than anything else in the world. She's everything that I want in life. She's everything that I hope that I can live up to. She's smart and funny and so much more than just the average person.

"I know that it terrifies her. Everything that she can do. But it doesn't terrify me. The things that she can do put her apart from anyone else. She's not an average woman. Not by a long shot. And I love that about her. She's not what I ever thought that I would want, and I've never been so grateful to be wrong. She means the world to me. She's done things for me that no one else would have ever done. Who would be brave enough to defy direct orders and walk right into a war-zone without knowing that the person that they're trying to rescue is even alive? She told me that she went after me even if it was just to bring my body back. There's not a single woman that would do that. But she did.

"I want to spend the rest of my life doing things for her that no one else would ever do. I love her. I've loved her since I laid eyes on her fifteen years ago. It's too bad that it took me this long to realize it and this long to admit it. I've lost so much time with her already. I don't want to lose anymore. So I suppose that's what my entire monologue was leading to. I want to marry her. I know what that means. I know that she's never going to age. I know that she'll look like that forever. I know that she might not want to have a family or really ever settle down. But that's okay with me.

"It was the life that I thought that I wanted for a long time. But now I know that it's not the life that I need. Because the only thing that I want is to be with her until the day that I die. No one needs to take care of her. I know her well enough to know that she's always going to be able to take care of herself. That's the kind of person that she is. But I want to be there for her. I want to be the person that can be there to protect her, whether or not she wants it. Your opinion of me is very important to both Victoria and me. I want to marry her. But I would really like your permission before I move forward and ask her," Bucky finished.

He'd said everything in practically one breath to spit it all out before he could forget anything, and now he was panting slightly, trying to catch his breath. There was something shining in Colonel Phillips's eyes as he leaned back into the chair and let out a long breath. His fingers knitted together as he pressed against the files in front of him. Bucky steeled himself to hear that he would not give his consent.

But he was very surprised to hear that it wasn't the case. "I figured that this would be coming sometime soon. Do you have a date set that you'd like to ask her?" Colonel Phillips asked.

Bucky nodded at him, dumbfounded. "Tomorrow. Christmas is one of her favorite days of the year," he said.

"You've known Victoria for a long time, right?" Colonel Phillips asked. Bucky wasn't sure whether or not it was a trick question, so he nodded. "Then like you said; you know that I'm not her real father. There's no need for you to be here and asking my permission," he said.

"There is."

Colonel Phillips raised a brow. "And why's that?" he asked.

Because you are her father. Bucky cleared his throat. "Her real father was not her father. No man can treat his daughter that way and still be able to call himself a parent. That's not what he is. You may not have known Victoria for very long, but you are her father. I see the way that she looks at you. Whatever you think of her, she cares about that. And I care about her. Your opinion of this will mean something to her. And I'm still an old-fashioned man. I want to have your blessing," Bucky explained.

It surprised Bucky slightly when Colonel Phillips rose from the chair and walked in front of the desk. Bucky rose from his spot too. "No man will ever be good enough for someone's little girl..." he started, making Bucky's stomach clench, "Until the day comes that one is." A relieved breath escaped Bucky's throat. "She loves you more than any woman I've ever seen love any man. You're good for her."

"I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be as good for her as I can," Bucky promised him.

There was something that looked a little bit like a smile on Colonel Phillips's face. "You already are. I've only known Victoria for a few years but I love her like she's a daughter. She is my daughter. And the only thing that I want is to see her happy. She's happy with you. Happier than I've ever seen her. That's all that a father wants. For his girl to be happy," he said.

"That's all that I want for her," Bucky said.

Colonel Phillips nodded at him and let out a breath even deeper than the one that Bucky had. "Then you have my permission. Make it something that you'll both remember," he advised Bucky.

"Thank you, Sir."

The two of them moved forward and shook hands. Bucky wasn't really a part of his family yet, and he had a feeling that he might never be his family, but at least they were in agreement. They both knew that Bucky wouldn't have given up on it anyways. He was determined to propose to Vika at some point or another. He was just thrilled that it was going to be tomorrow. It took a huge weight off of his chest. He was going to be able to do what he wanted to do in twenty-four hours. He would hopefully be engaged to Vika.

"You have the ring, then?" Colonel Phillips asked, breaking Bucky's thoughts.

"Yes, Sir."

"May I see it?"

"Of course," Bucky said.

He had a feeling that Colonel Phillips might have asked for it. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the box that the ring was in. He took it out of his pocket and handed it over to Colonel Phillips. His lips twitched upwards before handing the box back. "That's a pretty ring. She'll like it. Either way, it's not the ring that means anything to her. It's the person holding it," he said.

Bucky smiled at the Colonel. "Thank you, Sir," he said.

They shook hands once more as Bucky and Colonel Phillips departed for the day. He would be there tomorrow. Bucky turned to leave the room but he was called back to Colonel Phillips before he could leave. "Sergeant Barnes. You hurt my girl... There is nowhere that you can hide," he warned.

"I'd rather die than hurt her," Bucky said fiercely.

Colonel Phillips nodded as he took a seat back behind his desk. "I know. Keep it that way," he said.

Knowing that he needed to take that warning to heart, he nodded at the Colonel and turned to leave. He was dead set on finding Peggy. He had known that she would be the first person that he would have to find once he had told both Steve and Colonel Phillips about his plan. He wanted to show her the ring and tell her that he was going to propose to Vika tomorrow. She wouldn't be too far from here and Bucky knew that if anyone was more excited for the two of them to get married than he was, it was Peggy. He managed to find her in one of the offices in the back of the building, working on plans to destroy the Hydra bases.

"Peggy," Bucky greeted as he walked inside.

The door shut behind him and Peggy turned back with a smile, motioning him over to stand with her. "Bucky. How are you? Need help finding something to do for Victoria for Christmas?" she asked.

Bucky smiled at her and shook his head. "Actually I already know what I'm going to get her," he admitted.

"Oh?"

That was the first time that Peggy had really looked up from what she'd been doing. "I wanted your opinion on something. I got her a present but I want to make sure that it's something that she'll like," he said.

She nodded for him to show her. "I'm sure that she will. But show me anyways." Bucky slipped the box out of his pocket and handed it over to Peggy. She popped it open and very nearly dropped it. "Oh. Oh... A ring! You're going to propose to her!" Peggy chirped excitedly. Bucky nodded and laughed as Peggy grabbed him for a hug. "Bucky, I'm so happy for you! When? When?" she prompted.

"Tomorrow night. You think that she'll like it?" he asked.

Peggy smiled at him and nodded, handing the box back to him. "She's going to love it! It's gorgeous," she said as he snapped the box closed.

The last thing that he needed was for something to happen to the ring. "Good. I'm glad that you think it's nice. Listen... I need your help with something. Can you keep her away from everything tomorrow morning?" Bucky asked.

Peggy smiled and nodded. Bucky was sure that it was the happiest that he had ever seen her. "Sure thing. Oh congratulations!" she chirped.

Bucky laughed and shook his head, brushing the hair back off of his forehead. "She hasn't said yes yet," he pointed out.

"She will," Peggy said confidently.

The two of them stood together as they leaned against the desk and Bucky explained to Peggy what his plans were for tomorrow night and how he was intending to go about everything. He had a plan but he did need help to make sure that everything went just the way that he wanted it to. Peggy listened to his plans before agreeing that she would help put everything together. He knew that it would be good to have a woman's touch with his plan. They promised to meet up again tomorrow before Bucky headed off once more. The next person on his list was Howard Stark. He knew that he didn't have to ask Stark, but he did want to at least let him know ahead of time.

He was one of the closest people to Vika. He walked off towards the labs before slipping inside and walking over to the platform that Stark was standing on. "Mr. Stark. Might I have a word?" Bucky called over the loud electrical noises.

Stark stopped working with a strange-looking machine and glanced up at Bucky. He nodded and jumped off of the platform, motioning for his workers to continue. "Certainly Sergeant Barnes. Let's take a walk," he said.

Bucky nodded and tucked his hands in his pocket, walking off with Stark. "I got Victoria a present for Christmas already. It seems like everyone really likes it so far but I wanted to get your opinion on it. After all, you know her pretty well," he said awkwardly.

"That I do. What did you get her?" Stark asked.

"This."

Reaching down into his pocket, Bucky grabbed the ring box and pulled it out, showing it to Stark. He saw a bright sparkle flood into Stark's eyes as he opened the box and glanced down at the ring. He looked at it for a few moments before handing it back. "That's beautiful. She's going to love it. When are you going to do it?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night. I've got everything together but I need to keep her away. I don't want her to see anything that I'm getting prepared for her. Being a telepath or not, I want everything to be a surprise," Bucky said.

Stark merely laughed and gently placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "She'll be surprised. She's too thick to realize that you're planning on doing this," Stark said.

Despite the fact that it was an insult, both of the men laughed. Vika was the smartest person that he'd ever met, but she could be a little bit thick about things. "You mean a lot to her. Are you alright with this?" Bucky asked.

Almost slamming into him, Bucky had to quickly halt his movements as Stark stopped dead in his tracks and turned back towards him. "Takes a good man to go to a woman's father and ask his permission. Takes a pretty great one to go to a man that is not that woman's father, but close enough to her to be one, and still ask his permission. You've done that and gone beyond by also asking my permission. Of course. I want her to be happy. And that's what you make her. Propose to her tomorrow night. She deserves a good man in her life," he said.

It was something a little bit nicer than Bucky had been expecting from Howard Stark. "Thank you, Mr. Stark," Bucky said.

"Just Howard, Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky raised a brow but smiled anyways. "Just Bucky," he said. If Howard was going to make the attempt, so could he. "Can you do me a favor and keep her busy for a few hours?"

"Easily. Best of luck tomorrow. Make her happy," Howard said.

"I intend to."

And he would spend the rest of his life trying to make her happy. It was his ultimate goal in life. It was the only thing that he wanted; for her to be happy. The two men shook hands before Bucky turned back and headed off towards the tavern. He let out a deep breath as he stepped out of the base and headed towards the tavern. He had taken care of everyone with the exception of the men. And that was what he was doing now. He wanted to go speak to them before he actually proposed to her. He wanted everyone to know what was happening. Howard was keeping Vika busy while he went to speak to them. Bucky wondered if she was starting to get a little suspicious.

Just as expected, the men were sitting at their usual table and seemed to already be a few drinks deep. Bucky walked up to the table and smiled, taking a seat next to Steve. "Evening, gentlemen," Bucky greeted.

"Bucky, man! Where have you been all day?" Dum Dum asked.

As usual, he had drank the most out of anyone. At least he could hold his liquor. Bucky ordered himself a beer and it was quickly handed over to him. "Getting some things done. Come on over here. I've got something that I wanted to tell you all," he called to the rest of them.

A few of the men had been standing around the table but they all came to sit at his words. "What's going on?" Gabe asked.

Once everyone was seated, Bucky took a deep breath and crossed his hands on top of the table. Steve was the only one that was smiling. "I've been thinking for a long time about what I should get Victoria for Christmas. It took me a while but I finally figured out what I'm going to get her. I already got it, actually," Bucky told them.

Curiosity sparked in their eyes. "What'd you get her?" Jim asked.

"This."

Leaning back in the chair, Bucky dug through his things and grabbed the box that was sitting in his pocket. He grabbed the box and placed it on the table. Looks were exchanged back and forth as some of the men began to laugh. It was easy enough to tell that there was a ring in the box. Bucky popped it open and that was all that it took. The men began to cheer and laugh as they all took their turns grabbing the ring and passing it among them. Bucky laughed as he was passed back and forth between everyone so that they could congratulate him. Everyone had known that this was coming, but it was almost funny to see that the time had finally arrived.

"C'est manifique!" Jacques cried. Bucky couldn't speak French but he did know enough to know that he had called the ring magnificent.

Bucky laughed as the ring was passed over to James. He looked at it and smiled. There was a chance that James might have even known the store that Bucky had gotten it from. After all, he was from London. "Beautiful ring you've got there. She's going to love it," he said.

The ring was then passed down to Jim. Bucky knew that Jim was already married. He didn't get to see his wife much, but they wrote back and forth and he was able to call from time to time. "Good for you, Bucky! Finally gonna grow a pair and do it," he said.

Everyone laughed as Bucky punched Jim, allowing him to pass the ring to Gabe. "She's gonna love it," Gabe said, smiling down at the ring.

It was finally passed over to Dum Dum, who whistled brightly. "That's a hell of a rock," he said.

The ring was passed to Steve who passed it back to Bucky. He closed the box and tucked it back into his pocket. "You definitely set the bar pretty high, Buck," Steve said.

"So you're ready for this?" Dum Dum asked.

Bucky sighed and nodded, taking a long drink from his glass. "I don't think that I've ever been so ready for anything. God I'm terrified for everything that's going to happen," he said, running his hands back over his forehead.

"She's going to say yes," Steve said.

And that was all that Bucky wanted. He just wanted to make sure that Vika said yes. He glanced upwards and smiled when Peggy moved forward with a glass of red wine in his hands. "Trust me when I say that this is the only thing that she's ever wanted. She's been waiting for this for a long time and she's going to say yes. Just make sure that you get through the proposal," Peggy teased.

They all knew that Bucky was so nervous that there was a chance that he might pass out before he actually asked her. "You've got enough people to step in and finish the proposal if something does happen to you," Steve added.

Bucky groaned and dropped his head onto the table. "Great. Everyone else gets to actually remember my proposal to her when I won't even remember it," he muttered.

"At least it'll make a funny story," Gabe said, patting him on the back.

They all laughed as they ordered another round of drinks, moving about the bar and cheering happily for everything that was going to happen in the next twenty-four hours. The plan was definitely falling into place. Everything seemed to be working out just the way that Bucky had always wanted it to go. The only thing that was left was for her to say yes. It was a few hours later that Vika and Howard made their way into the tavern to sit with the rest of them, the former completely oblivious to the life change that was heading her way.

Victoria's P.O.V.

The sun was streaming in through the window and I yawned, rolling slightly and peeling my eyes open. It had been well into the night when Bucky and I had finally fallen asleep. The two of us had been having far too much fun lying in bed together. It was probably why I had almost found myself unable to sleep in the same bed as him. We still hadn't done what I so desperately wanted, and it only made me even more desperate for it. My eyes fully opened and I glanced over to see that Bucky was already awake. He was smiling down at me and looking very excited. I almost laughed. He looked like every little kid on Christmas morning.

There must have been something incredible that he was planning for today. I hadn't seen him this excited about anything in a long time. "Merry Christmas," I said softly.

Bucky leaned down and pressed a long kiss against my mouth. The last Christmas that we'd had together we had just been little kids. We'd jumped on Bucky's parents and forced them to open presents with us. This time Bucky and I were in bed together, wearing much less than what was appropriate. "Merry Christmas. First one together in a long time," Bucky said.

My hand wound its way up his chest to press against the side of his throat. "I really did miss you for all of those years. For most of those times, I didn't even know when it was Christmas. They would just tell me when the New Year had passed," I said.

As I spoke I felt Bucky's jaw clench. I pressed a kiss against the side of his throat, hoping that he would relax. "This is going to be the best Christmas that you've ever had. I promise," Bucky promised.

"I believe you. I need to go get ready."

"Ready?"

Smiling softly at him, I sat upright and gave him a gentle nudge. "Yeah. I've got a special surprise planned for you." Bucky raised his brows as I leaned under the bed and grabbed a folded-up piece of paper, handing it to him. "Open this in half an hour and do what it says," I said.

Bucky looked like he was about to open it so I slapped his hand away. He dropped the paper and laughed at me, placing it on his bedside dresser. "Nothing is going to jump out and kill me, right?" he asked.

I smiled at him and shook my head. "Right," I said. He was not going to have anything jump out and kill him. But that would have been funny if I had done something like that. We shared a quick kiss as I leaned against Bucky and pressed another kiss on his chest. "Get ready."

The two of us smiled at each other as Bucky pressed a hand behind my neck and gave me another long kiss. We lingered against each other for a few moments before we broke apart and headed back to my bedroom. I easily changed into some clothes that I could wear for a long day out. They were somewhere in between formal and casual. I had on a pair of white slacks and a black silk long-sleeved shirt that was tucked in. My hair was down around my shoulders as I finished off my look with a small touch of makeup. Peggy had still been in bed as I'd been getting ready, but as I was pulling on my shoes, Peggy woke up and sat upright in the bed.

"Merry Christmas, Peggy!" I chirped at her.

She almost immediately brightened as she realized that I was in the room with her. She jumped from the bed and ran over towards me, wrapping me in a hug. "Merry Christmas, Vicky!" Peggy cried. We both laughed as we stayed together in the hug. "You heading out?"

There was only person already knew what I was doing for Bucky for Christmas. And it was mostly because she was the one that had helped me with the idea. "Yes. I'll meet you all for our get-together a little while later, I have a man to impress in the meantime," I told her.

She chuckled as I walked back towards the door. "He'll love it," Peggy said.

"Thanks for helping me with it."

The two of us hugged each other once more as I kicked the presents slightly under the bed. Peggy had already told me that she would have the men help her bring all of the presents out to the tavern. That was where we would be exchanging the presents. I headed up towards the roof of the building and soaked in the slight chill in the air and the sun high in the sky. I let the flames sink over the ends of my hair as I went to stand near the edge of the roof and look off over the side. There was a content smile resting on my face as I looked over London. Today felt different. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the day that felt odd.

But it was a good kind of odd. It wasn't long before the door opened and Bucky walked out to join me. "Not planning on throwing me off of the edge, are you?" he asked, coming to stand at my side.

Not bothering to turn back to him, I smiled down at the ground. "Not unless you do something to piss me off," I said.

Bucky laughed as he came to stand with me. "Not while we're up on the roof. Or ever," he said.

His arm went around my waist and I smiled, letting myself tuck into his side. He pressed a hand underneath my chin and lifted it up to give him a small kiss. "Want your present?" I asked softly.

"Now?" Bucky asked, obviously surprised. "I thought that we were doing everything later."

"It really isn't something that I can give you with everyone else," I said.

There was a hint of shock on his face. "Oh?" he asked teasingly, placing his hands on my waist and pulling me into him.

Laughing at him, I shoved him off to the side. "Stop it. Come here," I said, pulling him up onto the edge of the building. I could tell that he was nervous. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice. I held out my hand and allowed Bucky to grab it. I began to softly whip the wind up around the two of us. Bucky laughed as he grabbed me and kept us pressed together. I wrapped an arm around Bucky's waist as his went up around my shoulders. It only took a few seconds before we began to float up in the air. Bucky's grip on me tightened with nerves as I began pushing us higher and higher into the air. He was obviously very terrified as he began to laugh hysterically. We were almost two thousand feet in the air as we got up into the clouds. I could still feel Bucky shaking from fear of falling to the ground.

That was when I realized that maybe it was a mistake bringing him up here. Just because I liked the height didn't mean that he did. "We can go back down if you'd like," I offered, feeling a little dumb.

"No. No. I've just... It's a little creepy without anything beneath you," he said.

Obviously he was scared to be up here, but there was something that looked like amazement in his eyes as he looked back down towards the ground. "I won't drop you. I promise," I said softly.

Bucky was still looking towards the ground. "Everything is so small up here," he whispered.

That was partially the reason that I liked being up here. Everything was completely insignificant. "I've seen the world the way that you see it. And I like it. It's nice down there. So I wanted to show you the way that I see the world. This is the place that I really like. I love being up here. Everything seems so small and insignificant. Like there are no problems up here. No war, no problems, no nothing. Just yourself and the breeze," I told him, rushing us through the clouds to our destination.

"Do you do this a lot?" Bucky asked me.

It would have been nice to be able to fly more often. But it wasn't something that I could do in a place that was as populated as London. "No. Can't risk getting caught," I said.

"It's beautiful."

Awkwardly I began to shift towards the north. Maybe this wasn't the nicest thing that I could have done. "I know that it's not much -"

"It's perfect," Bucky interrupted reassuringly.

The last thing that I wanted was for Bucky to think that I wasn't taking this Christmas seriously. It meant the world to me that we were finally able to have a real Christmas together. Money wasn't something that meant much to me. But this - such a huge part of my life and a deep part of my soul - meant so much more. Bucky leaned in to give me a long kiss as I whipped the winds a little sharper to the north. It was a good thing that I was always so good with directions, considering Peggy had only told me them the once. We stayed together for a while, my focus pulled back and forth between making sure that we didn't fall and enjoying the kiss.

A few minutes had passed when I finally pulled back from him and smiled. His hair was extremely wind-blown, and I was sure that mine was too. "Hold on, alright?" I asked him.

There was a lingering thought in the back of my mind that told me that Bucky probably wouldn't enjoy this part. "What are we doing?" he asked.

"Don't ask."

Knowing that it was better to just get it over with, I dropped the columns of wind from around the two of us. We went plummeting to the ground together as I kept the winds high enough to keep us from falling at terminal velocity. We were going slowly enough so that I could stop us before we became human pancakes. Bucky screamed slightly and I smiled as we began the descent back towards the ground. I could tell that he was terrified as we approached the gardens that I'd been planning on taking him to. I slowed down about fifty feet from the ground and let the two of us softly hit the ground. Despite the fact that he could let go of me now that we were back on solid ground, Bucky's grip was tighter than ever.

Glancing over towards his face, I noticed that it had drained of all color. Although it seemed to be starting to turn a little bit green now that we were still. "You alright?" I asked worriedly.

He let his grip loosen on me slightly. "Now I know how Steve felt on the Cyclone," he told me. I smiled as he released me and we wrapped our hands around each other. He glanced around and cocked an eyebrow. "Where are we?"

"Kensington Palace," I answered.

"Are we allowed to be here?" Bucky asked.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure. I had a feeling that the gardens were opened to the public but it wasn't something that I knew. "I don't know. But no one will bother us here," I said. My eyes briefly flashed a brilliant white, letting him know that I could control anyone to stay away from us. He merely smiled at me. "Come here. I wanted to show you something."

Placing my hands around Bucky's wrist, I pulled him along with me. "Where are we going?" Bucky asked.

"Don't talk. Walk," I ordered.

We both laughed as I dragged him with me. We were hand-in-hand as the two of us ran out of the palace and towards the gardens. Peggy had told me all about one particular place that I really wanted to show Bucky. It was the entire reason that I had brought him out here. Bucky was right behind me with one of his hands on my waist, laughing in my ear. There were a few other people that were walking around - mostly other Christmas couples - that were also laughing as we walked forward. I dragged him to the far end of the garden and into the area that I had been looking for. It was a large arch that guests could walk underneath with vines and lights covering it. It looked almost other-worldly.

The two of us were walking underneath the covered arch and I noticed a bright smile on Bucky's face as he looked up towards the vines. "What is this place?" he asked me softly.

We were the only people here and it almost felt like we had to be quiet or we'd shatter the moment. "It's called the Lover's Arch. Peggy told me about it. I thought that it would be a nice place for the two of us to go out for a bit before heading with everyone else. I just thought that you might like it," I said, walking into the center of the arch.

There was a small opening in the vine where a chunk of sunlight could come through. Bucky smiled and walked through the shade to come and meet me. "I love it. It's perfect," he told me.

"Come here," I called.

Watching him with dark eyes, Bucky slowly started walking towards me. He came up to me quickly and I laughed as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him. We both chuckled softly as Bucky's hands went up to my hair, pulling me in for a kiss. My own arms wrapped up around his shoulders to keep him pressed against me. He began to lean backwards and I laughed as he dipped me in the middle of the Lover's Arch. It would have been the perfect time for someone to capture a picture of the dramatic kiss. There was a silliness in the moment that made us laugh against each other's mouths as he tilted me back upwards.

We shared a few smaller kisses as I leaned into Bucky, placing my head down against his chest. It was about as high as I could reach on him. "It's the perfect day," I admitted softly.

"It'll get better," Bucky said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

As per usual, I was sure that Bucky had planned something that would outdo what I had done. I couldn't wait to see it, even if it was something as small as a romantic walk. "Do you have something special planned for me?" I asked teasingly.

Bucky smiled and nudged me. "I've got a little something up my sleeve," he said.

"I can't wait to see it."

"You'll have to tell me how you like it."

Giving him a mischievous smile, I stepped forward and placed one of my legs in between his. Bucky raised his brows at the sudden boldness. "I could always show you," I said.

Bucky laughed and pulled me into a hug. "Now that I'd really like," he said.

A smile was dark over his face as he moved closer into me. We shared another long kiss with each other and I smiled through the kiss at him. He really did mean the world to me. It wasn't long before he walked me backwards and pressed me back into the vines of Lover's Arch. I laughed as his hands gripped almost crushingly at my waist, keeping us pressed together. Our mouths tangled together for a long time as I pushed out a thought to keep everyone away from the area. This was our time. And Bucky managed to prove that by keeping me pressed against the arch, not giving me a chance to move away from him or break the kiss.

We were together for a long time - our clothes ruffled and lips swollen - by the time that we were finally forced apart. There was an alarm on Bucky's wristwatch that began to beep. Breaking apart from Bucky, I glanced down at his wrist, panting slightly from the lack of air. We backed away from each other slightly as I tightened the loosened bow over my chest that now caused the shirt to dip far too low.

"What's that?" I asked him.

Bucky sighed softly and placed his hand behind my back, pulling me with him. "It means that it's time to go... As much as I would love to stay," he said, fixing the tie around his neck.

"We'll come back one day," I promised.

"We will."

The two of us walked back through the Lover's Arch and out through the gardens of Kensington Palace. "Hang on tight," I said.

We were out in the open air and both of us enjoyed the brief lapse of silence. The sun was beating down on us, baking us slightly in the cool air, as I wrapped my arm back around his shoulders and Bucky's hand went around my waist. I felt him tense up as I brought the wind whipping around us, spending a few seconds channeling the air before lifting us off of the ground. The first time I'd taken things a little easy on him. Now I wanted to show him the truth of what I could do. We went whipping through the air at nearly a hundred miles an hour, rocketing through the sky and making Bucky laugh loudly. As we approached the Army base once more I let the wind columns drop and let us plummet back to the ground.

Only letting the wind come back up to catch us at the very end, I allowed the two of us to hit the ground. Bucky stumbled slightly as I went into a tuck and roll, catching him at the end. He laughed at me as we headed through the city center and over towards the tavern. I knew that it was where we had all planned to have a good Christmas drink and dinner together. That was also where we would all be exchanging our presents with each other. Bucky had his arm around my waist as we walked through the tavern. Today the men were sitting in the back of the bar. I could see the massive pile of presents that surrounded them.

It was rather funny to see all of the men together and laughing loudly. They looked thrilled to be here and they looked extremely excited that they were going to have a Christmas together. I assumed that their last Christmas had been rather miserable. They had been deployed and eating pre-cooked meals. The food might not be any better this year, but at least they were off of the battlefield. Bucky and I shared a quick kiss as we walked back towards the table where everyone was passing the large plates of food back and forth.

But it quickly became obvious that we weren't going to be allowed to eat tonight. "Here they are!" Dum Dum cheered.

They seemed a little more chipper than usual. Maybe it was because it was a holiday. Steve smiled at us and stood from his spot, forcing Bucky and I into chairs next to him. "Come on!" Steve chirped.

"It's present time," Peggy added, from across the table.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" I cheered.

While Bucky said hello to everyone, I went the reverse way of the table to say hello to everyone. It was rather cute to see how excitable everyone was. I said hello to the men first, laughing loudly as Dum Dum and Jim insisted on a picture together and Gabe insisted that we play a game of darts later. Of course we knew that he would lose. There were a few other people that were there too. Chester and I shared a quick hug as I moved past him. Howard and I exchanged quick kisses before sitting back together at the table. I gave Peggy a long hug and exchanged a quick kiss on the cheek with her. Steve was the last person that I said hello to, being forced almost half into his lap due to the overflow of people at the table.

We sat together for long enough to eat and have a quick drink. The music was playing softly in the background as I leaned forward towards the rest of the group. "So shall we get to opening everything?" I asked everyone.

There were some cheers from around the table. I knew that I wasn't the only person that was excited to get to open their presents. It was one of the most exciting parts of Christmas. "You just want to see what your presents are," Gabe said.

"Hell yeah, I do."

Everyone laughed once more as Peggy and Chester began getting out all of the presents. "You big brat," Steve said.

Turning back towards him, I whacked him over the head, earning laughter from all over the table. "Thanks, jerk," I snapped.

We began exchanging presents almost immediately after. I went through my presents quickly and exchanged with the others at the table. It was rather funny that Howard had gotten me a diamond-encrusted watch. I wasn't overly fond that he had spent so much money on my present, but even I had to admit that I loved it. He had teased me by telling me that it might help me to start being on time. I had shot back with a comment that I would never be on time. It was part of my charm. I had decided to pay Howard back by getting him a replica of the jacket that I had burned the day that we'd met. It was a good joke between friends that no one else had understood.

Once I had placed the watch on my wrist, I moved on to the next of the presents. Chester's was next and I smiled. We didn't usually get each other presents but I was happy to see that he had gotten me something. It was a pretty necklace that appeared to have been almost a hundred years old. It hung just around my collarbone and had a small heart-shaped locket on the end. Inside was the first picture that we'd taken together. It was the two of us out in the field by his house, tending to a broken pipe and laughing as I tried to stop the water from flooding the yard. Apparently it had been passed down through the women in his family, and he had given it to me as I was his family. It had nearly made me cry. It turned out that great minds think alike, seeing that I had given him the same picture in a frame that I had made myself.

Everyone had clearly thought that it was rather funny that we had gotten each other the same present. I'd moved on to Peggy's present next. She had gotten me a pretty blue lace dress. It hung at my knees, tight on the chest and loose around the skirt. The lace laid over the slightly revealing main dress that had a sweetheart neckline and I laughed. She had gotten me that with the intent for me to wear it around Bucky. I'd gotten her a red scarf that I thought would go perfectly with her hair.

As I placed my dress back in the box that it had come in, I looked over towards Peggy. She was wrapping the scarf around her throat and I smiled. It went nicely with the outfit that she was wearing. I picked up Dum Dum's package and smiled at it. It was the only present that came in the awkward boxy shape that it was. As I opened the present I got a good laugh from it. He had gotten me a bowler hat that was similar to the one that he wore. It was an inky black and had a circular shield emblem stitched into the front. As he opened my present, there was a round of laughter around the table. I had bought him another bowler hat, this one made for formal occasions.

It was obvious enough that he would never get over his love for the bowler hat, so I wanted him to at least have one for formal occasions. I was rather pleased to see him change out the one that he had been wearing with the one that I had bought him. I moved onto Gabe's present next and grinned when I opened it. He had bought me a box of my favorite chocolate from the small bakery down the street. I was thrilled to see the box of chocolate and had to have it taken by Steve to ensure that I didn't eat it all in one sitting. I'd bought Gabe a new tripod for his Browning. I knew that it got to be a little too much for him to carry sometimes and the Army wouldn't give him a new one.

Once we had both placed our presents away - myself begrudgingly - I moved towards the next of the presents. It was from James and I opened it excitedly. He had bought me a cute pillow that made me smile. Although I could tell that the rest of it had been handmade, it was adorable. It was a plain white but had been drawn on. As it seemed, James was a good artist. It was a little cartoon of us during the attack at the Hydra base last month. I was obviously the star of the cartoon as I was the largest of the cartoons. The men all seemed to be following my lead. I had bought him a new pair of loafers, as he constantly complained that I had ruined his during our training sessions.

He had laughed and almost immediately replaced them. I had snapped at him that I would not be buying him another pair next year. The two of us had laughed as I'd picked out the next of my presents. It was from Jacques and I smiled. I knew automatically what it would be. We were both readers. He had gotten me a few French novels that he'd grown up on, Madame Bovary and Les Miserables. I'd promised that I would read them as he looked at my present. They were two lesser-known classics that I had enjoyed. I'd bought him Locus Solus and The Monk.

It had taken a few punches from me to get the men to stop laughing at the present. It wasn't our fault that they didn't like reading. Taking care with placing them back in the package, I turned over to Jim's package. He had gotten me a whiskey glass with everyone's names carved into it, going down the side of the glass. It wasn't just their names; Howard, Peggy, and Chester all had their names on it, too. And on the spare side was written Savage, with three jagged lines underneath that were what I assumed were claw marks. It was perfect. More as a joke than anything else, I'd gotten him a flask that was shaped like a fish since I had once told him that he drank like a fish. Everyone had gotten a good laugh out of that.

And finally there were only two presents left. I didn't see any wrapping for the one that Bucky had gotten me, so I grabbed Steve's. When I opened it I nearly laughed. It was a handmade board that had Remember when... written across the top. It must have been Peggy that had done that. It was her writing. There were all sorts of memories that were written across the board in different colors and different fonts with a few little doodles done. There were a few memories from school like breaking into Mrs. Lester's office to dump glue on her chair or mixing up all of the Valentine's that kids made so that everyone would receive the wrong ones. There were also ones from more recent days like the memory of me spending hours beating him up and having faith in him to become Captain America.

I read over the board at least ten times to ensure that I didn't miss anything. I finally looked up at Steve and smiled, bringing him into a tight hug. "Oh... I love it. It's perfect," I told him happily.

"I'm glad that you like it. I didn't have that much money this year," he gave a quick look over to Steve, "so I kind of had to make do."

"No. This is wonderful," I told him quickly.

The two of us hugged once more as Steve went back to the present that I had gotten him. He opened the package and smiled down at the present. It turned out that I had gotten something very similar to him. He smiled at the sight of it. I'd cut out an old map of Brooklyn and placed the exact spot that his apartment was in, putting it inside of a frame in the shape of a pin. It had Where it all began... written across the top with, Best friends, 1928 written across the bottom. There was even the small picture of Bucky, Steve, and I at Coney Island on the bottom of the frame.

Steve smiled at me and placed the present back on the floor. I was glad that he'd gotten just as mushy as I had. "And this is amazing, Vic. I love it. Thank you for this," he said.

Shrugging my shoulders, I shook my head. I had actually been running out of money so I figured to go for something a little more sentimental when it came to Steve. Just like I had with Bucky. "Not a problem. I've missed going out and getting presents for you guys. I miss the days like this. I miss Christmas with my boys," I said, wrapping my arm around Bucky and Steve.

"And now you've got more!" Gabe chirped, leaning over Steve to hug me.

"Lucky me," I groaned into his shoulder.

Everyone laughed as Dum Dum reached over the table and pressed a hand against my arm. I rolled my eyes at him but grabbed his hand anyways. "Come on, Victoria, you know that we love you," he told me.

"And I love you all, too," I said.

"Drinks all around!" Dum Dum called.

"On me!" Howard added.

The cheers around the tavern echoed as I laughed, grabbing Howard in another hug. If he was going to pay for drinks for all of us, I wouldn't fight that. Dum Dum laughed and patted Howard on the back. "Mr. Stark, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he said.

They all laughed once more as the men launched into a conversation. But I was thrown from the conversation when Bucky leaned into me and spoke in my ear. "Come on a walk with me," he whispered.

"Okay."

Bucky grabbed my hand and I rolled my eyes at the little looks that everyone was giving me. Apparently they all thought that we were going to go out and have ourselves a little midnight rendezvous. But that was not going to happen. As much as I would have liked it to. We walked out of the building hand-in-hand, but not before I whacked Jim over the back of the head. Bucky laughed as we went out into the chill of the night air. I leaned back slightly, enjoying the peaceful quiet outside.

But it only lasted so long before I turned towards Bucky and playfully jammed my finger in his sternum. "I still haven't gotten my present from you," I teased.

Bucky smiled at me and released my hand, instead placing it around my waist. "It's coming. I promise." I nodded as we continued to walk towards the gardens. "Having a good Christmas?" he asked me.

"The best one that I've had in a long time. I'm so glad that you were here for it," I told him softly.

"I'll be here for all of the rest," he told me.

Would he really be able to be here for all of the rest of the Christmases? At least the ones that he could before nature would take him. "You're sure about that?" I asked softly.

"There's not a thing that would make me think otherwise," he said sharply.

Not wanting to bicker today, I turned towards Bucky and grabbed his hand. "I love you," I whispered to him.

A small smile fell over his face and I knew that it had just been a momentarily passing heated comment. Bucky grabbed my waist and pulled me into him. I laughed softly as I tripped slightly over my feet and stumbled into his chest. "I love you too." He gave me a quick peck on the lips. "Come on. I've got something to show you," he said.

"Okay." I laughed quietly as Bucky grabbed my hand and pulled me along the paths of the park. It was more peaceful than anything that I had ever seen before. "I don't think that I've ever been out this far in the parks. It's so nice out here. Peaceful and quiet," I said.

The two of us slowed down as I kicked my feet gently back and forth, gently scraping my heels against the stone pathway. "That's why I decided to put it out here. I knew that you would like it out here. As much as you love being around everyone that means something to you, you also like to be somewhere quiet," Bucky told me, walking just behind me.

His hand was on my hip as we walked, gently guiding me along the paths. "I used to like being alone. No one to intrude on my thoughts. Private time where I could do whatever I wanted to do. No one to interrupt me," I muttered softly.

"You said that you used to. What about now?" Bucky asked, pressing a small kiss against the side of my head.

For a moment I turned back to him and grabbed his hand. "Now there's always someone that I'd rather be with," I said softly.

Bucky smiled once more and pressed another kiss against my lips. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

For a moment I merely stared at him. Bucky smiled at me and nudged my hip gently. I laughed and nodded as I closed my eyes, feeling a little strange. I really didn't want to have to trust him. It made me a little nervous to have to walk with my eyes closed. "Don't you dare try to trip me. It won't work out well for you," I warned Bucky.

He merely laughed as his hands were on my arms. He kissed the back of my head and nudged me forward. "Be quiet. I'm not going to trip you," he chuckled.

I laughed as he pressed his front against my back. He put his hands over my eyes and kept the two of us pressed together as we started to walk forward. We walked in silence for a few minutes before Bucky finally stopped me and took his hands away from my eyes. But they were still closed underneath his eyes.

"Open them," he whispered in my ear.

By the time that we had stopped I'd been counting my steps. I knew that we were walking all the way out to the back of the gardens. They were in between the base and the tavern, but I never walked through them. I opened my eyes and laughed the moment that I saw it. Bucky had hung up lights off in the distance, in between the vines of the trees and the wrought-iron gates. There was a small blanket that was laid out almost like a picnic setting. It looked beautiful. Two champagne flutes were laid out and a bottle of champagne was next to it. There were also a few lit candles that were sitting around, adding to the romantic air of the gardens.

A small laugh escaped my throat as I turned back to Bucky. He was smiling at me, probably wondering what I thought about it. "Well way to outdo my present," I said, walking up to him.

Bucky laughed at me as he wrapped me into a small hug, turning the two of us back so that we could see the set up. "No. Yours was perfect. It was everything that I could have hoped for. I hope that mine lives up to it," Bucky told me.

"It will."

Mine was nothing compared to what he had done. "Drink?" Bucky asked.

He was motioning towards the champagne bottle and I nodded. "Please." Bucky leaned down and grabbed the bottle, pulling the cork out. We both laughed loudly as the cork shot off and across the field. Bucky began to pour the champagne after a little bit had showered us. "Thank you. Good aim, by the way," I said, as Bucky handed me the glass.

We cheered each other briefly as I took a small sip. "Says that one that used to tell me that I have terrible aim," Bucky teased.

"Worse than me," I said.

The two of us smiled at each other as Bucky grabbed me and pressed a gentle kiss against my lips. Bucky pulled away from me and leaned back slightly. "You're better than me at everything. You know that," he said.

"Not everything." He smiled at me as I nudged Bucky's leg. "Or maybe not," I teased.

He laughed at me once more as he raised his glass to me. "Cheers," he said.

"Cheers. To a very Merry Christmas."

"And many more." We both grabbed our glasses once more as I took a long drink from the champagne flutes. I was sure that it was the first time that I'd ever drank something like that. "Come here," Bucky told me.

Leaning down, I placed the champagne flute down against the blanket and so did Bucky. He wrapped his arms back around my waist as he pulled me flush against him. I smiled softly at him through the kiss as he kept me against himself. My arms went to wrap up around his shoulders so that he could lift me up slightly. The two of us laughed as he dipped me back slightly. My heart was fluttering in my chest at the moment. I was sure that it was the most intimidated that I'd ever felt around him. Something about tonight made me extremely nervous.

For a few minutes we remained locked together. Bucky finally released me and pushed my hair off of my face. "There's one other present that I got you," he said softly.

"You need to stop outshining me," I teased.

Bucky laughed at me as he motioned further through the gardens. "It's up there," he said.

He was motioning towards the slightly darker side of the gardens. "If something jumps out at me and scares me, I'll kill you," I warned him. We both laughed as Bucky untangled himself from me and I walked out towards the lights, him following me at a slight distance. I was dying to know if he had actually gotten me something materialistic. "Bucky, I don't see anything. If you have Steve out here waiting to jump on me, just remember, even surprised I can still beat the two of you up." He made no noise and I could no longer hear him following me. "Bucky, what are you -?"

Cutting myself off, I stopped dead in my tracks to see what had happened to him. He had stopped walking and I was wondering if I had done something. I turned back quickly to see where he had gone but I found myself stumbling backwards. Just a few feet behind me, Bucky was down on one knee. My heart literally skipped a beat as my knees buckled, and my hand slapped over my mouth. I'd known it was coming, but I had still thought that it was a ways off. Not tonight. He couldn't really be doing this. He was really about to propose to me. I knew that it was the only thing that he could possibly be doing.

"Victoria..." Bucky hesitated. "Should I say Davies, Rogers, or Phillips?" he asked.

I laughed breathlessly as he fumbled for a small black box in his pocket. "Anything works," I barely was able to say.

Bucky was looking straight up at me. "Vika... W-Will you marry me?" he stuttered.

My heart was pounding in my chest. "B-Bucky..." I whispered.

As much as I loved him, he had to know what he was doing when it came to me. I couldn't give him the life that he wanted. Bucky laughed awkwardly and placed down the box, running a hand through his hair. "That - uh - not the answer I was hoping for," he said.

Don't break his heart. This is what you want. It's what he wants. "N-No, I - I just... You - You need to know what you're getting yourself into," I told him weakly.

"Trust me when I say that I've already thought about it," Bucky told me, laughing softly.

"I love you more than anything," I said. My voice was breaking slightly as I spoke to him. "This is all that I've ever wanted."

"Then say yes," Bucky pleaded.

His voice was breaking the same way that my own was. "You - You need to know what's going to happen though," I stuttered.

"Tell me," he said desperately.

Surprising me slightly, Bucky stood up and wrapped my hands in his own. I was shaking slightly as he put the box away in my other hand. "I know you. I've known you since we were kids. You always wanted to get to grow old and have someone growing old with you. You wanted a family and the little white picket fence. A wife that'll be waiting for you with kids on her arms and dinner heated up. That's not me. That'll never be me," I told him.

As much as I loved him, he had to have the life that he'd always wanted, not just settle for someone that couldn't give him everything that he wanted. "You're the only person that I've ever wanted. You know that. Once upon a time I did want those things. Someone to grow old with and have a family with. But something changed that... You did. I don't care what a life with you means. I just want one," he said.

He placed his hand against the side of my face and pushed it back, keeping the two of us together. "I don't know if I can ever settle down," I said.

Bucky shook his head and smiled at me. "I love you just the way that you are. I don't want you to ever change," he told me.

And I honestly believed that. But I couldn't just let him forget a huge part. "A family... Bucky, I can't bring another mutant into this world. I don't know if I can even physically have them. I just... I don't know about that," I whispered, tears building in my eyes.

There was no way that I could let another person be treated the way that I was. Particularly not my own child. "It's okay. A family has always been Steve's thing. It would be nice to have kids or something like that. Maybe I still will. Maybe we will." There was something in the way that he said it that made me smile. He would do anything to be with me. "It's up to you. And it doesn't matter. I'll be happy as long as you're with me," he said.

"You'll be eighty years old and in a wheelchair and I'll still look like this," I argued.

My arguments were growing weaker and weaker. This was all that I wanted. Bucky smiled at me and shook his head. "That could be kind of fun. I'll be all old and wrinkly and I'll still have a smoking wife pushing me and my oxygen tank around." We both laughed as Bucky reached up and brushed away a tear. "Say yes," he said softly.

"You're sure about this?" I asked.

Bucky nodded, pressing a hand behind my head. "I've never been so sure about something in my life," he told me.

"Yes." My voice was a soft whisper that had cracked halfway through the word. I was shaking desperately as Bucky's face turned upwards into a smile. He laughed as he kissed me happily, pulling me into a crushing hug. "Yes. Yes!" I cheered as he broke the kiss.

It was right then that I realized that I wasn't the only one that was shaking. Bucky was too. He looked extremely nervous as he took out the black box once more and popped it open. There was a small white-gold ring that had three smaller diamonds on each side of a larger, square-shaped diamond. My hand was shaking as Bucky slid the ring onto my ring finger. Once more I laughed breathlessly as I jumped into his arms, pressing a long kiss against his lips. His hands came up to my face, brushing away the happy tears.

When we finally broke apart, I laughed at him and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, keeping him pressed against me. "I still can't cook," I said.

Bucky smiled at me and pressed his hand into the small of my back. "That's alright. We'll eat out," he told me.

"Every night?" I asked.

"Yes."

"You'll weigh a thousand pounds."

Bucky shook his head at me and lifted me up into a large hug, making me laugh loudly. "I'll have you to keep me working hard," he said. We both laughed once more as he gave me another kiss.

Scaring the daylights out of me, Steve came sprinting out of the far end of the gardens. "Congratulations, Vic!" he yelled, lifting me up into a hug and sending me into a quick twirl. I laughed as he put me down and patted Bucky on the back, the two of them moving into a brotherly hug. "And Buck, man, finally!"

That was when I realized that it wasn't just Steve who had been listening. All of the men, Steve, Howard, Peggy, and Chester had come out of the far side of the gardens. I laughed and placed a hand over my mouth. "Oh my God. Were you all here? Were you all listening to that?" I asked. Before they could answer, I turned back to Steve. "Thank you!"

He grabbed my hand and glanced down at the ring. "It looks even better on you," he told me.

So he had been the one that had gone with Bucky to get the ring. He'd already seen it. "Were you with him when he got this? That's where you two went the other day," I interrupted him, realizing the truth quickly.

"Surprise!" Steve cheered playfully. I laughed and shoved him gently. "You'll make a beautiful bride."

"Thank you, Steve."

Yanking me away from Steve, Peggy practically jumped into my arms. She had been waiting for this moment since she had first met Bucky and I. "Congratulations! Oh it looks so beautiful!" she cheered.

"Did you know?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes at me and nodded. They must have all known. "Of course I knew. He came to me the other day to show it to me before he asked you. Everyone knew. Except for you, of course," she told me. I laughed and gave her a gentle shove. "Oh I've been dying, having to keep this a secret. I was so worried that you'd find out!"

It was rather shocking that I hadn't learned the truth. But I was glad that I hadn't. "You know, I'm really glad that I didn't read anyone's mind. I'm glad that it was a surprise. It was perfect," I said.

Peggy smiled at me and pressed a kiss against my cheek. "I'll let you speak with everyone else. Congratulations!" she cheered one last time.

Laughing at her softly, I rolled my eyes and released her. But before she could get too far from me, I jumped after her and grabbed onto her arm. "Hang on! Maid of honor?" I asked her.

Her eyes lit up slightly. "I'd be honored," she said, making me laugh softly.

We hugged each other tightly once more before she finally released me. I saw that Bucky was laughing with the men as I turned and walked over to where Chester was standing. I walked over to him and crossed my arms over my chest. "You knew. I know that he's a traditional man in some ways, and that's one of them. He would have asked my father. So that means that he asked you, right?" I asked him.

Chester nodded at me. "He did," he said.

"And you said yes?" I asked curiously.

"I did."

A small smile fell over my face as I wrapped him in a hug. He hadn't needed to say yes, but I was thrilled that he did. "Thank you," I told him sincerely. It meant the world that he had agreed to the engagement.

Chester's lips turned upwards for a moment before he nodded at me. "I still don't like him," he snapped at me.

Laughing once more, I pressed my hand against the side of his arm. "I know," I said.

"Congratulations, brat."

"Thanks, old man."

Despite the fact that he wasn't going to say anything, I knew that Chester really was happy for me. That was all that he'd ever wanted. For me to have a life and be happy with someone. "I'll kill him if he ever does something to you," he told me.

And that was also something that I knew. "I appreciate that," I said.

"He makes you happy?"

My heart gave a little flutter as I turned back to see the men piling around Bucky, all laughing and hugging him. Bucky caught my eye for a moment and sent me a playful wink. I turned back and nodded at Chester. "Yes. He really does. Thank you for giving your blessing. You need to know that it means the world to me," I said honestly.

Chester nodded at me. "I know that it does. And that's why I said yes. Because I know that he's the one person that can always make you happy. Enjoy your life with him," he said.

"Thanks, Dad."

Chester's eyes sparkled slightly. It was one of the few times that I had ever called him that, despite the fact that he was my father. "You're welcome, kid," he said.

He placed a small kiss on my cheek as he moved off, allowing Howard to take his place. "Congratulations!" he cheered.

"Thank you!"

"Let me see the ring. Not that I haven't already seen it," he said haughtily.

So everyone had even seen the ring. I really was the last person left out of this. Of course, that was kind of the way that it was supposed to be. "Really? So everyone saw the ring except for me? Here," I said, giving him my hand.

"It's gorgeous. So is the woman wearing it," he said.

Glancing over at him, I smiled. "Aren't you a charmer?" I teased, gently grabbing his face. We both laughed as I released him. "So you're okay with this?"

Howard smiled at me and grabbed my hand. "You know that he came over to see me after he bought the ring?" I shook my head. I didn't know that he had come to him. "He came to make sure that I was alright with the two of you getting engaged. Of course I told him that I was more than happy for the two of you. Like I said before, he's your family, and you're mine," Howard said.

"All of this... It's surreal," I laughed, motioning around us.

"It won't be for long. Go over and be with your fiancé," he said.

A small smile settled over my face. I had never thought that I would hear that word in reference to myself. "Fiancé? It's gonna be a long time before I get used to hearing that," I laughed, pushing back my hair.

Howard grinned and nudged me slightly. "Imagine. Not long from now, it'll be wife," he said.

"Oh, God."

We both laughed at my teasing comment. As much as I did love Bucky, it was extremely strange to think that one day soon we were going to be husband and wife. As I walked back over towards everyone else, I was brought into the congratulatory celebrations. Obviously they had all been planning for this to happen. That was what I had been getting those looks for earlier. Not because they thought that we were going out to have private time, but because they knew that Bucky was going to propose. We all ended up having a wonderful time as I was passed along each of the men to chat and laugh. For once, I was thrilled to have the large audience around me.

Taking me away from a conversation with Gabe, Howard pulled me to the side slightly. "You know, I actually already have your wedding present," he said. I raised my brows as he fished through his pocket and grabbed a piece of paper. "Here you are."

He handed it over to me and I glanced down. It was a check. But there was nothing on it other than his name. "Howard. This check is blank. Your name is the only thing on it," I snapped. He merely smiled at me. That was when I realized that the check was blank because he was only going to fill it out when he knew the price... Of our wedding... "Oh... This is too much."

Weddings could get expensive. I didn't want him paying for something like that. Howard shook his head and forced me to keep the check. "It's not. I'm not getting married anytime soon. Neither one of you have the funds to make this a wedding that's more than a backyard barbecue. Colonel Phillips shouldn't have to pay for it when I could. Like I've said before, you're my family," he told me.

"You're sure about this?" I asked weakly.

It could be a lot of money that he would spend. Although if anyone had the money to blow, it was Howard. "Absolutely," he said.

Smiling at him, I put the check in my pocket and looked back up at Howard. "How can I ever repay this?" I asked.

"Don't you dare get a divorce," he snapped.

We both laughed as I shook my head. "I wasn't planning on it," I said.

The two of us smiled once more as I pulled him into a hug. I was thrilled to have a night like this. It felt like we would never actually get to this point. "Come on! We're celebrating with a Christmas round!" Gabe cheered, pulling us with him.

All of the men began to cheer at the thought as Bucky and I were dragged back to the bar. I laughed softly as Bucky came to stand next to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. My hand went over his and I noticed that he was running his fingers over the ring. I laughed softly and glanced up at him. I couldn't remember ever being as happy as I was right now. Everyone was chatting away happily as we made our way back to the tavern and ordered a few rounds. The men had taken the bottle of champagne with us and it didn't take long for us all to drain it. I laughed as I watched them all interact with each other. Those were my stupid boys.

We were sitting in silence for a while as Bucky leaned over to me. He pressed his lips up against my ear, making me smile as I leaned into him. "Good Christmas?" he asked me happily.

"The best."

"Merry Christmas," he said.

"Merry Christmas," I repeated.

Bucky smiled at me and I laughed softly as he leaned in to give me a quick peck on the lips. Nothing would ever beat this day. Not until the day that I took the walk down the aisle. "Fiancé. It's got a nice ring to it. Doesn't it?" he asked as we broke the kiss.

Laughing softly, I nodded at him. We were engaged. It was the perfect ending to the perfect Christmas. "Yes. I like the sound of it," I said softly.

We both smiled as he pulled me up onto the dance floor, the men ordering a dance for the newly-engaged couple. As we spun around the dance floor we pulled each other into a little kiss. Everyone that remained at the table began to laugh and cheer as we remained locked in the kiss. The only thing that I wanted was to stay with him forever. But we eventually separated as I smiled at him and laid my head down on his chest. His arms were tight around my back protectively. The music was a little faster paced but the two of us just stood together and swayed gently on the floor. He was finally my fiancé. And it wouldn't be long before he was my husband. It was officially the best Christmas I'd ever had.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

As the sunlight began to stream through the window in the room I rolled over slightly. I could feel Bucky's arm tucked underneath me as my head was gently resting against his shoulder. I yawned softly and peeled my eyes open. As much as I would have loved to stay asleep I realized that if the sun was already shining, it meant that we would be running late soon enough. Bucky was still laying at my side. He was already awake. He was looking down at me and running his hands over my arm. I smiled at him as his fingers briefly dipped down to the ring on my finger. There weren't many times that I bothered to take it off.

"Good morning," I chirped softly.

He smiled at me and pressed a hand behind my head. His other hand was still gently picking at the ring. "Good morning, fiancé," he responded, accentuating the word.

From time to time when Bucky had called me his fiancé, he seemed to really enjoy saying it. I liked hearing it. "I think that you like that word a little too much," I teased him.

"I like calling you that word," he said.

"So do I."

The two of us both smiled at each other. Bucky tilted my head back and pressed a long kiss against my lips. The sleepy haze was still in my brain from the lack of sleep. We'd been up until late into the night last night. Mostly because we'd been awake and amusing ourselves with the other. Bucky rolled me underneath him and I laughed as our legs tangled together. It had become too warm in the room last night for me to sleep in the robe so I'd - very daringly - only slept in my underwear with a thin silk robe. I hadn't been able to fall asleep for hours because of Bucky's thoughts. It made me wish that we could just go to the courthouse and get married tomorrow.

He was everything that I wanted. "You know..." Bucky trailed off, running his fingers along the sharp edges of the ring. "You have the ring now -"

"No," I snapped quickly.

Not necessarily because I didn't want to - I certainly did - but mostly because, if I thought about it long enough, I was sure to say yes. "I was just kidding," Bucky laughed, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into him.

"No you weren't," I said.

His eyes narrowed at me. "Stop reading my mind," he said.

My jaws set as I nudged him roughly in the chest. "I'm not," I snapped loudly. He was a boy. It wasn't my fault that they always made what they wanted obvious. "I can just see where you're looking."

Bucky's face paled slightly. I noticed that his gaze turned slightly upwards so that he was almost looking at my forehead. "I was..." he trailed off, grinning and wrapping his arms a little tighter around me. "Yeah. I was," he admitted.

Smiling slightly, I raised my hand and pressed it against the side of his face. "It's okay. You can look for the rest of your life," I said honestly.

In fact, I would have been rather offended if he didn't look at me for the rest of our lives. Bucky nodded at me. "Trust me. I will." We both laughed softly as I nudged him. I definitely would look like this forever, so it would be fun for him, considering that one day he'd look like a raisin. "Especially considering that you'll always look like that," he teased, looking me over.

"What if I didn't?" I asked.

Bucky's face fell slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked.

It wasn't too often that I really got a chance to mess with Bucky. We were so frequently training or just enjoying our time together, I rarely actually got the chance to tease him the way that I used to when we were kids. So I decided to try something that I had been working on for a few months. Mostly with Steve, back when we'd been on the USO Tour and I'd had nothing better to do. I brought up an exact replica of an image of Chester, one that only Bucky and I could see. He was in his normal uniform with his arms crossed over his chest. It was so convincing that even I would have fallen for it - had I not been the one that had created it.

Bucky had yet to notice the illusion of Chester standing behind him. So I forced the illusion to clear its throat and speak. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my daughter?" the illusion of Chester asked, sounding just like the grouchy military man.

Bucky jumped so suddenly that he knocked himself from the bed. "Oh my God!" he shouted, landing on the floor in a heap. He quickly got to his feet, red in the face and out of breath. "We - We didn't do anything. She was just here sleeping. I swear that I wouldn't lay a hand on her. Not before we're married and we haven't even picked a date yet. I swear that nothing happened and..."

His voice trailed off slightly as he continued to ramble, looking like he might die at any given second. I let him go on for a few seconds before I started to giggle. He really was terrified of Chester. It was rather funny. I could have let it go on all day, but I figured that I should play nice. So I shifted Chester into a duplicate of Bucky. The real Bucky's face fell.

"Even though you know that you want to," I said through the duplicate Bucky, sounding exactly like the real one.

Bucky was staring at the illusion like he'd lost his mind. "What the hell am I looking at?" he asked me, not once looking away from my illusion.

Finally I decided that I should put him out of his misery. So I smiled and let the illusion drop. Bucky blinked a few times to ensure that he wasn't losing his mind. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," I said, drawing Bucky's attention back to me. "Telepathic illusion. I can force you to see things that aren't really there," I explained as simply as I could.

A few moments passed as Bucky merely sat and stared at me. But the moment that he'd gotten himself together, he whacked me roughly on the arm. "You're not funny! You almost gave me a heart attack," he growled, clutching his chest.

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Don't be so dramatic."

Bucky dropped back into the bed and I smiled, leaning over him slightly. "I think that you're going to make me lose my mind long before I actually die from natural causes," he said, making me smile slightly.

But it seemed like his comment wasn't over. "But?" I prompted.

Bucky smiled and placed a hand on the side of my face, gently pushing the hair back out of my face. "But I don't mind," he continued.

"Good."

The two of us both smiled at each other as I gently pushed him straight onto his back. He chuckled under his breath as I leaned over and kissed him. He laughed softly against my mouth as I slid a leg over his waist. I knew how wrong it was. It was practically scandalous - considering the fact that we weren't married yet - but I couldn't bring myself to care. Just as I hadn't been able to bring myself to care for the past few months that we had been sleeping in the same bed together. He was still underneath me as I dropped back onto my side, still keeping a leg laid over his waist.

The silk of the robe began to slowly slip off of my shoulder. It wasn't knotted in the front so it almost completely slid off of my arm. Bucky brought his bare arm up to my shoulder and gently began to rub his fingers over it. "Don't do that," I warned, pulling away from his kisses for a moment.

Bucky pulled back for a moment to stare at me. "Why?" he asked curiously.

Smiling softly, I threw my arm over his chest, keeping him pressed back against the bed. "Because we have things to do today and I already don't want to get up," I groaned, placing my head against his chest.

He laughed softly and pushed the hair back off of my forehead, placing a small kiss there. "I could think of other things to do," he said, grabbing me tightly.

Laughing under my breath, I gently shoved Bucky away from me. He was such a jerk sometimes. Mostly because he knew that I wanted to stay here all day and pretend that I didn't have another job that I could be doing. "Stop it. We have to go to the Hydra base today. We've been planning it for weeks," I said, gently tugging at the ends of his hair.

"That's not what I wanted to be planning," he said.

It wasn't what either one of us wanted to be planning. I knew that Bucky had been trying to get me to plan for the wedding over the last month, since he had proposed to me. But we had done almost nothing when it came to actually planning. The only thing that I knew was that we didn't really have a budget, but I refused to go that overboard. So I planned on making somewhat of a budget and sticking to it. Howard was not spending thousands of dollars for just a little wedding that wasn't even his own.

In the meantime, there were lots of little ways that he had tried to get me to talk about the upcoming wedding. Every time that he asked me who I wanted to come to the wedding I'd merely said that it didn't matter to me, as long as everyone from the base was there. I kept deciding that I didn't like any of the places that Bucky was suggesting for the wedding and I kept finding ways to get out of the dates that he suggested. I kept blowing off Peggy's offers to go shopping with her, since I knew that she was trying to get me to go wedding dress shopping. I hadn't thought about anything in terms of catering or an officiant. I wasn't even sure if Bucky was religious.

Any time that Peggy asked me about flowers I would merely laugh and tell her that it didn't matter to me. And every time that Bucky brought up the wedding cake I'd merely laugh and tell him that I'd shove it in his face, so the flavor didn't matter. I hadn't thought about who to put in the wedding party other than Peggy. Her being my maid of honor was really the only thing that I'd done so far. We hadn't gotten the wedding rings - which I hadn't even known were things. I wasn't even sure where I'd thought that the rings came from.

It wasn't that I didn't want to get married to him. That was the one thing that I wanted more than anything else. Perhaps it was just the thought that this was finally happening. For so long it had been something in the far off future. Something that I couldn't imagine. But now it was coming and I had a feeling that it would come much faster than I'd originally been expecting. Either way, I found myself incredibly nervous for what was to come. I wanted to married to him, but I didn't want to have to face the reality that things were changing. I would have to adapt to things that I had never thought would happen. I'd have to learn to be a wife and learn to share my life.

They were things that I had never thought would happen. But it was happening, and it made me nervous. I wasn't this kind of person. I was the kind of person that stayed out on the battlefield, not squeezing myself into thousand dollar dresses that I'd only wear once. "It's not what I wanted to be planning either. But it's our job. The one that we actually get paid for," I said. Bucky shifted slightly and I dropped my voice almost into a whisper. "We could always just go to the courthouse. Get the document and be done with it."

It would make things easier. I wouldn't have to make a fool out of myself, doing something that I didn't know how to do. But I knew that Bucky wanted a real wedding. "Is that what you want?" he asked me.

Immediately I knew that I'd hit a nerve. He thought that I didn't want to go through with the wedding. "It'll save everyone the money," I said, trying to save the moment.

But that was the wrong thing to say. "Howard already offered to pay for the wedding," he said.

What could I say to make it sound like I wanted to get married, but I didn't want the huge wedding? There wasn't really anything that I could say. "And it could end up being a lot of money," I tried.

"He's a billionaire," Bucky pointed out.

Having known Howard for so long, sometimes I did tend to forget that he was a billionaire. He was just Howard to me. "And I'd like to keep him that way," I said quickly.

Bucky shook his head and ran his fingers over the back of my knuckles. "A few thousand dollars is nothing to him." I nodded blankly, unsure of what to say. "Are you having second thoughts?" Bucky finally asked, speaking slowly.

"God, no. No," I gasped, grabbing his hand and pulling him into me. "This is all that I ever wanted."

It was very obvious that he was relieved to hear that I wasn't thinking about calling off the wedding. "So what is it? Every time that I bring up the wedding, you manage to change the subject or tell me that we still have plenty of time to think about it." He was completely right about that. I always found a way to skirt around the topic. "I don't want to rush anything, Vika, but eventually we have to talk about it," he said, pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist.

There was a hint of hesitation the way that he'd said it. I knew that he didn't want to accidentally push me away from him. "I wanted to give you the chance to back out," I said honestly.

Bucky stared at me, letting out a deep breath and pushing back his own hair. "That was honest," he muttered.

"I don't lie."

My words were making things no better. I was in love with him, more than I'd ever thought that I could be, but it was impossible for me to make the change into future wife. I would always be the cold soldier. "Why would I want to back out?" Bucky asked me.

It made a tiny smile spread over my face. There were so many reasons that it wasn't even funny. "Should I give you a list?" I asked.

The look on his face told me that I probably shouldn't have said it. His hand tightened around my own as he pressed me directly up against his chest. "How many times have we had this conversation? I'm not backing out. I don't want to back out. I love you, Vika. I didn't think that it was possible to love someone this much. But I do. When I look at you, I don't see a mutant. I don't see Savage. I don't even see Sergeant Phillips. I see the woman that I'm so embarrassingly in love with," he said. I smiled softly as he pressed a kiss against my lips. "I see the woman that will be my wife. I see the woman that will be at my side forever. You're just Vika to me. You always will be."

His words made a warm feeling sink into my stomach. He was such a charmer, just like he'd always been. But I knew that it was different with me. He wasn't just saying those things because he thought that I was some pretty bird he wanted to take on a date, he was telling me those things because it was what he genuinely thought about me. And maybe that was what I needed. I just needed him to reassure me that he didn't care what I was. All that mattered was that we were together.

So I decided to try and push past the issues that were surrounding me. "After Christmas," I said quickly, making sure that I didn't have time to change my mind.

"What?" Bucky asked, considering that I'd given no context.

Laughing at his baffled face, I leaned onto my back and started twisting the ring around my finger. "That's when I want the wedding to be. Sometime after Christmas. After the New Year. That way your family can spend the holidays with their families before coming out here. I assume that you want them to be here?" I asked, trying to make an effort.

It worked. Automatically I could feel the air shift. An aura of happiness began to seep from Bucky as he smiled at me, leaning over to press a kiss against my bare shoulder. "Yeah. I'd like that. Maybe sometime in January?" he offered.

The beginning of the year had always been one of my favorite times. It felt like it was a time to start over. It would be a fresh start for us, as husband and wife. "Gives us almost a year to plan," I said. I turned over to Bucky and smirked. "You gonna manage to wait a year?"

"No," he said, making me laugh loudly. I whacked him in the chest as he smiled. "You wanted me to be honest," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I do like you being honest," I said.

The two of us smiled at each other as I leaned back against the bed. Bucky placed a hand on my shoulder and gently ran it down my arm. "Will you?" he asked teasingly.

"No," I admitted. We both laughed at my admission. "But I'll try my damnedest."

And that was the truth. I was already trying pretty hard to ensure that I kept my one promise to myself that I would wait until my wedding night. But it might be the one promise that I couldn't keep. "So we can just test your self-control," Bucky said.

For a brief moment I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about. But I wasn't left wondering for long. He leaned over me and pressed a long kiss against my lips. I smiled into the kiss as he placed himself in between my legs. His hands were on my hips as they slowly worked their way to my stomach, placing them up against the knot that was holding the silk robe closed. I wanted nothing more than for him to take it off, despite knowing that I shouldn't be thinking that way. Still, I found myself thrilled when he began to tug at the knot, slowly loosening it.

But he was dead wrong if he thought that I was just going to let him get away with it. "Or we can test your self-control," I said, briefly breaking our kiss.

It seemed that Bucky was about to open his mouth as ask me what I was talking about, but he never got the chance. I smirked into the kiss and used Bucky's weight to throw him off of me and roll myself up onto his hips, straddling his waist. We both laughed as I leaned down over him and pressed a long kiss against his mouth, gently running my nails through his hair. I could feel his blood pounding in his veins as we pressed ourselves together. My kisses slowly trailed down his throat as the knot on the robe came undone. I had just reached his throat when I felt his breath shorten as I trailed my hands down to his waist.

He placed his hands against mine, gently prying me from himself. "D - Don't," he stammered.

Fearing that I had done something wrong, I pulled back and looked at him. "Why's that?" I asked.

Bucky smiled at me once more, gently helping me slip the robe off of my shoulders. "Because we have to clear that Hydra base today, and if you keep doing that, I'm going to keep you here all day," he said honestly.

"They can handle it," I said, pulling him in for another kiss.

We both laughed as Bucky placed his legs against my waist, easily flipping us over so that he was now on top of me once more, pressing me back into the bed. I laughed softly as his lips left my own, pecking at the skin on my neck, making me giggle softly. "Should we just tell them that we have the flu?" he asked, his voice muffled against my neck.

"I can't get sick," I muttered.

And it was true. I'd never been sick before in my life. It was one mutation that I was very grateful for. "Damn you," Bucky snarled playfully.

We both laughed softly at him. I knew that we would both much rather be in bed with each other all day than out and about, destroying a Hydra base. Bucky leaned down and pressed another long kiss against my lips. I sighed into the kiss, slowly running my legs up his own. I really did wish that I could have the days back when I could lay in bed and not worry about a thing. Of course, there weren't many of those. I could feel Bucky's arms wind underneath me so that he could pick me up off of him. I laughed softly against his mouth as he picked me up, off of the bed, and pressed me back against the wall. I wound my hands back around his neck to keep myself pressed against him.

A few minutes had passed before I finally managed to peel myself away from him. "What time is it?" I asked against his lips.

"Probably way past the time that we should go," Bucky muttered back.

"Mm-hmm. We probably should go."

"Okay."

Despite the fact that neither one of us really wanted to get up nor leave the bedroom, we both knew that there were things that we needed to do. So the two of us pulled ourselves away from each other to begin getting ready for the day. I already had my training uniform in the bedroom that I had been wearing from training the boys the night before. I walked into the bathroom and changed out of my clothes quickly, leaving the door to the room open slightly. It was a little silly, but I really didn't want the first night that we spent together to be a total surprise. So we had seen little bits and pieces of each other. It made things a little easier. For me, at least.

There was also the fact that I knew that the wedding was coming faster than I was expecting. And now I had set a date for the wedding - almost a date. So I had been slowly leaving some of my things in his room. Not many things and nothing too large, but a few things. A hairbrush, my pair of boots, and a few hairpins. I wasn't quite sure what we would do or where we would go after the wedding, but I knew that if we were staying on the Army base, it would have to be with Bucky. Peggy was sharing my room so we wouldn't be able to go there.

It was only a matter of time before we would have to start figuring out what we wanted to do about the wedding and everything that would come afterwards. We had done almost nothing. So far, we had a time of the year. Not even an actual date. But I'd tried. Maybe we would get there eventually. It was times like these, when I really started thinking about the wedding that I found myself getting nervous about getting married to Bucky. I wanted it more than anything, but I wasn't sure what it would be like. I didn't know what married life would be like, or if it would even be any different. I just knew one thing, I didn't want to give myself up. I would always be the warrior. But it didn't mean that I couldn't be a wife, too.

Even though I had thought that we were being rather discreet about staying the nights with each other, I knew that, by now, everyone at least had a feeling that we were. Steve, Peggy, and Howard had already known, but I had been hoping that the men were clueless. Evidently they were not. They'd made passing comments about thin walls and whatnot over the past few weeks. Other than the few passing comments, they hadn't said anything, and I didn't want to push it. So I'd merely smiled and acted as if I was still staying with Peggy. Although I had been a little less discreet about my comings and goings at night and in the mornings. I easily finished getting ready and smiled at Bucky, who was waiting for me.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, brushing back his hair.

I nodded at him as he started tightening the knots on his laces. "Head out to the air field. I'll be there in a few minutes," I said, heading towards the door. He still had his boots to tie into place.

Bucky glanced up at me. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to see Howard before we go."

"What for?"

Not wanting to admit what I really needed - which was rather embarrassing - I merely smiled and waved him off. "He's got something that I need for the mission," I said, technically telling the truth.

Bucky looked very confused about what I was talking about. "Do we have a different plan this time around?" he asked me.

Smiling slightly, I shook my head at him. They wouldn't enjoy my plan once I told them what it was. "Sort of. We'll talk about it on the plane. I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?" Bucky nodded his head at me as I stepped backwards, getting ready to leave and head to Howard. "Get on the plane. Everyone else will meet you out there," I called after him.

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

Giving him a quick smile, I turned away and headed out towards the air field. I knew that Howard would be hanging around and getting the airplane ready for the attack. As usual, he would be the one that would fly us out there. Bucky turned away from me and continued to get himself ready. I sped up and headed out towards the field, walking far faster than anyone else could have. Save maybe Steve. I arrived at the air field quickly and smiled at Howard, who was standing in the fuselage of the plane. I knew that he was the one person that I could rely on to get me exactly what I needed. None of the men would have known where and Peggy would have asked too many questions.

"Morning, Howard," I chirped, coming to stand next to him.

He was currently checking the fuel levels. Howard turned to me and grabbed me in a quick hug, barely avoiding wiping some grease stains on me. "Good morning, darling." We pulled apart long enough for him to reach into his bag and pull out a small piece of fabric. "Here you are," he said, handing the thin material over to me.

Letting the fabric fall out of its fold, I raised my brow. That wasn't quite what I was expecting. "What the hell is this?" I snapped.

"A dress," Howard said carelessly.

Rolling my eyes at him, I nodded, laying it down on the floor again. "I know that it's a dress." I looked it over and cringed slightly. It was shorter than anything that even Peggy had given me. "Do you think that it could be any shorter?" I hissed.

The dress would be a few inches shorter than my knees. I wasn't even aware that they made dresses that were that short. "For the purpose that you want it? It's the perfect kind of dress," he said. He was right about that. For the purpose that I needed it, the dress would play its part perfectly. "It's not like you're going to be wearing it for that long."

Sending a dark glare at Howard, I brought forward a trick that I had recently learned that I could do. I'd been practicing it for a few weeks to see if it was something that I could use on the Hydra soldiers. And this would be the perfect time to test if it was debilitating. So I sent the psionic blast into Howard's head. It sounded like a terribly high-pitched ringing. Of course, it didn't bother me. It didn't really sound that loud to me. But Howard bent over and clasped his hands over his ears, shouting at the sudden noise.

Almost as quickly as I had done it, I let up on the blast, watching as Howard straightened out. "I meant because you're only planning to be in there for a little while! Jeez," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "What is that?"

Giving his hand, I allowed him to pull himself back up to his normal height. "I've been looking into things that I could do with my telepathy," I said, earning a startled look from Howard. Of course, I had told him before that I wanted nothing to do with my mutations. "That's a new one that I discovered. I call it a psionic blast. I can send out psionic volleys that are designed to damage the brain."

Howard was still rubbing at his head. He looked furious with me. "Thanks for that," he snapped.

"I didn't do it long enough to seriously hurt you," I argued.

He took a long sip of water and cleared his throat, leaning back against the pilot chair. He had gotten over my earlier psionic blast. "You've been working on your powers, then?" he asked, handing me over a bottle.

Was there a reason that he was saying that? "Um - Yeah. Why?" I asked curiously.

Howard hummed at me and walked around, sitting himself in the pilot's seat. He motioned for me to take the co-pilot's seat. "It's interesting. For so long you decided that you didn't want to explore the powers. Maybe because you thought that you just wanted to be completely human. I'm glad that you've finally realized that you're more," he said, laying a hand on my lap.

Smiling softly, I nodded at him. It was time that I stopped running away from that part of myself. It was time for me to grow up and learn that there was another, very important, part of me. "It's a part of me. I sat down and had a long talk with Bucky about it. He encouraged me to get to know more about myself. About the powers," I admitted, making Howard smile. "So I've been trying to learn. But with only so few of us in the world it's hard. I have to learn mostly by trial and error. And I have to be careful to not seriously hurt someone."

What I'd just done to Howard had been a trial. But I'd done it on strangers before and never had someone die, so I'd figured that it wasn't fatal. Although, judging by Howard's reaction, it probably could be. "So what have you learned? Besides the psionic blast," he said quickly.

"Sorry about that. I really didn't know how badly it hurt," I said, feeling a little guilty as I pressed my hand against the side of his head.

He smiled and pressed the cold water bottle against his head. "Trust me. It hurts. A lot," he groaned.

The two of us laughed and smiled at each other. We both knew that I hadn't meant to hurt him. At least, not that badly. "Sorry, I won't do it again," I promised. "I think I have some form of power detection."

Howard raised a brow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

It wasn't the easiest thing to explain. I wasn't even sure how I could manage to explain it. "Peggy and I were out shopping the other day and I'm reasonably certain that another mutant was in the center. I could feel it. I'm not sure what exactly to call his mutation, but it felt like he could control all forms of magnetism," I said awkwardly.

"Metal?" Howard asked, sounding shocked. "Like how you control fire?"

"Basically. He was young. Just a child," I said, remembering his fearful thoughts.

Peggy and I had tried so hard to reach him in time, but by the time we'd gotten to where his thoughts had been coming from, he'd been gone. "You didn't get to him?" Howard asked.

I shook my head. "Not in time. I heard his thoughts and felt his power for a moment before he was gone. Anyways..." I trailed off, not wanting to think about the child. "I learned this one when I was in Stryker's lab. He had me fight this mutant. I'm not sure what he could do but I know that he was weaker than me. I used telepathic negation against him. I could go into his mind and stop his powers. It's something that I can't really do unless I'm around another mutant, but extremely helpful if we're ever against another."

The day was clear in my mind. Stryker had actually fed me a normal meal. It wasn't much, just a turkey sandwich and some water, but it was more than I'd gotten in weeks. I could remember Stryker bringing the mutant into the room. He could teleport himself from one place to another, but that was about it. I remembered Stryker explaining the power negation to me and ordering me to use it. I had, and the mutant had been unable to do anything but run. And running was not an effective way to fight against me. I had caught him easily and beaten him until he could no longer stand. To this day, I didn't know what had happened to him, as he'd been taken away and never mentioned again.

The memory made me cringe and I was very grateful when Howard spoke again. "How long can you do it for?" he asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I pushed my booted feet up onto the control panel. "Long enough. But I'm not sure if I can do it against a stronger mutant. Like I said, he was only a kid and he wasn't well trained. The question remains on whether or not I could do it with a more experienced one," I said, wondering if I could do anything to stop a mutant like Logan.

"Is there something else?" Howard asked.

A small smile fell over my face. "Yes. Telepathic illusions," I said.

"What's that?"

"I can force people to see things that aren't really there."

My explanation had done almost nothing to explain what I was talking about. Howard was looking at me, wondering what the hell I was talking about. Showing someone was so much more fun than telling them. So I brought up an illusion of six different Victoria's, each of them standing at different intervals throughout the room. Just like the illusion that I'd shown Bucky of Chester and himself earlier, the six Victoria's weren't real. No one would be able to see them, save Howard and myself. He took a step backwards at the sudden appearance.

"Which one is real?" they all asked.

Howard was staring back and forth, trying to figure it out. "How do you do this?" he asked, walking in between two of the duplicates.

"Projecting the image into your mind," they all said together.

In the meantime, I backed away from Howard. He was too preoccupied with the duplicates to notice me. I started sorting through his files in his bag. One of the duplicates walked over to Howard and touched him on the arm. "It feels real," she said.

"But it's not," a second one said as the first one vanished.

"I can even alter myself to make me look different," the third Victoria said.

Howard turned over to her as I forced the fourth Victoria to change appearance. I turned my own hair red and made my eyes green, looking almost like a real human. "Almost normal," she said.

"Normal is boring," Howard laughed.

All of my duplicates smiled as they faded from the room. Howard blinked and shook his head, probably trying to clear his mind from the sight of six of me. Howard turned back to the only Victoria remaining, myself. I was currently standing behind his desk and holding a confidential file, waving it in front of his face. His gaze narrowed at me.

"And you would have never known," I chirped teasingly.

"Aren't you clever?" Howard asked.

"I am," I said quickly, moving to open the file. "What is this?"

But I never got the chance to look at what it was. "Nothing," Howard snapped, taking the file and shoving it back into his bag. I smiled at him as he pushed me out of the chair, preparing the final flight checks. "Let's go. We need to get you up in the air. It's just under a two hour flight, but I want to be back for dinner."

"Imagine what it would be like if you were actually going in and doing some work," I shot back.

"I'm flying the plane," Howard barked.

"And you'll be sitting on your ass the entire time."

Which was completely true. As much as I loved Howard, he wasn't much for actually getting up and fighting hand-to-hand with someone. Howard narrowed his eyes and glared at me. "When's the last time that you took one of those pills?" he asked.

Thinking back on it, I couldn't really remember when the last time that I'd taken one of the pills was. "I don't know. A week or so," I said, reasonably certain that was the last time that I'd taken one. "Why?"

"You're getting homicidal again," Howard deadpanned.

Was I? Sometimes it was a little tough for me to realize if I was getting to that point. "That might be a good thing, considering where we're going," I said, motioning out of the window of the plane.

Howard chuckled under his breath and nodded, giving me a small nudge. "Take one when you get back," he said.

"Alright, Mother."

We both laughed at each other as we went about our business. Howard walked back up towards the front of the plane so that he could perform the final flight system checks. As I walked back towards the rear of the plane, I grabbed my things. The two throwing knives that Howard had made me a few months back were tucked into the belt on my waist. There was a gun on the counter but I didn't bother grabbing it. I could take something from one of the Hydra soldiers if I really felt the need. Once I had gathered everything, I spotted Chester and Peggy standing in the back of the plane. They were standing around a table with the rest of the men, looking over the plans for the base.

"Good morning, gentlemen," I said, walking over towards them. "Today we move in on the second Hydra base."

"What do we got, boss?" Gabe asked.

Smiling at the men, I gave a quick look over to Steve. He sighed before looking over towards me and laughing. "I told you that you'd be the boss," Steve said, nudging me on the arm.

It made me smile. Even though I came up with the plans, we did usually listen to whatever Steve told us to do. "Well we already knew that," I teased, making all of the men laugh. "The base we're headed to today is in Czechoslovakia. It's a factory disguised as an old farm."

I pointed down at the map, showing the men exactly where we were going. "Did we do air surveillance?" Bucky asked me.

"I did," I said quickly.

They all laughed once more. Dum Dum patted me on the back. "Not bad, darlin'," he chirped.

"Thank you." I smiled at him and looked back down towards the map, moving my finger along the pathway leading up to the base. "I'm not completely sure what they're doing in the factory. It looks like it's a parts manufacturing plant. It's out in the middle of nowhere. Hydra's gotten a little smarter. No trees to provide us cover," I said, knowing that we couldn't just storm it.

They would see us coming from a distance. We would need to be discreet heading into the base. "So how do we get in?" Jim asked me.

There was one way that I knew would work. "You will all be waiting for my signal. I'm going in first," I said, digging through my bag that I'd brought with me, taking out the dress from the bottom.

The men began to exchange soft conversations, probably wondering what the dress was for. "In a dress?" Bucky asked. "I know that we were teasing you about wearing one on missions but I didn't think that you would take us -"

"I'm not taking you seriously," I snapped, looking back down towards the map of the base. "If this is a parts manufacturing plant it means that they're developing something that they intend to use. Maybe the Valkyrie, since we destroyed the Austrian base. Or maybe something else. We can't just go in with guns blazing this time. I want to go in and find out what they're doing."

They were silent for a while before Bucky looked back at me. "By dressing up as a secretary?" he finally asked.

Rolling my eyes at him, I shook my head. They were so clueless. "It's a little more than that." I reached in and pulled out a photo of an older German man. The one man that was going to get me into the base. "This man is Willem Van Der Vegt. One of the Hydra Fortress Officers. I intend to go to him and ask," I said, pushing the photo back into its place.

"Won't they know who you are?" Jacques asked me curiously.

"Art of persuasion. They'll have no clue," I said confidently.

They were all clearly trying to figure out what I was talking about, as the men looked back and forth between each other. "And he'll just tell you?" James finally asked.

"If I ask nicely."

"So you go in there and talk to them, get to know what they're doing, then what?" Steve asked.

And that was where everyone else came in. "I'll cause some form of a distraction. We got that motorcycle for you last week so that you could use it to get ahead in missions. It's time that you used it," I told Steve, who nodded at me. "Everyone will come in on foot. Bring the bike with you. You'll be waiting for me to call you in. You come in quietly, where I tell you to come in. Once I know what I need to know, we can start the attack. I'll move in first. You boys will be behind me. I'll set off a psionic blast loud enough to keep Hydra neutralized for a few moments. You'll light it up when I do. On that signal, you'll ride in. Take out the exterior threats."

"Yes ma'am," Steve confirmed.

Everyone was nodding along to the plan, but Bucky still seemed stuck on the first thing that I had said. "And what is this 'some form of a distraction', you speak of?" he asked me.

"Haven't figured that out yet," I admitted.

He looked like he was about to tell me what a terrible plan that was, but James spoke up before he could. "What do you think they're building?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. That's what I intend to find out. I'll leave a bit before you land," I said.

"Be careful in there," Steve said.

"Always am."

Both Steve and Bucky narrowed their eyes at me. It was obvious enough that they didn't think that I was careful whenever we went somewhere on a mission. "No you aren't," Steve snapped.

Smiling at him, I nodded, chuckling slightly. "You're right. But I don't have to be careful," I said truthfully. "I'll be right back. Get ready. We'll be there sooner than you think."

As the men began to chat back and forth about what they needed for the attack - and the way that they were planning on fighting - I walked out towards the back of the plane with my bag. Slipping myself out of the uniform, I folded up the material and went back to my bag, pulling out the purse that I'd borrowed from Peggy. I slid the knives and uniform into the purse and pulled out the dress. I gathered myself and pulled myself into it, pushing on the black pumps that I had brought with them. The dress was incredibly embarrassing. It had buttons down the front and I left most of them on my chest open. There was one purpose that I needed it for. It was a deep green without sleeves, just a little something to hold it up on my shoulders.

It was definitely the most embarrassing thing that I'd ever worn. It showed even more skin than the uniform. I really didn't like how tight it was and how short it was, just a few inches above the knee. I disguised myself so that the men would see someone completely different. I adopted brown eyes and dark brown hair, letting it curl down my back. I looked just a touch like Jessica, Bucky's sister. That was who I had modeled myself after. Close enough that I looked like a normal woman, but not similar enough that I would accidentally put her in harm's way. I walked back out towards the table where the rest of the men were standing.

They heard the heels clicking and turned back to look at me. Their eyebrows shot to their forehead as they all tried to figure out who I was. Even Peggy looked shocked. "V - Vika?" Bucky finally managed to ask.

Nodding at the men, I came to stand with them. "It's me," I said. They all nodded, realizing that I might not have looked like me, but I did sound like me. "They know who I am and what I look like. So I'm going to ensure that they have no clue who I am."

The men all nodded, smiling and looking me over curiously. Bucky laughed softly. "You look like Jessica," he said.

I could feel his hesitance at the situation. He was attracted to me, but I currently looked like his sister, whom he definitely wasn't attracted to. The thought made me laugh. "That's who I modeled myself after. I remembered all of the boys at school really liking her," I admitted my reasoning.

"How did you do that?" Steve asked.

Smiling at him, I walked forward and gently touched his arm, just so that he knew that I really was real. "Telepathic illusion. I force you to see something that isn't really there," I explained. The men all nodded. But they still looked a little confused to see me as not really myself. "Bucky's already well aware of this little trick."

He turned over towards me and glared, as the rest of the men stared curiously. "Funny," Bucky snapped, brushing off the questions about what the two of us were talking about.

"I'll be disguised as..." I trailed off, reading over the papers that I had in reference to the attack, "Mallory Muller. A secretary that's supposed to drop by today to look at the work that's been done at this factory. I rifled through his head to check for her."

The others were all nodding along with me. But I noticed that Steve still seemed a little hesitant. I glanced over at him and glared, letting him know that he could spit it out. "And where is the real Mallory Muller?" he asked.

"On a date with some guy she met at the airport," I said. I had found her and enticed her to miss her flight, completely forgetting about what she had originally been at the airport for. Steve raised a brow as he stared at me. I rolled my eyes once more. "Relax, he's a nice guy. No Nazi affiliation. I saved her life. I didn't kill her."

"So what are you going to do?" Bucky asked me.

"Keep him distracted while I look through his things and see if I can find anything of importance," I said. Not that it meant much. I still wasn't exactly sure how I was going to manage it. "And to let you all know that it's safe to come through."

"Victoria!" Howard shouted from the front of the plane. "We're approaching your drop zone."

Could we really be there already? It seemed like hardly any time had passed. "How long?" I called back.

"Two minutes."

It gave me enough time to gather myself and give the men a few last-minute warnings. Steve patted me on the shoulder as I moved towards the emergency door for me to drop out of. "We'll be about ten minutes behind you," Steve said.

"Perfect. I'll see you all soon," I told the men.

They all gave me little nods and quick hugs as they tried to gather themselves in the few minutes before their drop zone. Bucky followed me over to the emergency door. "Be careful, alright?" Bucky asked me, grabbing my hand. "If you tell me that you can't die one more time -"

"But it's the truth," I interrupted him. He merely glared at me as I smiled and moved forward into him. "I'll be careful, okay? I'll see you soon. Be careful out there. Keep an eye out for anyone."

"We will," Bucky said.

The two of us smiled at each other as I pressed a small kiss against his lips. We stayed together for a moment before I pulled away so that I could get down to the Hydra base. Chester opened the door as Peggy and I shared a quick hug. The two of us pulled apart and I pressed a quick kiss against Chester's cheek before sitting at the edge of the door. The men called a few well-wishes after me as I pushed off of the edge of the plane and went into a dive back towards the ground.

For a while I merely stared up at the plane as I made my descent. The lights faded quickly from the plane as I finally turned away from the plane and towards the base. I had to get my mind in the game and make sure that I was focused. Particularly if I wanted to keep the illusion up. I soared towards the ground and landed about a mile out from the Hydra base. As I hit the ground I rolled forward and went into a dead sprint towards the base. I stopped at the edge of the road just outside of it. I walked up the road towards the guards outside of the base, forcing the men to imagine that they were seeing a car drop me off.

I made my way up to a man wearing one of the Hydra masks. His face was almost impossible to see, but I knew that he was glaring at me, mistrusting of who I said that I was. "Name?" he asked, speaking German.

Staring straight into his eyes, I watched as the tenseness of the man's stance faded. "I'm going to pass. You'll let me pass and announce to Officer Willem Van Der Vegt that Mallory Muller is here to see him," I ordered, staring him dead in the eyes.

The guard nodded. "Come with me," he said.

Nodding at him, I walked right behind him, keeping up the facade of the woman with brown eyes and hair. I wondered what Jessica would think if she could see me right now. I wanted to know if she even knew what I was. I still wasn't sure if the papers revealing what I was had run in the United States. And so many people still thought that it was a load of bologna. We walked together until we came to stand in front of an older man. He was probably well into his fifties, barking orders at a few lower-ranking men. He turned back towards us when he realized that there was someone waiting to speak with him.

"Yes?" the man that I assumed was Willem asked.

The guard motioned back towards me. I noticed Willem's eyes immediately start roving over me. Just as I thought that they would. "This is Mallory Muller. She is the secretary that is coming to look over the plans," the guard explained.

Willem nodded, motioning me away from the guard and sending the guard back to his normal duties. "Yes. Come, Miss Muller," Willem said, walking me down the hallway with him. The base was large and disguised like an old farmhouse. We were down on the first floor and there appeared to be offices on the second. "You are familiar with Hydra?"

"I am."

Far more familiar than anyone else was. I smiled as Willem placed a hand on my lower back, far too low for my liking. I would have liked nothing more than to break every bone in his hand. "And what do you think?" Willem asked, motioning around us.

Smiling at him, I nodded, glancing all around. There had to be something here that I could find that would help us out during the next attacks. Some hint of where to go next. "It's quite something," I said honestly. It really was amazing, everything that these people had come up with. But they were insane. "These are your new projects?"

I was motioning around to everything that sat in the room. Some looked like weapons and others looked like surveillance technology. "Yes. I can tell you all about them." He grinned once more and motioned towards one of the back offices, away from everyone else. "Shall we retreat to my office?" he offered, placing his hand far lower on my back than I would have liked.

Not that I wanted to go anywhere with him, but I knew that I had to play along with his games if I actually wanted a chance to read through some of the papers that were on confidential Hydra files. So I rifled through his head quickly enough so that he wouldn't catch on to what he was doing. It quickly became obvious that Willem lived here, just like many Hydra officers lived on their bases. Anything that would be of any importance would be locked away inside one of the cabinets in his bedroom. Somewhere that he deemed safe and sound. So I smiled and stepped towards Willem, pressing myself almost directly up against him. I knew that he was attracted to me.

"Is there somewhere more private?" I asked, smirking up at him.

Willem grinned, realizing what I was hinting at. "I can find somewhere," he said.

"Perfect."

For once things were actually going exactly the way that I wanted them to go. Willem's hand was pressed gently on my back and I smiled softly, trying to keep the pompous laughter from escaping my throat. Men were so thick. The two of us walked through the facility and into the back hallways, which were full of offices and what appeared to be bedrooms. I took note of everything that we passed, looking for any places that Hydra soldiers might be able to hide when the attack started. I saw lots of plans that were laying all over the place, but they were mostly just pieces and parts of newly built weaponry. They were smart enough to not leave full drawings in plain view.

As we walked towards Willem's bedroom, I slipped into Bucky's mind. Bucky? I called.

Even from miles away, I could tell that I had startled Bucky. It almost made me laugh. Jeez. That's terrifying. Can you hear me? he asked.

It definitely could be a little bit creepy if you weren't used to hearing it. Loud and clear. Tell the others to come on over here. I've almost got what I need. Be quiet. There are a lot of people at this base. There's a corner room on the southwest side of the base. It's down on the first floor. Come in through the window. I'll unlatch it, I explained to him.

Okay. I'll let them know. We'll be there in a few minutes.

And that was all that I needed. Them, here, so that we could destroy the base. In the meantime we had walked into Willem's bedroom. "What do you think?" he asked, motioning around us.

It was a typical bedroom, lots of reds and yellows scattered about. The one thing that mattered to me was the desk sitting in the back corner. I dropped my bag on the floor near the desk and walked past it. Instead I focused my gaze on the bed, large and sitting in the center of the room. "It looks cozy," I said.

"The couch is comfortable," Willem said, motioning towards the couch sitting up against the far wall.

But I needed things to move a little bit faster. "What about the bed?" I asked.

The corners of Willem's mouth tilted up in a large smile. "Even better," he grinned.

Just like every other man, a promise of something happening between the two of us had let his guard down. And that was all that I needed. As he smiled at me, I smiled back, forcing the illusion of a replica of myself to stay standing in front of Willem. In the meantime, I returned to my normal state and took a step backwards, away from him and towards the desk. Out of the corner of my eyes, I watched as the replica of myself undid the buttons on the front of the dress and let it slip back off of my shoulders. The real version of myself quickly changed back into the uniform that had been in the bag that had been sitting by the desk. In the meantime, the replica had brought Willem over to the bed.

He was laughing happily as the replica of myself threw him back onto the bed, with barely any clothes covering it. I rolled my eyes at myself. I hated seeing it, even though it wasn't me. I quickly walked over and unlocked the window so that the men would be able to come through once they got here. As soon as I had the window opened, I turned back and walked towards the desk, quickly opening the files and scanning over them. There had to be something important here. Much of it was names of the Hydra members that lived on the base and funding paperwork. They weren't things that I was interested in. A few minutes passed before I found the exact locations of the bases. I folded up the paper to give to Chester once we were back on the plane. That actually was important.

It ended up taking me almost the entire ten minutes to find the pages that I had been looking for. It was an entire file devoted to some of the weapons that Hydra had been developing. I pulled them out of the file and began looking over them all. There were the simple technologies that they had, the ones that I had already seen. The Hydra Pistol, Hydra Assault Rifle, Hydra Heavy Assault Rifle, Hydra Cannon, and the Hydra Flamethrower. I had been up close and personal with that one. They were all the weapons that had been designed using the Tesseract. As I grabbed the last of the pages, I smiled. It was what I had been looking for. It was something called the Hydra Uber Tank.

It was nearly three times larger than every other tank that was outfitted for the war right now. The Uber Tank was fitted with almost all of the other weapons that Hydra had created. Not good... Definitely not good. I cringed as I continued to flip through the pages, realizing that this tank could do a lot of damage. Even more than the kind of tanks that we normally were battling against. Immediately I knew that we needed to find where they were keeping the weapon and destroy it. But the paper didn't say. It was the one intelligent thing that Hydra had done. Just as I was putting the papers back into place, I heard the window opening and I turned back.

The men were easily climbing into the base. Once they were all in, they barely looked over at me. They were watching Willem, who was on the bed, caressing me. Or, at least, the image of me. "Can he see us?" Dum Dum asked.

"If he'd actually look he could. But he's too interested in other things," I said blankly.

"Are you forcing him to see something?" Steve asked, walking over towards him.

"Yes."

"What?" Bucky asked curiously.

As I glanced over towards Willem and the replica of myself, I cringed. I didn't even want to see what I was forcing Willem to say. "I don't think that you want to know," I answered him.

The men all exchanged looks with each other, laughing at the put-out look on Bucky's face. I understood. Even though it wasn't really me, it was still weird. Willem chuckled in his place up on the bed, supporting himself on his knees, as I forced him to imagine that he was slowly undressing me. "Miss Muller..." Willem laughed through what he imagined was a kiss.

Glancing back at him, I cringed when I saw what was happening. "Really?" Gabe asked, giving me an 'are-you-kidding' kind of look.

I merely scoffed and walked back to the desk. "Men," I groaned.

Bucky walked over to stand next to Willem, who still hadn't noticed that we were standing in the room with him. "That might not really be you, but I still hate that," Bucky said, glaring at Willem, his hands twitching on the trigger.

Walking back over to him, I pressed a kiss against his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'd much rather have you," I whispered in his ear. I saw the corners of his lips tilt upwards in a smile. "Come here." All of the men walked with me towards the desk. "This is what we're looking at. They call it the Hydra Uber Tank. Three times the size of a normal tank. Fitted with every type of Hydra weapon. Definitely not good for us."

They were all looking over the plans, trying to figure out what it meant for us. "What do we do?" Bucky finally asked.

"We find out where it is," I said.

"How?" Steve asked.

The only way that we would find out for sure. "I'm going to ask," I said, earning strange looks. I ignored the men and walked so that I was standing behind Willem, keeping just a touch of distance between the two of us, allowing the illusion to drop.

Willem grasped at the illusion of me for a few seconds longer before realizing that it wasn't there. He glanced up and immediately saw everyone that was surrounding him. The men, that is. He hadn't seen me yet. "What?" He spotted the men and growled at them. "What are you -?" And that was when he turned back and saw me. I smiled brightly at him. "You!" he howled, switching to English, realizing that he had been played.

He was about to scream. I could tell that he was going to try and get the attention of the guards out in the main room. I moved forward, pressing my front against his back, and placed a hand over his throat. The men all held up their weapons and pointed them at him. "Scream and I break your neck. I'd like to talk," I hissed in his ear.

"What do you want?" Willem asked, his voice shaking.

"I want to know what this is," I said, showing him the picture of the Uber Tank.

He glanced down at it before looking back upwards. He was shaking against me, probably thinking that he was going to die. And he would. "The Hydra Uber Tank. It's a prototype. They aren't in mass production yet. It will be another year or so before they're out on the streets," he explained.

We all exchanged looks before I glanced back at Willem. "How many are they planning on building?" I asked.

"Many," Willem answered.

Well that's definitely not good. I couldn't imagine just how much worse the war would become if there were hundreds of those Uber Tanks wandering around the large cities. "Are there any currently operational?" I asked, remembering my other questions.

"One," Willem said.

Somehow I found myself believing him. Mostly because of the papers that I had already gone through. Most of them were still in production. It meant that we would only have to take out the prototype. "Where is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," Willem said, his voice cracking weakly.

"Where is it?" I repeated, refusing to believe him.

He had to know where it was, and I wanted him to admit it out loud. "I don't know, I swear," he cried out. But he did know, and I would get him to admit it. So I yanked upwards on his neck, putting pressure on it, and straining it with the sudden movement. Willem began to gasp and thrash around in my arms. "Athens! Athens!" I loosened my grip on him. "It's in the facility in Athens."

That would have to be the next place that we would attack. We couldn't wait and go to the Switzerland base. We had to take out the Uber Tank as soon as possible. "What are they planning on?" I asked.

"An attack. A few months from now. The Uber Tank is still a prototype," Willem continued.

"Is it the only one?" I asked.

"Yes."

Steve nodded at me and I nodded back, knowing that Willem had given us everything that we needed to know. "Thank you for your cooperation," I said lowly, placing my mouth at his ear.

Willem was sobbing softly as I briefly loosened my grip on him. He thought that he was going to live through the attack. But he wasn't. We left no survivors. This was just my way of making his death a little bit faster. So, keeping my arms over his throat, I jumped forward and rolled over Willem's body. As I rolled back upwards, jumping off of the bed and off of Willem's body, I twisted to the side. His neck broke under the strain in the process. He fell back onto the bed, dead, his neck twisted at a funny angle. I brushed myself off, pushing my hair back off of my face, and turned back towards the boys. They were all giving me a frightened look.

It was pretty easy to see that Gabe was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at Willem's body. "Boy, you'd better never piss her off," Gabe said, looking over towards Bucky.

We all laughed, smiling at Bucky. "I'd make it much worse for you," I promised Bucky.

He merely laughed at me. "Trust me, I know," Bucky said, walking over towards me and throwing an arm over my shoulder.

We all laughed again as I nudged Bucky, shoving him away from me. We could have time to be together later. Just not now. "Are we ready?" I asked, moving to stand near the doors.

"Ready," Steve said.

I assumed that his motorcycle wasn't that far away. He would have to take out all of the spare men. There were a lot of places to run and we couldn't afford them getting away from us and warning the other bases. "Take out the soldiers inside the building and then move onto the outside. Take out any stragglers," I instructed him.

He nodded at me, pulling his shield off of his back and moving towards the doors with me. "Got it. Let's move," Steve said.

The eight of us moved towards the double doors that led into the hallway. Like before, there was no one there. They were all down on the floor, manufacturing the weapons or doing some type of paperwork. I motioned the men back into the shadows as I stepped forward. One Hydra soldier noticed me almost immediately, but they got no chance to say anything. I let off a loud psionic blast, high-pitched enough to keep the soldiers down on their hands and knees, crying out at the pain. The men all watched, stunned, for a moment before I shouted at them to move into place. As they did, I listened to the piercing shriek that was echoing through the compound, ensuring that my boys couldn't hear it.

"Ready?" I asked, turning back to them.

Each of the men was holding up their gun, save Steve, who had his shield in front of his face. "Whenever you are," Steve called back.

"Three... two... one," I counted down.

The moment that I had hit one, I let the psionic blast drop. The Hydra soldiers all hit the ground as they tried to gather their bearings once more. It didn't take long for the men to start shooting at the soldiers, taking down one at a time. But, to Hydra's credit, they were quick to regain themselves for the most part. The men were lighting up the building with the weapons, the shots echoing off of the walls and metal. Many soldiers were already dropping as the men spread out over the base. I turned back to the guards and smiled. It would be easy enough.

There were already two Hydra soldiers standing and running up towards me. I hesitated a moment to let them grab onto my arms. I heard Bucky shout my name - probably in fear that I wasn't paying attention, but I had a plan. As the man on my right put a hand on my shoulder and the man on my left put a hand on my wrist, I reached towards him and grabbed a shoulder strap. I brought forward my right leg and kneed the man on the left in the stomach before reaching my leg backwards and kicking the man on my right in the stomach. He was thrown backwards as I turned back to the man on my left. As he was still holding onto my arm, I brought my right leg up and over his arm, wrenching it free of my arm.

He was thrown over himself, landing straight on his stomach, knocked out from the hit. The man that I had knocked to the ground earlier got back up and ran towards me. I turned my back to him and grabbed underneath his chin, pulling his back against my own. I kept my hand underneath his chin and ripped my arm off to the side, easily breaking his neck. I let his body drop to the ground and I turned back to see a man running at me, pistol in hand, on the other side of a desk. Not hesitating this time, I pushed myself up onto the desk, swinging on my hands with my legs up in the air. My lower leg swung around first, kicking the gun out of his hand, as my higher leg followed, kicking him in the head. He was thrown backwards as I spun onto my hands and knees, glancing out.

Another man was running towards me from the other end of the table, also with a gun, and I spun around back over myself. I lifted up my right leg and brought it down over the man's throat. He was thrown down onto the table as I tightened my grip, suffocating him. The moment that I was sure that he was dead, I jumped off of the table, on the opposite end of a fourth man that was running towards me. He made his way to the other end of the table, about to jump over to my side, when I beat him to it. I jumped straight up and swung over and around myself so that I was parallel with the ground, sweeping my feet out and kicking him backwards so hard that he was thrown into the wall.

As I landed back on all fours, I slid forward and kicked out the legs of another man, flipping over myself. The man recovered surprisingly quickly, getting back to his feet. I jumped forward and turned in a circle, sweeping my foot out and kicking the man in the head. He stumbled backwards and made to hit me with both hands. I grabbed them both and wrenched them off to the side, jumping up - out from in between his arms - and landed back on the floor, behind him. I wrenched back on his arms, feeling them pop, as I leaned down and threw him over himself.

He hit the ground roughly as another man ran towards me. I grabbed his hand and wrenched it backwards and kicked him in the stomach before leaning forward - still holding onto his hand - and jumping forward into a front flip, releasing just in time to turn back to him. I kicked him back away from me and he stumbled once more, ducking down to run after me. I dashed forward before he could recover and stepped on his knee, throwing my own into his chin, as I back flipped off of him, sending him flying backwards.

Gathering myself once more, I stepped backwards and watched as two men came to stand back on each side of me. As they reached out to try and drag me away with them I reared back. I moved into a front flip and threw my legs out into a split, kicking the two men in the head in the meantime as I landed back on my feet. I moved into a windmill and kicked out at a third man that had moved forward, sending him crashing back into the floor. Suddenly two more Hydra soldiers came forward. I grabbed one of the soldiers across the front and turned the two of us in a circle, throwing him as I released him, and flipping over to another soldier, landing straight on his stomach and sending a rib straight back into his lung.

As I moved to check on the rest of the men, I realized that I wasn't alone just yet. There were a few more men that were coming after me. And I would take care of them. I ran after one of the men and jammed my hand into his throat, cutting off his air and making him drop to the ground. I jumped backwards and grabbed onto one man's throat, turning and kicking backwards at another, still holding the throat of the other. I kicked into the stomach of another advancing man before leaning down and throwing the man whose throat I was holding over himself. I turned backwards and went into a one-handed cartwheel, catching his neck in between my thighs and spinning down to the floor, throwing him over me. I stepped down on his neck, crushing it and any chance that he had of breathing.

With that, we had cleared out the back of the base. I ran forward slightly, now with the men in view, and spotted another Hydra agent moving towards Dum Dum. The man that was advancing on Dum Dum was clearly a specialist in close combat. But so was I. I ran after him and threw out a punch. He stumbled back but managed to catch my arm before I could throw another one. I jammed my elbow down into his, throwing his arm off of me, before throwing out my fist, hitting him in the face. He stumbled backwards before advancing on me once more. As I threw out two more consecutive hits, one connected but he managed to catch underneath my arm with the second.

Growling under my breath, I ran forwards and walked up the wall that we were standing near. The man was not smart enough to let me go. As I flipped over myself and landed on my back, I yanked him down with me and kicked underneath his chest, throwing him up and over himself. He went skidding over the floor and fell into a divot in the floor. I knew that he wasn't dead yet. As he attempted to get back to hit feet, leaning on his knees, I ran after him and slid forward on my knees. As I slid over towards him, I went flying off of the end of the platform, hitting the man around the throat. He was thrown back onto the metal floor as I leaned over his neck, rearing back and punching him in the face four times, crushing his skull.

In my irritation with the surprisingly well-trained man, I was unaware of the man running up behind me. He grabbed me around the waist and threw me onto the floor. I grunted and leaned up on a knee, throwing my knee into his head. He was thrown backwards as I laid a leg over his shoulder. He grunted as I turned backwards, keeping my leg over his throat and falling backwards. We went flying across the metallic floor as I leaned backwards and jammed my foot into his skull, crushing it.

A few more men ran towards me as I sprinted a little closer towards where the rest of the men were fighting. I wanted to draw the soldiers towards me and keep them away from the men. As one of the men ran towards me and grabbed my shoulder, I shoved him back away from me and dropped onto my back. I kicked him across the face before catching his neck in between my feet. I gave my legs a sharp tug to the side and felt as the bones crunched together, breaking his spine. I let him drop as I jumped back up to my feet and threw out a punch to a second man, throwing him backwards.

There was another man on the other side of a large cabinet and I ran towards it. I could see that he was trying to run after one of the men. Not on my watch. I ran forward and jumped over the cabinet, reaching my hands down and rolling forward off of the cabinet. The man wasn't standing far from me as I launched towards him, running straight into him. I slammed into his stomach and the two of us were thrown backwards as I jammed my knee down into his ribs. They broke under the pressure and I leaned upwards, throwing my hair back from my face.

"Vic!" Steve called.

He was motioning to three snipers that were attempting to take out the men. "Got it," I called after him, slipping out the two knives.

They would regret ever even moving towards them. There was a small desk in between myself and the other men so I moved forward and jumped upwards. I ran forward and jumped upwards. As I moved over the desk I spun over myself, landing on my feet after doing two full turns, and ducked forward into a roll. As I got back to my feet, I swept my knife out to the first man's knee, severing the tendon, before getting back to my feet and spinning around once more. I leaned down and swiped out my knife across the second man's stomach, gutting him. Tucking the knife back into my pants, I took out the spare knife and threw it underhanded into the third man's forehead. He fell as a fourth man ran up behind me, reaching his arm over my shoulder. I caught him underneath and ducked down, throwing him over himself.

Once I was sure that they were all dead, I moved forward towards the rest of the men. Standing upright on another smaller cabinet, I jumped forward and front flipped down onto a man that was shooting at me. I jammed the two knives into his chest before rolling forwards off of him. Another man was running towards me as I got onto one knee and turned on it to kick a second man in the head, denting his skull, and head-butting him, completely crushing the bone. Another man was behind me as I reared back and sent myself into a twirl upwards, using my second leg to hit him in the head and send him flying backwards into the wall. I hit the ground back on one foot and one knee, turning backwards and throwing a knife into a man's head that was advancing on Steve.

Two more men came after me a second later, sensing the danger that I was posing them. The first man was watching me as I reared back and kicked him in the jaw. He went stumbling backwards onto his hands and knees as I ran after him, standing behind him and wrapping an arm around his throat. He moved exactly the way that I wanted him to. He took my weight and threw me over myself. As I landed back on my feet, I used his momentum to throw him over myself, watching as he landed on the ground, the air sucked out of his lungs.

Another man was standing across from me as I ran forward, jumping onto him. I locked one leg over his arm as the other was caught in between his armpit and arm. I jammed my elbow into his throat before leaning backwards, placing my hands on the ground and throwing him over me. He was tossed back onto the ground as I pushed myself back into a standing position, completely upright. As a third man watched me, I flipped over myself and kicked him in the side of the head, throwing him backwards.

As one man stumbled back to his feet from an attack from Steve, I shoved my best friend away from him and launched after him myself. I jammed my knee into his stomach and locked my knee underneath his arm, jumping forward and sending myself into a sprawl forwards, holding the man and sending him flying backwards with me. He was thrown backwards as I jumped back to my feet and kneed him again. As the man reached up to kick me, I caught him underneath the knee and threw him backwards. He grunted as he went toppling down the set of stairs, breaking his neck in the process, paralyzed and useless for the remainder of his life.

Another man beat me to attacking him. He shoved into me and I was thrown backwards in surprise. Using the momentum, I rolled over myself and back to my feet. I kneed him in the ribs twice before reaching up once more. But he was able to stop that one. He grabbed my knee and I grunted, catching his own arm and throwing both of us over the desk that we were fighting by. I recovered first and grabbed the man by the waist, throwing him back into the wall. He stumbled as I recovered and slammed his head into it, crushing it. I let him drop and turned back to another man. I grabbed him underneath the arm and dropped into a split, never releasing him. I threw him over himself and jumped upright, sitting upright on his hips and beating in his head.

As I tried to get off of him, another man ran after me and shoved me off of him. I tumbled to the side and wound up underneath the guard. They had more hand-to-hand experts here. But they were still weaker than me. I reached up and locked my legs around his throat, jamming my elbow down into his head a few times. Once he was out like a light, I turned back and jumped upright. There was a man advancing on Bucky that I ran after, catching him around the back of the neck. Bucky watched as I ran the two of us forward, jumping forward into a roll. As I ran towards him once more, I reached out and punched him in the face, crushing his nose.

Before I could say anything to Bucky, I spotted another man. I turned and dashed towards him, hitting him in the stomach and knocking him back into the wall. He grunted as he turned back and threw a punch out at me. I ducked out of the way and sent one towards his face, easily connecting. I leaned down and punched out his knee, watching as he dropped to the ground. I got back to my feet and head-butted him, leaning back and kicking him in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Another man was at my side in no time. I reached forward and punched him in the gut, sending him leaning over himself, before rearing back and sending a roundhouse kick into his spine. I grabbed him underneath the arm for measure and flipped the two of us forward, landing on him after two full rotations. My weight alone was enough to knock him unconscious.

Another man sent two consecutive hits that I deflected before I reared back and punched him in the face. He stumbled backwards as I kneed him in the stomach twice, jumping backwards as he attempted to hit me. I caught him around the back of the arm and threw my elbow out, jamming it into his throat. I kicked out at his knee, weakening his already limp stance, before jumping over his bent over back. My legs went over his neck and locked around his arm. One moved forward to hook around his chest and pull him down with me. We hit the ground with him underneath me as I ripped his arm out of the socket.

It didn't take long for another man to advance on me. A large man - over three times my size - walked up to me and grabbed me around the throat, throwing me back into the wall. It had surprised me, but I managed to right myself quickly. I grabbed him around the back of the neck and used his leg as a step. I leaned upwards and hooked one leg around the back of his neck, throwing the two of us downwards. At the awkward angle from the wall, we were both sent flying towards the floor. The man got to his feet and tried to run, but I was faster. I grabbed him by the back of the jacket and threw him across the floor, watching as he slid backwards. He got back to his feet and tried to wrap an arm around my neck, but I was faster. I jammed my elbow down to get him to release me before throwing it back into his ear, knowing immediately that I had deafened him.

He stumbled back from me as I grabbed onto the back of his jacket once more. I pulled him into me and threw him over me. He hit the ground as I leaned down and threw a fist down into his face. I flipped backwards off of him and watched as he got back to his feet. I blocked two hits before punching him roughly in the face, watching as he stumbled backwards. I grabbed his fist and threw a punch into his face, turning back and pulling his arm over my head, turning back so that he was painfully contorted. I kicked underneath his bent arm and grabbed the back of his head, punching him in the face. He went flying backwards and I smirked as he got back to his feet. I had to give him credit for attempting. As he ran towards me, I grabbed around his waist and literally threw him across the floor, watching as his head broke apart, whacking into a cabinet.

A knife had fallen out of his holster and I grabbed it, turning back and throwing it into the head of the man that was firing at Bucky, causing him to drop to the ground. "Watch it," I warned my fiancé.

"I had that," Bucky said breathlessly.

"So that's why you missed eight times?"

"It was only five," he defended.

I smiled and was about to comment on his very poor aim - which he really had quite good aim - when I saw another man running up behind him. "Duck," I told Bucky.

He did as told. I leaned down onto my feet and placed one hand on the floor, spinning on my right foot and sweeping my left leg out into the head of the man that had been approaching. He stumbled backwards as I advanced on him, Bucky rolling out of the way, and jammed my knee into his face. He was thrown backwards as I moved towards the next man. Dum Dum and Gabe were trying to kill two Hydra soldiers that were across from them, so I decided to help. I ran after them and moved into a front flip, catching one man's rifle and kicking it out of his hands. I ran forward once more and went into a sideways roll in the air. I kicked the gun out of his hand ducked as Bucky shot him. Another man ran towards me as I backed off and ran forward once more, jumping up and slamming my foot down into his head as I twirled in the air, turning back around and kicking him across the jaw.

As another man moved out to hit me, I caught him underneath the arm and shoved my foot into his hip. I heard a bone crack as he stumbled backwards. As he attempted to recover, I turned backwards and threw my leg backwards over his shoulder and behind his neck, pressing my back against his front. I used the momentum to roll the two of us forwards. The man was trapped underneath me as my legs caught him underneath me. I rolled off in time for Bucky to shoot him. As another man stood facing me, I ran after him. I threw out two punches with alternating arms before shoving my palm into his throat. I leaned down and flipped over on one arm, kicking him across the face with my leg as I landed back on my feet.

Just a few feet behind me was a man that was trying to shoot Bucky. Absolutely not. He was running up behind me to get to Bucky, but I grabbed him over the back of the shoulders and turned away from him, throwing him over himself with me. He hit the ground and I rolled over, throwing myself on top of his torso and rolling completely off of him. I landed back on my knees as I grabbed him under the arm and pulled him up to me. As I grabbed his arm, I pulled him upwards and shoved my knee into his throat.

"Thanks," Bucky panted.

I nodded my consent at him. "Behind you," we said at the same time.

Without checking to see what was going to happen to the other, we both went back to our fights. Grabbing the garrote that was tucked into the weapons belt on my hip, I unraveled it and looped it around the throat of a man behind me. I turned backwards and pressed his back to mine. Giving the garrote a strong tug, I flipped him over myself, watching as he hit the ground, flat on his stomach and knocking the wind from him. He got back to his feet as he grabbed me and I turned to him, jamming my elbow into his. I grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, ducking underneath his arm and throwing him over me. He hit the ground and wheezed in exhaustion.

The man seemed down for the count, but another one was running towards me. I ran after him and grabbed his arm, keeping him from punching me, and reached over it. I pulled the two of us backwards so that we hit the couch. I hit the couch as the man was thrown over me, hitting on his back. I spun around his body so that I was placed behind his neck. I had an arm wrapped around the back of his throat, suffocating him. He did manage to pull the two of us upwards, considering that I wasn't that heavy, but I merely placed my feet back against the wall to walk sideways across it. I pushed forward and sent the two of us into a roll, throwing us over ourselves before jumping onto his back.

He laid there for a moment so that I could shove my boot into his side, knocking him out from the blinding pain. Another man ran towards me and I ducked out of the way, spinning underneath his hit. I ducked onto the floor and caught him around the waist, pulling him down with me. I grabbed him underneath the shoulder, spotting that one of the men must have gotten in a graze. I kicked him in the ribs a few times, watching as blood began to pour from the wound. I finally spun around over his back, catching his arm in between my legs, and threw us forward, kicking him in the jaw and breaking it before allowing his body to drop.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around to see what was happening. "Victoria!" Jacques called out.

He must have been ready to detonate the charges. "Come on!" I called, running after him.

That was the only thing that we needed. The two of us went to running around the facility to plant the charges. I had to be there to ensure that no one shot Jacques. He was too important to our cause, and he was my friend. I protected him from the bullets that were still flying around the base. But I could tell that it was quickly emptying out. It wasn't long before I saw a number of Hydra soldiers running towards us as Steve's bike roared in the background. It was time for us to leave.

So I sent out a message to the rest of the boys. Get out. Charges are going off soon.

As the men all nodded at me and ran off towards the exit of the building, Jacques turned back to see the soldiers advancing on us. "You can handle them?" Jacques asked me.

"I got it."

Trying not to hesitate, I moved forward towards the rest of the soldiers that remained in the Hydra base. One man ran after me and I ducked out of the way of a punch. I grabbed his arm and shoved him down, wrapping one leg over the back of his neck on the other side. I leaned down onto that side and threw him over me, making another man that was running towards me tumble over himself. I stood upright just long enough to jump up and come back down, shoving my elbow down into the first man's chest, rupturing a lung.

Staying down on one knee, I moved forward and kicked one man in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. I spun around and stood up, ripping one man's arm off to the side, considering that he was holding a gun. I shoved his face backwards and punched the gun out of his arm, grabbing it and hitting him across the face with it. As he was leaning down, wheezing for air, I spun over his back and locked my legs around the back of his neck. I spun over, throwing him to the ground so that he was laying over me and my legs were laying over his throat. I yanked upwards, strangling him, before ripping my legs off to the side and breaking his neck. Getting back to my feet, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I immediately turned back and used his leg as a step, spinning so that I was sitting on his shoulders and spun the two of us around.

He toppled to the ground as I placed a hand over his throat, frying his vocal chords. Looking back up, I saw another man running towards us. "Knife!" I yelled after Jacques.

"Here!"

He tossed me the knife and I caught it, moving towards the man. I ran towards the man and threw the knife, watching as it soared straight into the man's heart. He fell to the ground, dead, as I dropped onto my knees and slid forward with my shins to kick out the legs of another man. He hit the ground, shins broken, as I ripped the knife out of the first man's chest and swiped it across the throat of the man that I had just kicked. I grabbed another man over the back of the neck and kicked him in the spine. He leaned over as I placed my legs on either side of his neck, rolling forward and throwing us over each other. I landed on his hips and punched him in the face, splintering the bone.

There were just a few men left. As a man threw out a fist, I caught it and wrenched it back, placing a hand on the back of his neck. I wrenched him back over himself and pulled us so that our backs were facing each other. My hand was over his neck, choking him, as my other hand was pulling back his arm, almost to the point of snapping it. I ripped him forward before throwing him into a sprawl. Another man came after me as I threw two punches at his face and kicked him in the ribs. He leaned over, wheezing for breath, as I spun over his back, putting my legs over his arm and throwing him forward. I placed my legs on either side of his chest before reaching up and kicking him across the face.

Spinning backwards, I rolled over myself and jumped back to my feet. I punched him across the face twice before grabbing his fist and walking myself under it, twisting it back painfully. I threw him forward and watched as he was thrown into a spin, hitting the ground on his back painfully. As he got back to his feet, I punched him in the face and stepped back to kick him in the jaw, watching as he fell onto his back.

Done with the Hydra soldiers in the immediate vicinity, I shouted out to Jacques. "Let's go!" I yelled.

That was all that it took. The two of us ran out of the building together. We had to leave before the charges set off to destroy the bases and kill the rest of the soldiers. The charges were almost down to zero as I grabbed Jacques by the jacket, knowing that we were out of time, and lifted the two of us into the air. Jacques let out a little squeak of fear as we went soaring out of the building. I spotted Steve riding away on his bike as the other men were just ahead of him in the field, out of the way of the building. Just as the charges detonated and the base started to blow itself sky high, I launched us towards the ground and let Jacques go.

He dropped into a weak roll, sprawling out on the ground. I let the wind columns fall from around me, tucking into a roll and sliding forward on all fours, standing back upright. "Nice superhero landing," Dum Dum told me, patting me on the back.

"Thank you." I looked over at Jacques and saw that he was a little dazed, trying to brush off the dirt and grass that had gotten on him from the fall. "We'll work on it, Jacques," I teased.

"How do you do that?" Jacques asked, sounding pained.

Smiling at him, I shook my head. "Bones made of metal. Doesn't really hurt when I land from a free-fall." He smiled at me as I turned to face the rest of them. "Well done, boys. I'm very impressed with you all." I turned towards Bucky and let the smile drop from his face. "Not you, Bucky," I deadpanned, earning laughs from everyone else.

"Why are you such a jerk?" Bucky asked, shoving me.

"Why are you marrying me?" I shot back.

They continued to laugh as Dum Dum wrapped an arm around my shoulders, our small group heading towards where the plane was landed. "The age-old question of which one of you will kill the other first?" Dum Dum asked, looking back and forth between us.

"Presumably I'll kill him, considering I can't die," I said.

Once more they all laughed. "You're in for a hell of a life, Bucky," Jim said, patting Bucky on the back.

"By the way, shouldn't it be superheroine?" I asked after a beat of silence.

They all stared at me like I had lost my mind. "What?" Bucky finally asked.

"Heroine. Like a female?" I asked them. They all continued to stare blankly at me. "You're all idiots," I sighed.

"We are not that stupid," Steve argued.

I rolled my eyes and brushed past them. "Yes you are."

Dum Dum laughed and patted me on the back once more. "Never change, Victoria," he chirped.

"I will try my hardest," I promised.

Our group of eight made our way back through the fields as we were laughing and shoving each other around, adrenaline still rushing through our systems from the attack. We'd be hyped up until we got back on the plane and got on our way back to the base. The plane was just a few miles away from the old Hydra base, so we would be able to make our way to it quickly. Steve was driving next to us slowly on his motorcycle, considering that we needed it back and I wasn't in the mood to levitate it back.

About ten minutes passed before we got back. "How'd it go?" Chester asked as soon as we walked in.

"Base is destroyed and we know where we're going next," I said.

"Where?" he asked.

"Greece," Steve said.

That caught their attention. Peggy pushed forward to stand with us and check out what was happening. "What for? I thought we were going to Switzerland?" she asked us.

"Check it out," I said.

Reaching down into the back of my pants, I pulled out the pieces of paper that I had taken from the base. Not only the one with the labels of all of the Hydra bases, but the ones that had the drawings and plans of the Hydra Uber Tank. Both Chester and Peggy crowded around us as Howard got the plane back into the air. I went to reading through them a little more thoroughly as Peggy sat with me. The two of us looked them over for a while before Peggy finally looked up at me. She raised her brows, obviously wondering how I had gotten them.

"How did you get this?" she asked.

"You might not want to know," I said.

"I do," Bucky interrupted.

I turned back fast enough to snap, "Shut up."

"Did you -?" Peggy started before I cut her off.

"No!"

I'd known where she was going with it. "So tell me how you did it," Bucky said, popping up behind me.

Rolling my eyes at him, I shoved him away from me and grabbed him back almost immediately. "Shush. Come here," I told Bucky, pulling him into me. Peggy smiled and walked off, leaving us alone. "Go plan the next attack, okay?" I asked Steve.

He leaned down into my ear to speak soft enough for no one else to hear what he was saying. "Remember that you aren't married yet," he hissed, making me laugh loudly.

"Stop it!" I shouted, shoving him away from me.

"You heard me?" Steve asked Bucky.

A deep blush popped over my face and I was sure that my eyes were turning pink at the thought. "I'll keep this in mind when you're getting married," Bucky told Steve, punching his friend.

"Oh no, it'll be me threatening him when he's getting married," I butted in.

"You're both so wonderful," Steve said, wrapping his arms over both of us.

"You'd miss us," I chirped, leaning up to press a kiss against his cheek.

"And you'll miss us one day," Steve said.

Yes, I will. I would miss them more than anything and they both knew that. But I wouldn't say it. "No I won't. I'll throw a party," I argued.

"No one will come," Steve said.

Turning back towards the other men, I called out to them. "Boys! You'll all come to the party that I throw when we can be rid of these two, won't you?" I asked, motioning to the two of them.

"We'll help you plan it!" Jim called.

"Told you so," I said, turning back to Steve and Bucky.

"You're hilarious," Bucky deadpanned. "Come here!"

Squealing loudly, I ran off and away from the boys. I did not want to have to deal with them. But it was funny. They all started chasing me around the small centrifuge of the plane as I ran for my life to try and get away from them. They were all laughing at me as Chester and Howard began to shout at them to leave me alone. But we all knew that they were having fun too. After such a serious moment, it was nice to have a goofy one. Peggy was laughing too and eventually got dragged into the chase by me. We all laughed and collapsed onto the floor after nearly an hour of chasing each other.

The plane landed after nearly two hours so that we could all head back to the base. And that was all that I wanted. The adrenaline had finally worn off and I was well past ready to head to bed for a few hours, at least. We all headed inside so that we could get some rest. It was past the curfew for walking around the base - as it normally was when we got back from the longer missions. The men very clearly wanted to go to the bar. It was the only thing that remained open after the curfew. But I was a little tired and not quite in the mood for drinking after the fight. I was thrilled to have gotten the fight in, but now I wanted to head to bed.

So I waved them off so that they could go to the bar and I could go to bed. "You guys go ahead. It's been a long day and I'm tired. I think that I'm gonna head to bed," I said, motioning back towards the barracks.

"Yeah... I'm kind of tired, too," Bucky said.

Everyone laughed. It was easy enough to see that Bucky wasn't tired at all. All he wanted was to spend some quality time with me. "Have a nice night kids," Jim said teasingly, motioning us out.

We both laughed as Bucky wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Remember that the walls aren't too thick," Dum Dum said.

A thick blush popped up over my face as Steve leaned into me. "Still aren't married," he teased.

Rolling my eyes, I laughed and shoved him away from me. He was such a brat and always there to embarrass me. "Shut up," I snapped.

"You heard me?" he asked Bucky, who rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I hear you."

Of course they were going back to this, the exact same thing that we had been talking about just a few hours ago. "Déjà vu. You two are ridiculous," I said, shoving away from the pair. "I hope you know that I'm going to make it miserable when you're getting married," I told Steve.

He merely smiled at me. "I know that. And, in the meantime, I'm going to annoy you," he said.

"Lucky me," I deadpanned. I turned for a moment before looking back at Steve. There was something in his eyes that told me that he really wasn't kidding. "Relax... There are still some things that I want to uphold."

"Good," Steve said.

"Thanks for looking out for me, brother," I told Steve, trying to break the tension.

"I always will, sister," he said.

We both laughed as the boys pulled me into them. I pressed a small kiss to Steve's cheek before walking over to say goodnight to the rest of the men, who were all going to the ball. "Goodnight, boys! Have a good time at the bar. And have a drink on me!" I called after them.

They cheered back at me as they walked off. Before I could turn and leave with Bucky, Peggy grabbed onto my arm and stopped me. "Before you leave for the night, I need to speak with you," she said.

"I'll meet you in a few minutes," I told Bucky, turning back to Peggy. "What's up?" I asked her.

"What are you doing next weekend?" she asked.

There was something in her voice that told me that she really wanted to do something with me this weekend. "Probably whatever you think that the two of us are doing next weekend," I said.

We both laughed as she nodded at me, grabbing my hand excitedly. Clearly there was something that she was extremely excited about. "We are! Clear your calendar. Because I know that if I don't force you out next weekend, you're never going to go out," she said, shoving me towards the barracks with her.

"And do what?" I asked.

"Goodnight!" she chirped after me.

She dashed off without saying another word, leaving me to watch. I laughed and smiled at her, shaking my head as I headed towards the barracks. "Night... Weirdo," I muttered under my breath.

It was something about Peggy that I loved. She was just as strange as I was. And that was something that meant the world to me. She really was a good person and I was so glad to have her in my life. She was a doll. And it would be nice to have her as my maid of honor. Which was good, considering that she was the only female that I knew. I walked into the barracks and headed down the hall, slipping into Bucky's room. He had already gotten ready for bed. He was in his boxers and I smiled at the sight of him, blushing softly.

"All dressed down for me?" I asked teasingly.

"Funny."

He walked over to me and grabbed me around the waist. It was rather funny as he pulled me into him. The only thing that I wanted was to get my uniform off. I was sick of the constricting uniform. I laughed softly as Bucky picked me up and placed me back down on the bed. We both laughed and I began to giggle childishly as he pressed multiple kisses against my face and neck. It was the little moments like these that I genuinely enjoyed. He leaned over me, pressing a lasting kiss against my mouth after a few minutes.

He finally slipped off of me, laying at my side and pulling me into him. "You sure that you didn't want to go to the bar?" he asked.

"No. I'm good right here."

Bucky smiled and pressed another kiss against my mouth. "Are you tired? We can go to bed," he offered.

"I'm not that tired," I admitted.

As nice as a trip to the bar would have been, what I had really wanted was to just go back and lay in bed with Bucky for a few hours before I really drifted off to sleep. "Good. Neither am I," he said, smiling softly.

Bucky rolled me over once more so that the two of us could share a long kiss. I breathed out softly as he laid himself over me. The uniform was still clinging onto me like a second skin and I had finally gotten to my wits end with it. I wanted to be in some form of pajamas. So I leaned up and gently pushed Bucky away. He watched as I grabbed his robe that was hanging at the edge of the bed. I slowly peeled the shirt of the uniform off and began to awkwardly shimmy out of the pants. I laughed as Buck's thoughts echoed in my mind.

"You should know that your thoughts are screaming right about now," I commented, not looking at him.

We both laughed at my comment. "And I stand by what I'm thinking," he said.

I smiled and turned back to say something, but the moment that I saw it, I lost my train of thought. Down on his ribs was a deep bruise, covering almost a third of his chest. What the hell was that? "What is this?" I asked, pointing at the small injury.

Bucky gently pushed my arms off of himself, knowing that he had gotten me panicked. It was just a bruise, but it could have been worse. "It's no big deal. I got into it with one of the Hydra soldiers. I fell and hit my ribs on the bar that was near me," he said, making me cringe slightly. He could have been shot during the fight. "I'm alright, Vika. It was just a little accident. Not like I was shot or anything."

"It's a big deal to me," I snapped.

Bucky pressed a hand against the side of my face. "It's alright, really," he said softly.

"It's not alright. You're hurt."

"It's just a little bruise. I've had lots of them before."

But there was something that I could do about it. I smiled weakly at him and pressed Bucky into the bed. "Lay back," I said. I jumped over his body and seated myself over his waist, looking down at the bruise.

"Well that's one way to make me feel better," Bucky teased.

I laughed softly and whacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up," I hissed.

But it was funny and that was the reason that I was laughing. I placed my hand down on his ribs and gently started to heat up his skin, letting the flames come to just underneath the surface. Bucky was shifting around on the bed uncomfortably. I knew that it wouldn't feel very good, but it would get everything healed much quicker. I pushed the blood back into the vessel and used a force field to seal the tears in it. It definitely wouldn't feel good. In fact, it probably felt terrible. That was half of the reason that I was using the heat. It would dull the pain. After a few minutes I finally pulled away. The bruise was smaller and now a soft green.

Bucky laid a hand on his ribs and pressed down. "Doesn't hurt anymore. What'd you do?" he asked me.

"You might not want to know."

"Right," Bucky said, laughing softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I slipped off of his hips so that I could throw a leg over his. "Feel better?" I asked.

Bucky nodded at me. "Much better. Come here," he said.

We both laughed once more as Bucky pulled me flush against him and rolled me underneath of his own body. My heart was pumping loudly in my chest as I stared up at him, pressing a kiss onto his mouth. All that I wanted was to be with him. I wanted to be with him in the way that unmarried people were never supposed to be. But I so desperately wanted to. And I knew that he did, too. It was obvious enough by the way that his hands were daringly moving over my thighs and making their way to my waist, making my toes curl and spine tingle.

It seemed like hours had passed when his arms wound underneath me and he pressed a long kiss against my throat. It made an almost animalistic growl escape my mouth. Of course, it came off as very animalistic when it came from me. Bucky continued to kiss against me before finally pulling away from me. There was something very startled in his eyes. I pulled back from him, wondering what the hell had just happened. He was looking down at my chest. I glared at him and glanced down before I realized what it was that had caught his eyes. It wasn't my chest - although that probably helped. It was the fact that I was literally glowing. My brows raised in curiosity.

"Are you - glowing?" Bucky asked slowly, and very unsure.

"Umm... Yes. I think I am," I said, poking at my own skin.

"Why?"

"I'm not one hundred percent positive, but I could take a guess," I said, feeling myself heat up with embarrassment.

He started to laugh at me. I could have slapped him. It wasn't that funny! I hadn't even known that I could glow when... Well, when that happened. "Ah, so you can hear my thoughts, but I can see you glowing!" Bucky cried, laughing hysterically.

"Stop!" I barked.

We continued to laugh as I leapt after Bucky and pressed him back into the bed. He was such a jerk and he was going to pay for laughing at me. But it didn't work. Bucky merely continued to laugh as the two of us rolled together in bed. We were somewhere in between trying to wrestle with each other and getting a little too friendly with each other. It eventually got the point that we went tumbling off of the bed together and landed in a heap on the floor. We'd wound up laughing hysterically, not in the mood to get back up.

So we'd merely grabbed the pillow and blankets and brought them onto the floor, continuing to wrap ourselves around each other. I was almost positive that things were going to go a little too far until we managed to retrain ourselves. I gathered Bucky's robe to pull it on, but he merely grabbed it and pushed it away, pulling me into him and tossing the blankets over ourselves. As wonderful as this night was, and as strong as we had been to stop ourselves, I knew that waiting another twelve months wouldn't work out so well for either one of us.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

There was no light in the room yet. The sun hadn't quite risen over the peak of the horizon but I knew that it would be time to get up soon enough. It meant that I had to get up and start getting ready. We would be making the plans for the Grecian Hydra Base attack soon enough. That was what we really needed to do. Destroy the Hydra Uber Tank before they got it into mass production and got it out into the Allies. So on with the day that it went. I lifted my head just slightly off of Bucky's arm - waking him up in the process.

For a moment I felt a little badly for it. But I knew that it was the right thing to do. He had work to do as well. He opened his hazy eyes and smiled down at me, looking almost drunk. His arm wound down over my waist and tightened slightly as I smiled up at him. His fingers pressed gently underneath my chin to pull me into a kiss. We were still wrapped together when a little streak of panic shot through my chest. We weren't alone. Someone else had somehow managed to enter the room.

Stryker... Had he somehow managed to find me? That was where my thoughts immediately went to. Because I knew from the thoughts and signature of the third person in the room that they weren't somewhere from the base. In that second that I thought about what to do, I realized that it was another mutant. Not Stryker. But it wasn't Logan either. This was someone completely new. And it wasn't someone that I would dare let hurt Bucky. So I shoved him back off of me and went into action.

It looked like Bucky was about to say something, but I pressed down against his chest - likely hurting him - before vaulting over his body. He looked like he was about to ask what was happening, but I found our intruder first. I wrapped a hand around their throat and shoved them back into the wall, ignoring their pained grunt. Bucky instantly jumped up from the bed and turned on the light, realizing that something was wrong. It was a man that appeared to be our age; cropped brown hair and light blue eyes.

For just a brief moment I was glad that I was wearing a black slip and silk robe; not just my underwear. "Should I get someone?" Bucky asked, breathing heavily, likely wanting to be the one to threaten the man, not having me standing so close to him.

"No," I answered quickly.

Until I was sure what was happening and who the mutant was, I was using power negation on the man. Despite the fact that he was relatively strong, he was completely unable to fight me. And I realized something else as I held onto him. This was not his true form. The man that I was holding onto was a shape-shifter. This was just the form that he had used to get here. Very slowly and cautiously, I released the man. I saw that Bucky was giving me a concerned look, grabbing the gun that he left sitting on the bedside table.

"Show me who you really are," I ordered.

Even if it hadn't been an order that I had forced into the man's mind, I knew that he would have done it anyways. I could sense it radiating off of them. A desperation for me to see who they really were. The man sent a quick look at Bucky, who didn't have the gun aimed at him, but did have it in his hands. The man finally nodded and I took a step back, keeping myself in between him and Bucky. Just in case. The man took a few steps off to the side and I watched carefully as his skin raised in bumpy patterns - traveling up and down the length of his body.

As I watched in fascination - having never really met a shape-shifter before - Bucky watched in horror. I knew that he still wasn't used to seeing mutants. He likely never really would be. The man immediately started taking the form of someone completely different. He shrunk to someone just about a foot shorter than me. A child. It was, indeed, a mutant. The man ended up being just a little girl, maybe eight or nine. She had roughly patterned blue skin, deep red hair that was slicked back over her head, reaching her shoulder blades, and brilliant yellow eyes, similar to my own.

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying not to sound too harsh.

She was just a child. I wasn't going to attack her. I instantly motioned Bucky to put the gun down. I could see the girl's cautious stance. "I - I saw your article. In the papers. So I came here. I wanted to find you," the girl stuttered.

"You wanted to find another mutant," I reasoned.

Of course... She likely thought that she was alone in this world. "A what?" the girl asked.

Her voice was soft and wavered slightly. She was nervous. "Mutant. That's what we're called. You and me," I explained, trying to smile at her.

"Mutant..." she repeated.

Very slowly, I moved towards her. I could see the protection in her stance, but I knew that I was the only one who could get close to her right now. "Yes. We're not the only ones. There are lots of other ones," I said.

"Is he one?" the girl asked, pointing at Bucky.

"No. No. This is my fiancé. Bucky Barnes," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him over.

To Bucky's credit, he didn't look panicked to see her. Bucky simply walked over and smiled sweetly at her. "Hello," Bucky said happily.

Bucky reached out and gave her his hand. The girl looked back at me and I smiled, nodding my head. She eventually allowed him to shake her hand. But she barely touched him before pulling her arm back. She was clearly too afraid to touch him for too long. So I nodded for Bucky to take a few steps back from her. Eventually I moved up to her. She seemed a little more open to having me shake her hand. Her skin was rough and her nails were long, but at least she managed to give me a tight grip before nervously taking her hand back.

"My name is Victoria. Victoria Davies," I introduced myself.

The girl nodded. "Raven. Raven Darkholme," she said.

Raven Darkholme... That was an interesting name. I liked it. It already sounded mutant enough. "Are you hurt?" I asked, checking over her body.

She had no visible wounds, but I couldn't be sure. "No," Raven whispered.

"Do you have a home?" I asked carefully.

If she was anything like me, home wasn't something fun to think about. "No," Raven said quickly.

We were cut from the same cloth, it seemed. "What about your parents?" I asked, very carefully this time.

"No," Raven answered shortly.

We could have been the same person. It was clear enough what had happened to her. The same thing that happened to so many of us. "Alright. Come with us, Raven. Are you hungry?" I asked, knowing that I had to do something for her.

"Yes," Raven said, almost gratefully.

For a moment she smiled at us. Bucky and I exchanged a happy grin with each other. I had figured that she was hungry. I could tell by the way that she was standing. I recognized the stance of someone who was slowly starving to death. It must have been a long time since she had gotten to have a proper meal. The poor thing. Her skin raised in the bumpy pattern again as she shifted forms again. Now she was in the form of a little girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. It must have been what she normally did. A perfect replica of a little girl.

Before we could leave the room, I stepped in front of Raven. "You don't have to do that, Raven. You are a mutant. It's not something to be ashamed of. I used to be just like you. Terrified of what everyone thought about me. My yellow eyes and white hair... They were a laughing stock. I'm not afraid for people to see me anymore. I don't want you to be either," I said, trying to convince her to be her real self.

It was horrible to be the different person. It was horrible to be the one who barely looked human. I knew how she felt. But she had it even worse than I did. To have blue skin... Her hair could have been passed off, but not that skin. My hair - although very odd - wasn't inhuman. I could pass as someone who was reasonably normal. But those eyes, I knew exactly how it felt to have eyes like that. I could understand why she wanted to not be blue, but the people here would understand. My friends, my family, would all understand.

"I don't even look human," Raven said sadly, rubbing her feet against the ground.

"Really?" I asked. Raven glanced up at me. "I see a normal little girl."

"I'm blue," Raven said grouchily.

It was the same way that I had once told both Chester and Peggy that I could light myself on fire when I had expressed my fears that Bucky wouldn't love me if he knew the truth. "Well I can light myself on fire," I countered.

"But at least you're not blue," Raven said slowly.

That was true, but I would never say that to her. She was normal to me. She was human. "You're different. I like different. All of the men here like different," I said, shooting Bucky a glare that Raven couldn't see, letting him know that he better go along with it.

"Really?" Raven asked.

Knowing that I was counting on him for this one, Bucky stepped forward and smiled at Raven. "Yes. We all love Victoria in our own ways. She's different, too. So you've got blue skin. It's kind of swell." Raven smiled and blushed in her human form. "Those eyes you've got there? I fell in love with a girl with eyes just like them," Bucky said, shooting me a look.

Instantly I smiled at him. Raven looked between the two of us, smiling for the first time since I had met her. "Do you... Do you think that someone could ever love me?" Raven asked Bucky.

"I do," Bucky said immediately.

For just a moment I saw a real kid. Someone cute and innocent, just the way that I had once wished that I could be. "Come on. Let's go get you something to eat," I said, placing my hand behind Raven's back.

"You have food?" Raven asked, perking up slightly.

That time both Bucky and I laughed. Our trying to cook together would have made for a good story. "We don't have any food. Neither one of us can cook," I said. Raven smiled softly. "Not a traditional woman."

Bucky walked over and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "That's what I love about her," Bucky told Raven.

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I gave Bucky's hand a quick squeeze before stepping away from Bucky and pulled my robe around me, tightening it to hide everything vital. As I did so, I noticed how happy Raven was, being around the two of us. I could take a guess without having to read her mind that she had been through a very similar childhood to the one that I had been through. It made complete sense. My actions showed that I was a mutant. Raven's appearance showed that she was one. Her parents must have constantly kept her locked away.

"There's food in the mess hall. We can introduce you to everyone. They'll be down for breakfast soon," I said reassuringly.

"Okay," Raven said.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I smiled softly at her. "Don't be nervous. They'll love you," I said.

There was no way that the men wouldn't love her. They all liked kids anyways. Raven might not have been the most traditional kid on the planet, but if they got over my appearance and oddities, they would get over hers. And I would kill them if they didn't. The three of us headed to the dining room, Bucky giving me a sweatshirt to place over my torso. We kept Raven placed in between the two of us, my arm looped over her shoulders. I smiled as we walked in. The men were all already there. Peggy, Howard, Chester, and even Steve were there too.

At least we would all be able to get this over with quickly. Steve glanced back at us and snorted at Bucky and my own appearance. He hadn't noticed Raven - who was now hiding behind us slightly. The rest of the men looked back and started to laugh. I was sure that we looked rather silly. We were both in our pajamas, I was draped in Bucky's clothing, my hair was a mess, and we were both barefoot. Chester sent me a nice scowl as the rest of the men started to make jokes and Howard and Peggy exchanged playful remarks about us.

"So hungry that you couldn't even remember to get changed?" Steve asked teasingly.

"Be quiet," I snapped, instantly silencing the large group. "We have someone for you to meet. Everyone. Come here, please." They all stood from the table to see what was happening. I stepped off to the side and pushed Raven forward. "This is Raven. Raven Darkholme. She'll be staying with us for a little while. We met her this morning."

Peggy was the first one to recover from the shock of seeing the new addition. "Hello, sweetheart," she chirped, walking over to us.

Chester followed a moment later. "Let's get you some food. Agent Carter?" he asked.

"Of course. Come with me. We'll get you something to eat," Peggy told Raven.

Before she could walk off with her, Raven turned back to me, as if asking if Peggy would hurt her. "You can go with her. Trust me. She's good," I said, hoping that she would believe me.

Peggy smiled and gently placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Come on, darling. My name is Peggy," she introduced herself.

Raven seemed a tiny bit hesitant at first, but she eventually managed to take my advice, believing that it was okay to trust Peggy. Peggy looped an arm around Raven's shoulders and walked off with her. For a moment we all watched the two of them leave. It looked like Peggy was trying to get her to chat as they headed into the food line. Knowing that there was now damage control to be done, I turned back to Chester with a small smile. The men were all giving me sidelong stares, wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Who the hell is that?" Chester finally managed to ask.

"She's a mutant." The men raised their brows. Of course, because right now they couldn't actually see her mutation. "Remember that documentary that they put out about me? The one that revealed that I was a mutant, and everything about us?" I asked.

"I remember it," Chester said slowly.

It hadn't gone over well. People still thought that it was science fiction creation. But those of us who knew mutants... we knew that it was real. "She saw it," I reasoned with Chester, who was still scowling at me.

Obviously he didn't believe that it was a good enough reason to have her here. So I tried another tactic. I turned back towards the kitchen and let myself into Raven's mind. Being a child, it was extremely easy. It turned out that our early lives had been almost identical. As a little child, her mutation was so abnormal to others that she feared going to school. Unlike me, she had been the one to avoid it. Her parents, also fearful of her mutation, had at one point tried to kill her. Just like mine did. Eventually, after years of abuse, Raven ran away. The only difference was that she hadn't killed them.

Then I turned back to Chester, having finally realized who Raven was. "Her parents tried to kill her, Chester. Sound familiar?" I asked shortly.

The rest of the men cringed slightly. "She came here to meet you?" Howard asked.

That was only a part of the reason. I assumed that she was mostly just very lonely, not that I could blame her. "To find someone just like her. And she found me. I'm going to take care of her," I said determinedly.

"We'll help," Bucky stepped in, knowing just what this meant to me. "She's a sweet kid."

It was my job to protect mutants. That was what my documentary had been about. I wanted mutants to know that they had a safe place to be with when it came to me. They had a place where they could learn about themselves and make some friends until they were ready to have a real home. It was just too bad that they hadn't believed that the film was real. But it didn't matter. Those who came to me would find protection. Because I could never let someone - especially not a kid - be treated the same way that I was.

"She looks terrified," Jacques said, looking back at Raven.

Just the way that I had been at her age... "She is terrified. She didn't tell me much of what happened to her, but I can tell. She just needs some help. I want to help her," I said irritably.

They were going to help me help her. It wasn't a choice. "We're not an orphanage. We're in the middle of a war," Chester said, not entirely unkindly.

Taking a calming breath, I nodded at him. He was right. But she needed help, just for a little while. "I know that. I don't want to run an orphanage out here. I just want to keep her here until I can find someplace better for her to go. She goes out there and someone finds out who she really is, she'll be killed. The world still doesn't like people like us," I said.

"How would they find out?" James asked.

"You can tell that she's a mutant," I said.

As long as she wasn't trying to hide out in her secondary form. "What's her mutation? She looks normal to me," Dum Dum said.

"Do I not look normal?" I hissed, before thinking better of it.

"I - I -" he stuttered nervously.

Immediately I held up a hand to stop him. "Sorry about that. I know that I look a little strange," I commented, realizing that I shouldn't have snapped at him so suddenly. "She's a shape-shifter. She can take on the form of another person, anyone else."

"Can't you do that?" Gabe asked.

"No. What I can do is force you to see an illusion of myself where I've altered details. Nothing about my actual being changes. She can actually shift her appearance without altering their minds," I explained. "Like most mutants, she'll live longer than average. Maybe two to three hundred or so. Regenerative healing - not nearly as advanced as mine - and superhuman strength."

"Is she trained?" Steve asked.

It seemed to me that she had just recently realized that she knew how to use her powers. "No. She's managed to learn to control her mutations but there doesn't seem to be any formal training," I explained.

"What do we do with her?" Bucky asked carefully.

It felt like we were talking about a stray animal. Which, in a way, I supposed that we were. She was a stray in her own right. "Honestly, I'm not really sure. We keep her here for a while? Can we do that?" I asked Chester.

Chester glared at me for a moment as I gave a small smile. Finally he sighed. "We'll find a place for her," Chester conceded.

I knew that he would bend to my will after a while. "She can stay in Peggy and I's room for a few nights until we can find a better place for her. We'll all take care of her," I said, ignoring Chester's scathing glare.

Everyone knew that I slept in Bucky's room, but no one commented on it. Probably because everyone knew that we weren't doing anything right now. "Can we really make this work?" Steve asked slowly.

"Yes, it will." The room remained silent. "Right?" I asked sharply, when no one spoke.

"Right," Bucky said quickly, sensing the danger in my tone.

"Right," Steve added.

"Right," Howard said, coughing awkwardly as I sent a glare to him.

"Thank you, boys," I said sweetly.

They all knew that I would have killed them if they hadn't agreed. But they were good men. They would be perfectly willing to help a little girl who was homeless and in trouble. We all turned as Peggy finally returned with Raven. Instantly I had to cover up my mouth as a bark of laughter escaped my mouth. Her plate was piled high with food. It was more food than the boys ever ate. It was the same amount of food that I had eaten when I had first escaped from Stryker's lab. Honestly, the two of us could have been twins if I was about a decade younger.

Spotting her plate piled high with food, the boys started to laugh, too. Raven looked a little uncomfortable so I was very glad when the men stopped laughing and merely gave her friendly smiles before looking away. They knew that she was nervous. They merely watched quietly as Raven seated herself next to me and gave Peggy a pleading look. Peggy plopped down on her other side and Bucky moved over to allow the girl a place to sit. I sent him a grateful smile for not making a fuss over the new eating arrangement. 

As I ate breakfast, stealing my food from Howard's plate, I noticed that Raven was sitting very close to me. Howard tried swatting my hand away more than once, but one zap to his wrist and he stopped fighting me. Raven was the first to laugh at my movement. Everyone else started laughing a moment later. We ended up sitting through a mostly quiet breakfast. The boys spent breakfast chatting back and forth softly, watching their mouths and trying to slowly integrate Raven into the conversation. Their voices were much lower than they normally were.

But I noticed that Raven still looked a little uncomfortable at the conversations around the table. Maybe I should have tried with just her. "Raven?" I called, silencing the other conversations. "Do you want to come out with me for a little while?"

"Where?" Raven asked.

"Is there anything that you need? Some clothes, food, or maybe just a day out on the town?" I asked her.

There had to be something she needed. When I had come to Chester, I hadn't had anything. Only the one coat on my back. "N - No," Raven stuttered, her eyes darting back and forth between the others at the table.

Obviously she wasn't comfortable talking about anything that she needed. She was just grateful to be here. "You'll be safe with us, Raven. I promise. We can go out there together." Raven looked just the slightest bit excited at the thought of going out. "When's the last time that you just went outside to enjoy the outdoors?" I asked slowly.

"Never," Raven answered immediately.

Just like me, she had been hidden from the world and treated like a monster. "There are some pretty cool sights around London. And there's an ice cream parlor about two blocks away. We can take you," Dum Dum offered nicely.

Raven smiled and looked back at me. "Will you take me?" she asked.

An ice cream and time with a new mutant. It worked for me. "Of course. We can all go," I said, motioning around the table. Just a moment later I spotted the hesitant look on Raven's face. She didn't trust the others just yet. Only me. "Or... just the two of us can go." Raven now looked much more comfortable. "Can you boys handle everything?"

The men exchanged irritable glances with each other again. I knew that they were upset with me for babying them. "You know, we're not as useless as you think that we are," Steve snapped. "We've got it, Vic. You two enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks. Are you ready to go, Raven?" I asked.

"Okay," Raven said.

"Come on," I said, grabbing Raven's arm and pulling her up. "Just wait over there, okay?"

"Okay," Raven said, walking to the far corner of the dining hall.

She was standing just about thirty feet away from us when I turned to the rest of the men. "We'll be back in a little while. You sure that you guys can handle everything?" I asked.

"We'll be fine, Vika. We can handle everything. Go have fun," Bucky said, standing up and putting a hand on my arm.

"You're sure?" I asked.

"Go before I make you go," Bucky teased.

Doesn't work like that, darling. "You're not the one that can make me do anything," I snapped.

If either one of us could convince the other to do something, it was me who could convince Bucky to do something. Bucky laughed and gently nudged me a little away from the table. "Okay, fine. Go... or come back to our room with me," he said, dropping his voice.

Which was a good thing, because Chester would have definitely killed him for it, and the men would have never let it go. "Damn you," I whined, wishing for a moment that I could go back and spend some time with Bucky in private.

"Have fun," Bucky teased.

Just before I walked off, something occurred to me. "Hang on... Did you say our room?" I asked playfully.

Instead of getting embarrassed like I had thought that he would, Bucky grinned. "Problem?" Bucky asked.

"No. I like the way that it sounds," I admitted.

"Me, too. I'll see you later," Bucky said.

At least at a time when we didn't have a peanut gallery watching our every move. But I had a feeling that they would always be watching our every move. For some reason, they were fascinated with the two of us. I couldn't wait for Steve and Peggy to get together so that they would leave Bucky and me alone. I leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against Bucky's mouth, trying not to linger. But I knew that we both rolled our eyes when the men started to hoot and howl at the kiss. I could hear Chester's thoughts loud and clear in my mind.

Get off of him.

Oh, Chester...

He would always be my father, despite the fact that we hadn't known each other more than three years. But it didn't matter. We would always pick on each other. Right now was going to be my moment to pick on him. So I looked Chester in the eye and let out a psionic blast through his skull - quick and relatively gentle - so not to permanently injure him. Chester leaned over, howling in pain. As he straightened up, scowling at me, I turned back and blew a kiss at him before stalking off with a little laugh. He was definitely thinking some very rude things at me.

When I caught up with Raven, I saw that she was smiling at me. "They all love you," she commented.

"I love them too," I said.

Together the two of us started walking out of the dining hall and into the entrance hall. Before heading out, I needed to get changed. I couldn't go out in public wearing the strange menagerie of clothing that I was wearing right now. Raven followed me into Peggy's room as I started rifling through my things, considering that I hadn't moved many of my things into Bucky's room. I changed into my black long-sleeved silk shirt and a pair of white cloth pants before slipping on my black boots and nodding at Raven that I was now ready to leave.

We had just moved out into the street when Raven turned to me. "How did you meet them?" Raven asked.

"All of them?" I asked, referring to the men and Peggy.

"Yes."

"Well I met them all at different times. It's kind of a long story actually."

Raven gave me a playful look. "I have time. And I know that you do too."

She was right about that. I literally had all of the time in the world. I smiled at Raven as she smiled back at me. She would live a long time, too. Not as long as me, but definitely centuries longer than the average person. But where was I supposed to start with the entire story? It was a long one. And it all started during the unhappiest time of my life. My early childhood. I wasn't sure that I should mention that to Raven, who had clearly had a hard time with her own childhood. But I supposed that she deserved the truth.

"Okay. I guess it would probably make more sense if I told you the entire story. My entire story," I said slowly.

Was she really ready to hear everything? I had never even told someone everything. Only shown Bucky and Steve. "I thought that you told the whole story to the papers?" Raven asked.

There had been large chunks of my story cut out to the papers. All of the gruesome details and many of the names. "No... No. I only told the papers parts of the story. I didn't want them to know everything about me. It would have only made me a little freakier to the people that were always afraid of me," I said, knowing that she would understand.

"Will you tell me?" Raven asked.

"Of course. Not like you can find me very freaky."

"I'm the one with blue skin."

We both smiled as I wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her into me and starting at the very beginning. "It all started the day that I was born actually..."

So I launched into the story of my life. The full one without any details barred. I knew that she wouldn't want me to leave out the gory details, so I didn't. Despite the fact that she was young, I knew that she would be able to handle it. She had seen some horrible things herself. She would know that everything that happened to me was in the past. Just the way that one day everything that had happened to her would be in the past. Raven listened with rapt attention as I started my story that would likely take up a huge chunk of our day.

Starting with that fateful day that the doctors had broken into the hospital room where I had been born, I shared everything from my life. I would have shown Raven, but people on the streets would have seen. I really didn't need them seeing my eyes turn into a galaxy. That would have alerted everyone here that I was a mutant. So many people didn't know and I kind of liked it that way. My words were harsh but they were truthful as I explained everything that had happened to me; the two of us walking through the gardens.

We were taking a long walk through them, much longer than the one that I had taken with Bucky on the day that he had proposed to me. Raven listened intently to my story, never interrupting me. She just listened. I told her all of the events from my birth and painful childhood with my parents, to the meeting between myself and Steve and Bucky, to the years that I spent with Stryker, to finding my boys again, to now being in the Army and having people know about mutants. Being truly myself for the first time in my life.

Once I was done with my story - which had ended up taking about two hours - I had allowed Raven a chance to get everything off of her chest that she needed to. Just like when I had first found out what I was, I knew that Raven would have a ton of questions about everything. She ended up asking me a lot of questions about everything that had happened to me. From Bucky and Steve to Stryker and just being a mutant. She seemed especially interested in everything that had happened between me and Bucky, from the very beginning.

"So you two really met after you broke into their house?" Raven asked.

Snorting at the now-hilarious memory, I moved Raven out of the garden and out towards the main road. "It was Bucky's apartment, actually. Yeah. I broke in the night before Christmas just looking for some food and water. Someplace to sleep for the night before moving on," I explained.

"Did you know that you loved him right then?"

Did I know that I loved Bucky? I just knew that I was happy that someone wasn't trying to kill me. "No. Not for many years. But I knew that he meant the world to me for a number of years. I just recently realized quite how much he meant to me," I said slowly.

"It's really sweet the way that they all love you and you love them."

"They're good men. All of them. I can see everyone and everything. There's no use in hiding anything from me. I can look into their minds and tell how good they all are."

Raven smiled softly at me. "It's nice. They all mean something to you."

"What's that?" I asked, confused.

They all meant the world to me. That was what really mattered. Raven smiled as we walked, scuffing her boots against the stone. "You treat Chester like your father. Steve is your best friend. Peggy is almost like your sister. The men that you work with are like your annoying little brothers. Howard is protective like an older brother," Raven explained.

"Quite observant for someone that young," I teased.

Raven smiled at me. "Weren't you the same way?"

Still am. "Yes. I was. You're very bright, Raven."

"Thank you."

She, like me, likely had heightened intelligence. She was far too smart for a normal nine-year-old. "Tell me something. Do you know what you want to do in your life?" I asked, after a brief stretch of silence.

A saddened look crossed Raven's face. "No. I've just been searching for somewhere to live. Somewhere to try and feel like I belong," she said slowly.

That was the exact thing that I had once said about myself, right when I had walked into Bucky and Steve's lives. "Well I understand that. I spent a long time looking for somewhere that I belonged. For a long time I never thought that it would happen. But I realized something eventually," I said.

"What's that?"

"Home doesn't always have to be a place. It can be... with people. People that mean the world to you."

"And they're your home."

Those ten people out there meant the world to me. They always would. "Yes. I love them all. Steve and Bucky... I can't imagine what life would be like without them. I love them so much that I am terrified to lose them. I tried to close myself off for a long time. I'm not usually afraid of anything. But I am afraid of losing them. It makes me feel weak. That's not something that I'm accustomed to," I explained slowly.

"So why do you stay with them?" Raven asked.

Because I can't ever bring myself to ever leave them. "Because... to be without them would be even worse. Trust me, I know how that feels. I take the risk," I admitted.

"What about when the day comes that...?"

Her voice died. She wouldn't have dared actually talk about their eventual death. "I won't be ready. I'll never be ready. But I'll try and dwell on the time that I got to spend with them."

In actuality, it would tear me apart when they died. But I just had to appreciate the time that I would get with them. "I hope that I can find someone who means to me what they mean to you one day," Raven said softly.

"You will, Raven." I gently brushed the hair back off of her forehead as she smiled up at me. "I'm absolutely positive that one day you're going to find the person that means everything to you. It doesn't always have to be romantic either. Steve and Howard. All the rest of the men... There's never been anything between us, but I love them to death," I said, grinning brightly.

They might have all been pains in my ass, but I loved them. There was no way that I would trade any of them for the world. Although sometimes I did wish that I could make them mute. They clearly knew that I was sleeping with Bucky every night - though I assumed that they figured that we hadn't gone much further than just misplacing a few articles of clothing - but they definitely never let it go. We were now getting comments about it on a daily basis. At least they kept it to a minimum around Chester and I hoped that they would keep it down around Raven.

The young girl smiled at me as I grabbed her arm and gently tugged her with me. Now that my story was finished and I had gotten everything that she deserved to hear off of my chest, I knew that it was time to try and have a nicer night. So the two of us made our way out to the ice cream parlor. I knew that the men would be getting nothing done but, to be fair, I wasn't really getting anything done either. So I walked up to the counter, bought us the largest sundae that was on the menu, and sat down to share it with Raven by the back windows.

"Can I ask you something?" Raven said, breaking the silence.

"Of course," I said, wiping some whipped cream off of my hand.

"Have you ever told Bucky how you feel?"

What was that supposed to mean? I was reasonably certain that since Bucky had proposed to me and I had said yes, he knew exactly how I felt. "He knows how I feel," I said, for whatever reason, muttering it.

"I mean really told him. I can see it in your eyes."

"See what?"

"Love. In its purest and most precious form." My jaw almost dropped. Raven had barely known me for a few hours, but she already knew exactly the way that I felt about him. The way that I was too cowardly to admit to him. "It's the look that I wanted to see when my parents looked at me. It's the look that I hope that someone gives me one day," Raven muttered.

It was the look that I knew someone would give her one day. We all deserved it, and I could only hope that we would all get it. "You're far too intelligent for nine-years-old," I teased. Raven smiled at me. "Listen to me, Raven. You're going to get that look one day. I promise you that. Someone is going to look at you the way that Bucky looks at me. Because you're a sweet girl and you deserve it."

"Thank you." We ate our ice cream for a while longer in silence. "Promise me something?" Raven finally asked.

"Okay."

"Tell Bucky how you feel."

It was the same thing that Logan had once said to me. Maybe we mutants were all the same. "Okay."

Raven gathered a mouthful of ice cream, making me laugh. It was smeared all over her face. Clearly this was the best meal that she had had in a long time. I knew how that felt. "This is really good, by the way," Raven said, through a mouthful of chocolate sauce.

"I'm glad that you like it. How about a burger? There's a place not far from here," I said.

Raven's face brightened. "Absolutely."

"Let's go, sweetie."

So we went to the burger place. There was a reason that I had suggested it, far more than just because I liked burgers or that it was close by. It was mainly because a burger had been the first food that I had eaten after leaving Stryker and it had been one of the best meals of my life. I knew that Raven would love it. We ended up going out to eat and spending much of the day, just the two of us. Raven had eaten more that day than I had seen someone eat in a long time. I could tell that she was genuinely enjoying herself, maybe for the first time in years.

We spent a long time at the burger place and I ordered Raven enough food to last someone a week. She got an order of onion rings, fries, two large hamburgers, a soda, and even a few pieces of chicken tenders. I had never seen someone look so happy to see food. It was enough to make me laugh. I assumed that she had mostly been stealing food or scavenging from trash cans. Maybe even breaking into someone's apartment or home. It was just what I had been doing when I had run into Bucky and Steve.

After we were done eating - which had taken almost two hours - we headed back to the park. Raven mentioned to me that it had been the first time in years that she had actually been able to play. Her childhood, like mine, had never really existed. We mostly ran back and forth and hung around on the jungle gym. I could hear people thinking about how terribly they felt for me. Having been a teenage mother. I merely ignored them. Eventually I moved Raven off to show her the place where Bucky had proposed to me and told her all about how he did it. I could see how fascinated she was.

As we picked a comfortable spot in the park to have somewhat of a picnic, I leaned down and talked to the Raven about everything that she wanted to talk about. As I had expected, she wanted to mostly talk about mutation. My own experiences, what I knew about us, and how I had seen the rest of us be treated. I explained all about the mutants that I had met and how we weren't even close to being the only ones in the world. I told her all about Logan, the Weapon X Program, and the other mutants that I had learned about.

Then I explained to her what I knew about mutation. It was a good thing that Raven had an enhanced learning and processing capability. I knew that whenever I talked about mutation to Bucky, Steve, Peggy, or anyone else, they didn't really understand. They just got a dull glaze in their eyes. At least Raven understood. I explained to Raven why mutations appeared in certain people and not in others. I even decided to explain to Raven that likely one or both of her parents likely had the X-Gene, which essentially made them mutants too.

Once we were done talking about mutations, I decided that the two of us needed to head back in private. There were things that I wanted to see from Raven and things that I knew she wanted to see me do. So we headed out into one of the training rooms and spent a long time showing each other our powers. I was absolutely fascinated watching Raven transform. I did make it a point to tell her that she was quite good for someone her age. I made it a point to let her know that I wasn't nearly as good with my own powers as she was with hers when I had been her age.

Raven was also quite fascinated watching me use my powers. She, among many others, had a blast watching me use them. She asked if she could touch the flames on my hands, but I warned her that they were real and would burn her. She loved the electricity, asking me to do it for almost ten minutes. She had even laughed when I had shown her my own form of shape-shifting, turning myself into Raven in her mutant form. I made sure to tell her that I thought that it was the prettiest that I had ever looked. She clearly appreciated that.

It was well past sunset when the two of us realized that we had been gone for well over ten hours. It was the least work that I had done during the daytime in months, and I reveled in it. But Raven was just a child and it was time to get her to bed. So the two of us headed back and sat with the men for their late dinner. Raven remained mostly silent through the meal - likely nervous being back in mixed company - so I decided to take it upon myself to explain to the men what we had done all day as we ate. I noticed that Raven stayed very close to me, not daring to move away.

We ended up spending the evening sitting with each other out in the lounge. It was the first time that we had spent the night in the lounge since the first day that we had arrived at the Army base. We usually just sat in the tavern and chatted and danced. But we couldn't today, considering that Raven was a minor. We also knew that Raven wouldn't enjoy the noisy atmosphere. But it was nice tonight, letting the other get to know Raven. I made sure to keep Peggy with us, knowing that Raven trusted her a little more than the men, just because they were men.

Hours passed while we all sat and laughed. Raven took a long time to get a little more accustomed to the men, but eventually she was laughing and joining in on the jokes with the rest of them. I was extremely happy to see how easily she was fitting in. Eventually the clock started to chime that it was getting to be midnight and I knew that it was time to leave. Raven seemed to be getting tired anyways. The men all said goodnight and left as I promised Bucky that I would be back soon - leaving just Peggy, Raven, and me.

Now came the issue of finding Raven somewhere to sleep. There was only one place that I knew had an extra bed. "Do you want to stay with Peggy? There's an extra bed in her room that I used to sleep in," I said.

"Oh," Raven said, obviously bothered by the idea that I wouldn't be around. "Well -"

As much as I didn't love the offer that I was about to make, I decided to go for it anyways. One night wouldn't hurt. "I can stay with you, if you'd like? I just usually sleep in Bucky's room," I said.

Raven obviously sensed my desire to stay with Bucky. "No, no. Stay with him. I'll be alright," she chirped.

"Are you sure?" I asked her carefully.

The last thing that I wanted to do was take her in and then leave her. "Positive," Raven said confidently.

Peggy smiled and stepped up to Raven, gently placing her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "We can have a girl's night. You can go through my closet if you'd like?" Peggy offered.

That was enough to entice any girl. Peggy's clothes were beautiful. Raven smiled softly. "Sure."

"Goodnight, darling," Peggy chirped, giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight. See you in the morning?" I asked Peggy, groaning.

It was all because I knew exactly what she wanted me to do tomorrow. "You're definitely not getting out of it," Peggy snapped.

As much as I was dreading the day of girly glee, there was a little part of me that was kind of happy about the upcoming shopping trip. "You know... I don't think that I want to get out of it," I admitted.

"Really?" Peggy asked, surprised.

"Really. I think for the first time since the proposal, I'm genuinely getting excited about the wedding."

"Good. It's something to be excited about."

Raven had simply been watching our exchange with a little smile. I leaned over and gave Raven a small hug that she instantly responded to. "Goodnight, Raven. I'll see you two in the morning," I said.

"Goodnight, Victoria," Raven said.

"Night, Vicky," Peggy said.

The three of us smiled at each other as I turned around and walked off. Peggy instantly pulled Raven off to the side. I knew that she was trying to keep her calm and relaxed about being separated from another mutant. I stalked off down the hallway, overhearing that Peggy was going to bring Raven to go get some chocolate before bed. That poor girl's going to be sick. At least she would have a good day with a lot of food for the first time in a long time. I quietly walked down the hallway and slipped into the room that I now shared with Bucky.

He was perched on the bed, shirt off and leaning back against the wall. "I wasn't sure if you were coming back tonight," Bucky said, looking up from the paper that he was reading.

"Raven said that she was fine just staying with Peggy. I offered to stay if she was uncomfortable," I said.

"She doesn't want to pull you away," Bucky said.

"I know."

Slowly I closed the door behind me and walked over to the bed. "It's sweet, the way that you watch over her."

"I've never really spent an extended period of time with a mutant before. At least, as a free woman." Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Bucky cringe. "It's nice to be with her. Even for a little while."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked.

That was the truth that I didn't want to admit to myself. We wouldn't be together forever. "I'm not sure that she's going to linger here," I admitted.

"Oh?"

"She feels intrusive. Like I used to."

"Like you used to?" Bucky repeated.

Perhaps that was one thing that I had never told him. How I really felt when I had first lived with his family. "When I first came to your apartment, when we were kids, I used to feel like I was stepping on everyone's toes. There were a number of times when I thought about leaving in the middle of the night," I admitted.

It had gone on for almost a year before I had finally relaxed and let myself settle into life with his family. "You did?" Bucky asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you?"

Because I was too afraid to leave you and Steve. "Don't ask questions you know the answer to," I said.

Bucky smiled and grabbed my hand. "I'm glad you stayed."

"Me, too."

Leaning over, I pressed a small kiss against Bucky's mouth. "Come here," Bucky whispered, breaking apart our small smooch.

"Ask nicely," I teased.

For a moment I stood up and tried to walk away. Bucky leaned out of the bed and kicked me in the butt. I laughed and stumbled slightly before turning back to him and scowling. Bucky was grinning as I walked back over to him. He was still perched on the edge of the bed. He laughed as I walked over and stood in between his legs. For a moment, Bucky leaned up to me - which was very easy considering how short I was - and ran his hands through my hair, pulling me down towards him and into what quickly became a searing kiss.

A small giggle erupted out of my mouth as he grabbed me underneath my thighs and yanked me up into his lap. We both stumbled slightly when he grabbed me and rolled me underneath him. The same way that he had done so many times before. I couldn't help but to giggle as he pressed a few kisses into my throat and hairline, trailing his lips straight up my neck and across my jawline. My legs locked together with Bucky's as he grinned against my mouth and nudged me in the side of the butt, making me laugh.

Just a moment later his hands started tugging at the bottom of the shirt that I was wearing. Just as we had done a thousand times before, I quickly lost the clothes that I was wearing. But as usual, he didn't take too many clothes off. We both remained in our underwear. One day we would get there, but today was not the day. Because of the icy air that was surrounding London, I grabbed Bucky's robe off of the floor and wrapped myself in it. Bucky pressed a small kiss against the top of my head as I curled up into his side, placing my head in his shoulder and arms on his chest.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Bucky asked quietly.

"I have a date," I teased.

"Cute."

"Always. What did you and the boys do today?"

Bucky stared at me for a moment before scowling. "You're trying to make sure that we did something productive."

"Well I could read your mind but I figured that I'd give you the chance to tell me the truth."

"I appreciate that. We trained a bit."

Judging by the waver in his voice, I assumed that his statement was mostly a lie. So I rolled my eyes and gave it a go. "Let me take a guess. You spent an hour working on training and then you went and spent the rest of the day in the tavern and only returned when you knew that I would be back," I reasoned, knowing immediately that I was right.

"I thought you weren't going to read my mind?" Bucky snapped.

"I'm not reading your mind. You're just that predictable," I teased.

Bucky scoffed and flicked me on the forehead. "Thanks, sweetheart."

We both smiled as I glanced up and looked around the barrack. It was tiny, barely larger than the bedroom that I had lived in as a child. And right now it was the only place that we could really call home. "I can't wait to get out of this stupid barrack," I groaned.

"Gotta have a place to live after this," Bucky teased.

"We have one," I said blankly.

"What?" Bucky asked.

That's right. I probably should have told him that I was getting a house built for us. "Howard is building us a house. I told him that he could. I guess... I probably should have told you about that," I said, making Bucky laugh. "It was originally just something that he was doing for me. A house in the woods that's near Stark Industries. Where I intend to work afterwards."

"That sounds nice," Bucky said.

"Really?" I asked.

"I'll live wherever you are."

"What if I wanted to live... say, at the bottom of the ocean?"

"If that's where you want."

"How did I wind up with you?"

"I'm very persistent."

We both laughed at that. I supposed that was the truth. He was persistent. As many times as I had tried to tell him that we could never work together, he had always ignored me and said that we would. At least he always had faith in us. I leaned up to Bucky and pressed my lips against his, the two of us exchanging a long kiss. I pushed myself up slightly and smiled as his arms wound tightly around me, keeping my body almost pressed against his. He eventually rolled me underneath him again, running his hands up my thighs, underneath his robe.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, breaking the kiss.

"Sure," Bucky said, his hands stilling against my thighs.

"Do you want kids?" I spit out before I could stop myself.

That was something that had always bothered me. I thought that he wanted them. And me... I wasn't sure. "I'm fine with whatever you want, Vika," Bucky said, obviously trying to avoid the fight.

But this was something that we had to honestly talk about. "Tell me the truth. Don't think about what I want. I want to know if you want to have them," I said seriously.

Bucky's face fell. He was silent for a while. "Yes... I would like to have them," he admitted. "But -"

"I think I'd be willing to have them."

It came out before I could stop myself. But it wasn't a lie just to make him happy. It was the truth. Bucky released me, sitting straight up and looking me directly in the eye. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes. But only with you," I said seriously.

Bucky smiled, taking my hand in his and pressing a kiss against my palm. "We have time. Lots of time. We can figure it out," he whispered.

"Okay."

"Do you really want them?"

For a long time I hadn't even thought that I would ever get the chance to have kids. "I'm not sure," I said honestly. I didn't want to get his hopes up for me to change my mind. "I guess I never thought about it before. For so long I was just concerned with... being. I don't know, having a life outside of being a mutant. Kids were never really in my mind. But I know that you want them."

"It's not something that we have to talk about right now, Vika," Bucky said, pressing a hand against my cheek. "You okay?"

"What do you mean?" I asked dumbly.

"I think you're worrying about the future."

"Yeah, I think I always do."

"You don't need to worry about the future."

That wasn't what I meant. Not just the next few years. The next few decades. When time would start to take its toll... "I'm not talking about the immediate future. I'm talking about... decades into the future," I said, cringing at the thought.

Bucky stared blankly at me for a moment. "You're talking about after I die," he finally said.

"Yeah... I am."

Bucky gave me the same pained look that he had whenever we started talking about that point in the future. "Vika, I'm not gonna die. I'm not gonna die for a long time, okay?" Bucky asked. I nodded weakly, hurting at the thought of him dying, even if it was just from something as simple as old age. "We've got a lot of time before we get there. What's got you all upset?"

"Just thinking about being a wife, I guess," I admitted.

Bucky pulled me into him, letting me throw my legs up over his. "What do you mean?"

"Thinking about actually living together. Being together. The war isn't going to go on forever. The world is eventually going to move on. And then what am I going to do?" I asked. Bucky just stared at me blankly, not understanding what I meant. "I've never lived without a fight. I've never lived without constantly feeling guarded. Let's be honest, Buck. I can't live in a world without a war."

For the rest of eternity, I would always be a fighter. I couldn't live without a war. "I don't think that's true. Vika, you're never gonna just be my wife. You'll always be Savage. You'll always have a mind of your own. You're going to work with Howard at Stark Industries. That's where you put your focus when this is all over," Bucky said.

"I'm sorry that you can't have a normal life with me," I muttered.

"Stop. I don't want a normal life. I want you."

"You have me. Always."

"That's all that I want. That's all that I've ever wanted."

Bucky's hands gently tightened over my thighs. I smiled softly and let my fingers intertwine with Bucky. "I asked Howard to build a porch," I finally said, earning a funny look from Bucky.

"A porch?"

That was what I really wanted. A place to just sit and relax. I had told Howard and I knew that he would do what I wanted. And then some, more than likely, knowing Howard. "Yeah. I like the idea of having a porch. It's a place that we can sit and read. Swing on a bench that overlooks the woods. Have a cup of coffee in the morning," I said softly.

Bucky smiled, pressing a kiss into my hair. "That's a nice vision that you have. I like it," Bucky whispered.

"Want to know the full one?"

"Yeah, I do."

"It's early in the morning. The alarm went off. We got out of bed, you made coffee, and poured us both a cup, and then we go out to the porch. You sit on the swing. I drape myself over your lap - wrapped up in your sweater. We just sit and drink our coffee and laugh. Talk about everything and anything. It's peaceful. Because there were always so many people that I hated in the world. But I realized something lately. To hate someone is a terrible burden to bear. It's not worth it. I just want to find peace in life."

"Have you found it?"

There would never be total peace in my life, but I had come pretty close, right here, right now. "I have. With you. With Steve and Chester and Howard and Peggy and all of the rest of the men. That's where my peace in life is," I said.

Bucky grinned again, running his fingertips over my shoulders. "I like that vision that you're having. We're gonna end up there. When the war is over, when the house is built, that's what we're gonna do. The first day," Bucky said.

"What about unpacking?" I teased.

"You're a mutant. Can't you do it all really fast?" Bucky asked.

"One of my mutations is not speed-unpacking," I snapped.

Although it would definitely help with having me around. We would be able to unpack about three times as fast as a normal person could, considering that I was a lot stronger and faster than the average person. We both laughed as Bucky wrapped his hands around my waist and flipped me off of him, rolling me underneath again. I smiled as he pressed himself down into me and pulled me into a long kiss. Minutes passed that the two of us just stayed together. There was a peace in the air. It was the happiest that I had felt with him in a long time.

This was the first time in a while that I had really felt like there was a chance that we could both be happy for the rest of our lives. At least, that we could both be happy until Bucky was gone. We were both so happy together. I was happier with him than I had ever thought that I could be. The whole thing just felt strange. Like I was living someone else's life. But I loved it. Eventually we broke apart and Bucky laid back against the bed, letting me lay my head on his stomach. I was a little lower than him, letting him run his hands through my hair.

"You okay?" Bucky whispered.

My eyes were slowly slipping closed at the feeling of his nails running through my hair. "Perfect. That feels nice," I mumbled.

"Go to bed. I've got you," Bucky said, running the strands of hair through his fingers.

It was one of the many times that I knew that Bucky wouldn't dare go to sleep before I did. He had so often done it before. Stayed awake just to make sure that I could go to sleep. I smiled and tucked into Bucky's shoulder slightly. It didn't take me long to start to doze off from his touch. I noticed that he never went to sleep. He merely stayed awake, pressing his hands through my hair, occasionally muttering sweet words to me. It didn't take long for my chest to start to glow gently, illuminating the room as I fell asleep.

Hours had passed when I finally managed to wake up. This time it wasn't the glow of my skin that was waking me up. This time it was the sun that was starting to stream through the windows. Bucky was still asleep but he had clearly fallen asleep in the middle of stroking my hair. His fingertips were still gently lingering in my hair and my head was resting in the crook of his shoulder. As much as I would have loved to stay here and day and just lay with him, I knew that I had to leave soon. I had to check on Raven before heading out to go wedding dress shopping with Peggy to have a good time.

Despite being a little nervous to finally go wedding dress shopping - making the whole wedding suddenly get a lot more real - I was a little excited. I had never been shopping for something like that before. It could have been a lot of fun. As I tried to force myself to get out of the bed, Bucky very slowly slipped from the bed - trying not to wake me up. He didn't realize that I already was. I merely let him get up to start pacing around the room. He was pacing back and forth and looked very much half-awake. The only thing that he was wearing were his boxers.

"Morning, handsome," I teased, rolling onto my side to face him.

Bucky turned back to me with a little smile. "Handsome, am I?" Bucky asked, walking back over to the bed.

"You're very handsome. And what about me?" I asked.

"Read my mind and find out," Bucky teased.

"Or you could tell me."

"You want to know what I think about you?"

As long as it's nothing rude. "I do."

"I love you so much. I can give you a hundred reasons why," Bucky said.

I wasn't even sure that I could give Bucky a hundred reasons why I loved him. "I doubt that," I scoffed.

Bucky grinned and took the challenge. "When I'm with you, you show me who you really are. You have such a beautiful smile and that smile always makes me happy. I love the way you look at me, like I'm somewhere in between the light of your life and the most irritating person in the world. You think I’m handsome no matter what. Everything that you do melts my heart. The way that you walk, talk, smile, and laugh. Just like that. We're our own independent people, yet when we're together, we're inseparable. No matter how others see me, you make me feel special. 

"You put up with my crap and all other imperfections. You treat my family right because they're your family too. We can act like the biggest idiots on the planet and make the most ridiculous faces, yet we still see each other as the cutest people on earth. The way that, even though you're the woman, you're still the protector. I can be as ridiculous as I want without worrying that you would love me less, 'cause you always tell me I’m the apple of your eye," Bucky said teasingly, waggling his eyebrows.

Snorting under my breath, I shoved him away from me. "You're a moron," I snapped, allowing him to press a hand on my hip.

"You always give me surprises. When I hear your voice in a noisy crowd of people I know that it's you and I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to be with you. You always give me your honest opinion. You would come across the sea, just because you think I’m your whole world. You keep little mementos of everything we have done. You would protect me and would do anything to stop me from getting hurt. Even when you're angry, which is scary as hell, you're still adorable. You find the beauty in everything and show me how to appreciate it. Just like with the cosmos.

"Whenever you touch me, it makes me never want to let you go. You challenge me and give me honest life lessons on how I could be a better person. The passion that you have for the Army and saving the world. The way that you check in just to make sure that I'm okay. The heat that runs under your skin all the time. That terrible sense of humor that you have. I have all the faith in the world that you're going to make an amazing wife. Despite how awful your childhood was, you're the best person that I know. Just knowing that you care about me more than anyone else.

"I love you not only because who you are but also because who I am when I am with you. You take good care of me and stay at my side all the time. You're the funniest person that I know. The way that you kiss me to get me to stop laughing at you. You're an amazing singer, even though you never let me hear you. Believe it or not, you are very patient with me. I love just getting to wrap my arms around you. You try to cook even though you can't. I love your ingenuity. You love my cooking even though I'm a pretty awful cook.

"You remember everything that's important between the two of us. Those horrible nicknames that you give me... idiot, moron, twit, and stupid. I love them. The little days when you find a nice park and we go for a walk together, just to get away from things. The way that you have a comeback for everything. The way that you love the pool. You always know what I'm thinking and what I'm going to say. When I'm upset about something, you always know what to say. You always make me feel better when times are tough. You put up with my love of baseball.

"You make me interested in books and reading. Even though you could hide anything you wanted from me, you don't. You don't pretend to be anyone that you aren't. You explain everything to me, even when you know that I don't understand what you're talking about. The way that you crinkle your nose when you laugh. Maybe not everyone loved you, but Steve and the rest of the men love you, and that's all that matters to me. When I first met you I looked into your heart. I knew you were the one. I love how your voice sounds when you whisper in my ear. Sends chills down my spine."

"Bucky!" I barked, my face burning with embarrassment.

He grinned, knowing that he had gotten to me. "You like the truth, even when you pretend that you don't. We're not very similar, you and me, but that's what makes us great. And you never try to change me. I love just being able to sleep next to you. When I dream of my life partner, the only person that I can see is you. I love listening to you interrupt me, and that's often. You deal with my planning things and only complain minimally. I love the way that you treat our friends, like they mean the world to you. You order me around, and I love it.

"You can I love you in six thousand languages and I can't understand five thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight of them." We both laughed at that. "We don't fight, mostly because I know that I'll lose. You're one hell of a dame on the outside, but you are even more beautiful on the inside. You promise that we'll spend our life doing what I want. We can spend the whole night together doing nothing but talking and hanging out and it’s still an amazing time. I've seen guys try to talk to you but you never give them the time of day, because I'm the only one for you," Bucky teased.

"Cocky," I joked.

"Learned from the best. I could tell you anything, some really dark things, and you wouldn’t think less of me. Despite everything that happened to you, you're nice to everyone. You always laugh at my jokes, even when they aren't funny at all. You always yell at me to take better care of myself. You're a terrible artist but you still draw little cartoons with Steve. You might look a little serious but you always dance around the room even though you're terrible at it. You actually understand baseball, even if it bores you.

"You can fix everything that goes wrong in my life. You appreciate everything I do for you and never take it for granted. You give me serenity in the midst of struggle," Bucky finished, almost surprising me with his words.

There were moments that Bucky was anything but the fool that I liked to tell him that he was. This was one of those moments. He was being surprisingly brilliant. For a long few moments I sat in silence and thought on his words. They were the sweetest things that I had ever heard him say. He had said some extraordinarily sweet things, but never anything quite like that. Not even the day that he had proposed to me. It had taken me far too long to realize that he genuinely did love me. He absolutely adored me.

It was just the way that I adored him. He was my entire world. Him and the other men and Peggy. They meant the world to me. But no one could ever mean to me what Bucky did. I just wished that I could tell him that. What I did know was that I would never truthfully deserve him. I wasn't good enough. But I would try as hard as I possibly could to deserve him for the rest of his life. Because I didn't want him to ever regret choosing to spend the rest of his life with me. But I couldn't manage to formulate those words.

Instead I managed to say, "That was only eighty."

Bucky laughed and nudged my hip, shoving me backwards. "Shut up. I'll spend the rest of my life giving you even more reasons," Bucky promised.

"You don't have to do that," I whispered.

"I want to," Bucky said.

He's too good for you. He always will be. Shifting slightly in my seat, I took a deep breath and wiped away a tear that had been forming in my eyes. "Just in case I had any doubts about the wedding," I mumbled.

"I don't want you to ever have a doubt in your mind. I love you and I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon," Bucky promised.

"Good. Because I want to keep you for as long as possible."

"You know how to keep me here."

It was the exact same thing that would keep me here. Just spending some time with him. I laughed under my breath as Bucky leaned down over me. But a moment later I wrapped a leg around his own and flipped him, pressing myself down into him. As time passed, Bucky continued rolling the two of us around the bed, coming close to flopping out a few times, laughing wildly. It was just the way that we were. Having fun with even the simplest of moments. Bucky's hands wound up and fingered at the sleeve of my slip, ultimately pulling me up so that I was sitting in his lap.

"What?" I asked, confused as to why I was sitting in Bucky's lap now.

"Nothing. I just like looking at you," Bucky whispered.

Laughing under my breath, I gently nudged him. "Charmer," I teased. Bucky merely grinned. "I'm serious. You are very charming. You say things to me that I never thought that I would hear."

Bucky gave me a look that was in between a scowl and a saddened stare. "I mean everything that I say to you. You never got the chance to hear these things from anyone else. Not someone else that you loved, not your friends, and not your parents. But you have me. And I'll say those things to you for as long as I can," Bucky promised, running his hands through my hair.

Say something to him, dimwit. "All those years ago when we first met, the second I looked at you I knew that there was something about you that I needed. Turns out it wasn’t something about you at all. It was just you," I whispered.

Well that was much better than I expected. Bucky raised a brow, very surprised at my words. "Would you look at that? You're capable of romance after all," Bucky teased, nudging my shoulder.

"Shut up," I barked.

"You have me. All of me. Forever. I just wish that we were somewhere a little better suited for two people in love," Bucky said, motioning around the barracks.

"That's the thing. There is never a good time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single moment," I said softly.

"What was your moment?" Bucky asked curiously.

What was my moment? That moment that I had fallen for him. Not necessarily in love, but in a desperation. "That first day that you looked at me. When you saw me you didn't treat me like I was a monster. My white hair, yellow eyes, and dirty clothes meant nothing to you. You treated me like a friend when you didn't even know my name," I explained, remembering that first day.

"I knew from the second that I looked at you that I wanted to be with you. I used to tell Steve that I was gonna marry you," Bucky said.

Did he really do that? "You got your wish."

"It's the only thing that I ever really wanted."

We had both gotten the one thing that we really wanted. "I was thinking about something. Why don't we sit down soon and start talking about planning the wedding? Really planning it," I said suddenly.

Clearly I had surprised Bucky. "I'd love that. But you're sure?" Bucky asked, surprising me. "You've been kind of looking for a way out of it."

He was right. I had been looking for a way out of it. "I guess that I've been thinking about something else recently. I don’t care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart," I mumbled.

My words were the complete truth. Being away from Bucky was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. "Then let's do it," Bucky said, grabbing my hand tightly. "Let's plan the wedding and let's get married. Let me share the rest of my life with you. No matter what happened to you in the past. No matter what you’ve done. No matter what you will do in the future. I will always love you."

That time, not only my cheeks warmed from his words. Now my entire body was starting to warm. To my surprise, I started to turn a gentle red, just the way that I had done last night. That was when I realized the truth. I didn't start glowing red because I was in the mood - although that might have been a part of it. I really started glowing red when I was truly and genuinely in love. In the purest form. Just the way that Raven had said.

"So I suppose that I can't tell you that you're being corny?" I teased.

"You can but I won't believe you," Bucky said. The two of us laid together for a while before Bucky spoke again. "When are we going on our next mission?"

"Probably next week. We're going to Greece. That Hydra Uber Tank that they have - the one that Willem was telling us about on the last mission - needs to be destroyed before they complete it and put it in mass production. That'll only make our job harder," I explained.

"Do we know how we're going to do it?" Bucky asked.

"Not yet but we're going to talk with Steve and the others about how to do it."

"Okay."

A moment later I gently shifted Bucky off of me and moved to get up. Peggy would murder me if I was late. "I need to start getting ready. I'm going out soon," I said.

"Where?" Bucky asked curiously.

"None of your business," I snapped playfully.

Bucky smiled and gently flicked me on the nose. "What are you doing about Raven today?" Bucky asked after a beat.

Honestly I wanted her to come with us, but I had a feeling that she would want to be alone. That was just the way that she was used to being, just like I had once upon a time. "Peggy and I are going out for a while. Shopping and whatnot. Girl’s day. I'm gonna ask Raven if she wants to come out with us. Get her off of the base for a little while," I explained as simply as possible.

"It's sweet. You treat her like a sister."

"I've never really been this close to a mutant for an extended period of time." Logan and I had honestly only spent about three hours together in total. "It's nice. And Raven... I don't know. I guess that I see something in her," I muttered.

"You see yourself," Bucky reasoned.

"Yeah. Just tell me, we're just alike, aren't we?"

We had so many similarities to each other. We could have been sisters. "Yes. You two are. I'm glad to see you with someone like you... You're my girl, my world, but there are some things that I just can't share with you. And this is one of them. I'll never be a mutant," Bucky admitted. At least he realized that this was the one thing we would never share. "I'm glad that you can be with someone exactly like you."

"So I'm your world, huh?" I teased.

"You know that," Bucky said.

He was my world, too. We both knew what we meant to the other. I smiled at Bucky as the two of us curled together up on the bed. I had to leave, but I was stuck right here for the time being. Bucky laughed under his breath as I got to my feet and grabbed my hand. He pulled me into him and dipped me backwards. Clearly I wasn't getting out of this without some harassment. I giggled as he once more pushed me back against the bed and the two of us collapsed onto it. We rolled together as Bucky began to pull off the strap of the slip that I was wearing over my undergarments.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, breaking the kiss.

We both should have known that he was going to do that. I half wanted him to. Bucky laughed as he grabbed the strap of my slip again. "We're not getting married for almost another year. Can you wait that long?" Bucky asked teasingly.

"No," I said honestly. "Can you?"

"No," Bucky admitted.

As if that was good enough reasoning to continue right now, Bucky continued messing with my strap and I gently pushed him off of me. "Not right now... I have somewhere that I need to be," I muttered.

"No... You can stay here," Bucky whined.

"There's something important that I have to do. As much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all day."

"Going shopping?" Bucky asked blandly. I smiled guiltily at him. "You getting me a present?"

It was the one moment today that I would get to mess with him. To pay him back for the many times that he messed with me. "The present isn't what I'm buying. It's what's underneath, when you get to take it off," I whispered in his ear.

Bucky was clearly stunned. "What?" he asked dumbly, his heart thumping in his chest.

Payback. Without giving him a moment to say anything else to me, I jumped off of the bed and headed into the corner of the room, grabbing Bucky's robe and slipping it back over my shoulders. "See you later!" I called back.

"No!" Bucky cried, sitting bolt upright. "You don't get to say that and just leave!"

"I love you," I teased.

"Love you, too," Bucky mumbled.

He obviously knew that there was no way that I was going to tell him what I meant. But he would figure it out if he really thought hard enough. Although he could be a little thick about things. I tightened the knot on the robe that I was wearing before slipping out quietly into the hall and heading back to the room that Peggy and I still technically shared. Peggy was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and waiting for me. Raven was reading one of my books on mutation, but she glanced up and smiled at me as I walked into the room.

"Morning ladies," I chirped.

"Good morning," Raven said, placing her book down.

"Good evening?" Peggy asked teasingly.

"Shut up," I snapped. Peggy grinned brightly as Raven giggled under her breath. "There's someone else here." I turned to Raven and smiled at her. "Hi, Raven. How are you settling in?"

"Good. Thank you," Raven said softly.

"Do you need anything else?" I asked her.

"No," Raven said quickly.

Already I could tell that she was going to stay here. But I really wanted her to come. "I'm heading out for a little while, okay? Peggy and I are going to go shopping for my wedding dress," I said. Raven's face broke into a little smile. "Would you like to come with us?"

Raven was grinning softly but she shook her head. "You should go with your friend. I'm sure that it will be beautiful," she said.

"Thank you. I'll show it to you when I come back," I promised.

That was if I even managed to buy one. "Okay," Raven said.

Grabbing the blank check from Howard off of the dresser, I smiled back at Raven. "You can go out to the mess hall whenever you want, okay? They'll get you something to eat if nothing is set out," I said, having already instructed the mess hall workers to give Raven whatever she needed.

"Thank you," Raven said.

"You're welcome. We'll probably be back by lunchtime," I told her.

"Have fun," Raven said.

"Feel free to use anything you want while we're gone," Peggy told Raven.

Despite the fact that Peggy was already prepared to leave, I wasn't. I brushed my teeth, gathered a pair of regular clothes, and slipped a pair of boots on my feet before nodding to Peggy that I was ready to leave. The two of us slipped out of the room quietly and quickly. We didn't want the boys to know what we were doing right now. They were terrible at keeping secrets from each other. Obviously Bucky would know that I was getting my wedding dress eventually, but I didn't want him to know that it was today.

"Raven really didn't want to come?" Peggy asked as we walked out of the base.

"No. She feels like she's being intrusive," I said.

Peggy shook her head, a look of sorrow replacing her previously excited one. "That's such a sad story that she's got. She was telling me a little bit about her family, before she left them," Peggy said.

So she had opened up to Peggy while I had been with Bucky. I was glad to hear that. Raven needed to talk about it. "She's mentioned them to me before, too. It's a story that most of us go through. The mutants, I mean," I explained, seeing Peggy's confused face. "Having parents try to kill you because they fear and don't understand you."

"That's what your parents did, right?"

"Yes."

"She must remind you a lot of yourself."

"She does."

Raven reminded me exactly of myself. "You're looking happier these days," Peggy said after a beat.

Was I happier these days? Yes. Definitely happier than I had been in a long time. "You know, I think I am. For the first time since the proposal, I'm really getting happy about the wedding. Excited, I guess, would be a better word. I've always been happy about the engagement," I explained.

"I'm really happy to hear that, Vicky. You should be happy. You've got someone to spend your life with," Peggy said.

"Part of it," I muttered sadly.

"He'll stay with you. Even after he's gone. His memory will always stay with you."

"I just keep trying to remind myself that his death is a long way away."

"Exactly. It's a long way away. You don't have to think about it for a long time."

She was right about that. Everyone was right about that. Bucky wouldn't die for decades. I just had to keep reminding myself of that. We stayed in silence for a while as we walked through the cobblestone streets. "Do you know where we're going?" I asked suddenly.

Peggy nodded, motioning up the street. "Yes. It's the same store where I bought my own wedding dress," Peggy said.

My heart dropped into my stomach. I had almost forgotten that, once upon a time, Peggy had bought her own dress. Was she okay with doing this for me? "What ever happened to yours?" I asked carefully, unsure of how she felt about it.

"I donated it. It felt too strange to keep it with me and it would have been a complete waste of money to just get rid of it," Peggy explained.

"I'm trusting you to tell me what looks good on me, since apparently I have no sense of style," I growled.

"I never said that you had no sense of style," Peggy said, affronted.

"I was referring to Howard," I said.

He was always telling me that my sense of style was absolutely terrible. Not that I really had one. I just wore clothes to make sure that I wasn't naked. We both laughed as we entered the wedding dress store. Instantly my knees locked when I walked into the store. There were rows upon rows of wedding dresses. Lace and satin and silk and tulle and so many other styles that I couldn't even begin to name. There must have been thousands of dresses in here. How would I ever look through them all and find one that I liked? What if they all ended up looking exactly the same?

"That's... a lot of white," I mumbled.

"Wedding dresses tend to be white," Peggy said.

Turning to her, I let a little glare settle on my face. I knew that wedding dresses tended to be white. "It seems so pure," I said.

"That's the point."

"We both know that I'm one of the least pure people that you'll ever meet."

With all of the things that I did... I was definitely not pure. Murder, torture, and my somewhat non-innocent nights with Bucky. "I don't think that's the purity that they mean," Peggy teased. We both laughed as I rolled my eyes at her. "Wait a minute. You two haven't -?"

"No!" I barked, knowing what Peggy was getting at.

We could manage to wait a little while longer... I thought so, at least. "Well I don't know! You spend your nights in there," Peggy said.

"I have some self-control, you know."

"Ladies," a woman's voice called. "How can I help you today?"

Peggy and I both turned back to see who had come in. It was clearly a woman who owned the shop. Or an employee, at least. She was smiling at the two of us, her eyes darting back and forth between us. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties and very clearly British, from her accent. She was probably four or five inches taller than me, slim, and wearing a plain black dress. Her eyes were a piercing blue and her hair was just like Peggy's, done up in the same victory curls. She looked more like a bride than I did.

Her eyes were mostly lingering on Peggy. She must have thought that she was the bride. Which would have made a little more sense. "We're looking for a wedding dress," I said dumbly.

The woman's lips turned up in a smile as she laughed softly. "Yes, I assumed that much. My name is Clarissa. I'll be assisting the two of you today," Clarissa said. We both shook her outstretched hand. "Who's the bride?"

"I am," I said.

To my surprise, Clarissa didn't look bothered by the fact that I was the bride. She looked surprised, but still happy. "Wonderful. Congratulations!" Clarissa cried happily.

"Thank you," I said.

"How long have you been engaged?" Clarissa asked.

"Not long. A little over a month." Clarissa smiled brightly at me. "This is my best friend," I said, pulling Peggy forward.

"Peggy," she introduced herself.

"And I'm Victoria," I added.

"Good to meet you both." Clarissa's eyes traveled over me and I saw the recognition dawn in her eyes. Please, not today. I don't want to be a mutant today. I want to be a bride. "You look very familiar," Clarissa commented.

"I suppose I just have one of those faces," I said, shrugging.

We weren't going to play this game. She wasn't going to find out who I was. Thankfully Clarissa didn't push. "Ah, I see. Well let's bring you back. We can talk a little bit about what you're thinking of wearing, the wedding itself, your groom, and I'll see if I can start narrowing down the choices," Clarissa said, motioning for me to follow her.

"Okay," I said.

Clarissa motioned for me to follow her. Peggy and I walked off into a small room with just a pedestal, full-length mirror, and rack for the dresses. "When are you getting married?" Clarissa asked, the both of us taking our seats in the two chairs that were sitting out. Peggy remained standing.

"January of next year."

"Good. Wonderful. Lots of time to get a dress in case today doesn't work out. But it will," Clarissa said, spotting my concerned look.

"You'll find one," Peggy consoled.

"Tell me about your fiancé."

"His name is James. Bucky - that's his nickname. That's what everyone calls him. He's twenty-seven. Just a few years older than me. We grew up together with our best friend. We fell out of touch for a number of years but got back together a little over two years ago. He's in the Army and just got back from deployment a few months ago," I said, telling her the watered-down version of the truth.

"I'm glad that he came back," Clarissa said, smiling at me.

Well... I more had to go and get him back... Peggy and I exchanged an amused smile. "Thank you, I am too," I whispered.

"Where are the two of you getting married?"

Right... That was probably an important thing that we should have discussed. "We haven't picked a location yet. It might be something small. I wasn't even ready to come dress shopping yet, but she insisted," I said, motioning to Peggy.

Clarissa sent her a little smile. "It was a good choice. Do you have a venue idea?" Clarissa asked.

"Somewhere outside, maybe."

We had both always loved the outdoors. "Lovely. And a budget?"

"Umm... No, I don't," I muttered.

Howard's money was no issue, but I definitely wouldn't be letting him spend too much on the wedding dress. Something that I would only wear once. "That makes things easier," Clarissa said, giggling. "Do you have a style in mind?"

"Style?" I repeated dumbly.

"She's not big into wearing dresses or skirts. She doesn't know much about anything when it comes to weddings," Peggy stepped in.

Clarissa merely laughed and shook her head. "We have a ball gown," Clarissa said.

Before I got the chance to ask what a ball gown was, Peggy shook her head. "That'll be far too large for her. Trust me, you'll hate it," Peggy said, looking back at me.

"Okay. I'm relying on you," I told her.

"We have our more popular A-line dresses," Clarissa continued.

"That could work," Peggy muttered.

"I'll keep that in mind." Clarissa looked me over for a moment and I smiled awkwardly, trying to straighten up and show off my figure. "You might look nice in a trumpet style," Clarissa finally said.

"That's not too different. That could definitely be a good choice," Peggy said.

Trumpet... Like the instrument? I didn't dare say that for fear of sounding stupid. "Shall we start pulling some dresses and see if we can find one that you like?" Clarissa offered.

"Uh... sure," I muttered nervously.

Clarissa smiled and placed a reassuring hand on my knee. "I know that it can be a little overwhelming when you first start shopping. Not to worry. We'll pick out a few styles until we find one that you like," Clarissa said.

"Thank you," I said.

She would be able to find a dress for me. I genuinely believed that. It was her job, after all. As Clarissa left the room to start searching for dresses, Peggy walked back out with her. She was seated on the couch just outside the room so that she could watch me try on all of the dresses. I felt a bit like a dress-up doll, but I didn't say anything. I merely undressed and put on the silk robe that Clarissa had left out for me. Almost ten minutes had passed - during which I played with my flames, quickly putting them out when Clarissa finally came back with the dresses. There were a huge amount of them.

They were draped all over her. They looked heavy and extremely overwhelming. "That's a lot," I muttered.

Clarissa smiled as she spread the dresses out on the rack for me to see them. "It just means more choices. Do you have one that you would like to start with?" she asked.

I can't even tell where one starts and the next begins. "Dealer's choice," I said.

She must have been expecting for me to say that. I'd had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to pick one. They all looked exactly the same to me. Clarissa smiled and moved to grab a dress out of the middle of the rack. She pulled it out the bag and brought it over to me to try on. I was utterly shocked about how long it took to get me into the damn dress. Ten minutes, maybe. I was instantly uncomfortable being in it. The dress was heavy and awkward-feeling. If I had to fight, I would have gotten caught up in all of the material.

It didn't even look like it was me that was in the dress. The dress itself was interesting. It had little puff sleeves that went just a few inches below my shoulders. It was a mostly loose-fitting white fabric. Silk, I thought. It went down to the floor and pooled out slightly around my feet. I definitely would have tripped myself on it. There was also a beaded belt that went across my waist, cinching the material there and giving me a figure. There were even some diamonds on the belt. There was a slight dip in the fabric around my chest that showed off more cleavage than I was used to.

"What do you think?" Clarissa asked, sensing that I was done looking over the dress.

"It's... nice. I don't know," I muttered.

What did I really think about it? It was... a dress, I guessed. "Probably not, then," Clarissa said, smiling. She didn't look bothered that I couldn't figure it out. "You'll know when the right one comes. Would you like to show it to your friend, anyways?"

"Sure. I think she'll kill me if you don't," I teased.

Peggy would want to see all of them, no matter how ridiculous they looked. Clarissa smiled and opened the door, allowing me to walk out in front of Peggy. "You look beautiful, Vicky," Peggy said as I walked up onto the pedestal.

"You like it?" I asked.

"I think that it's beautiful. But I don't think it's... you," Peggy said.

"Me either," I admitted.

"How about we try another one?" Clarissa offered.

"Absolutely," I said.

So we headed back into the fitting room. I pulled off the dress with the help of Clarissa before slipping into the next one. I ended up hating it even more than the first. There was a lace overlay on the top of the chest and cap sleeves. There was a very slight dip in the neck that seemed a little too innocent to me. The bodice was tight and had little buttons down the front before expanding slightly at the hips. It puffed out down to just below my knees, where it stopped. It looked like I should be at a tea party. I had never felt more like a cartoon character.

"What about this one?" Clarissa asked.

"No. Not this one," I said immediately.

Clarissa nodded. "Should we show Peggy?"

Despite not liking the dress, I knew that I should show her. "Sure." The two of us walked out into the main hallway where I walked up onto the pedestal. "What do you think?" I asked her.

Just like me, Peggy instantly shook her head. "It's not something that you would ever wear," she said.

"I thought so too," I agreed.

"Not to fear. We'll find you something," Clarissa said determinedly.

So I went back into the fitting room and continued trying on dresses. Time after time again. The first one she had shown me afterwards had been extremely expensive and not at all my style. It had long sleeves that puffed out and cinched in at the wrists. The neckline went up to the top of my throat but it was sheer. There was a diamond pattern that went over the top of the sleeves and down the middle of the chest. The skirt fell without a shape and had odd bumpy patterns on the material. There were even two funny additions of material at the hips. I instantly said no.

The next one had been a little bit better. For a moment I had even come close to saying yes. But I really hadn't liked it that much. There were small buttons that went up the back of the dress that was a complete lace pattern. The cap sleeves, top back of the dress, and front of the chest were all a sheer lace. The actual dress was tight down the bodice before expanding just slightly at the hips. It would have been lovely, except the fact that there was layer over layer of lace that went down to the floor. It felt a little bit like wearing rolls of toilet paper.

After that had been another extraordinarily expensive dress. The sleeves were tight and a sheer lace. But I actually liked them. Like the other dress, the top of the back and front chest were a see-through lace. There was no dip in the chest but the straight line across my chest actually looked nice. The top of the dress wasn't half-bad, but the bottom of the dress was stupid. It flowed out to about twice the size of my hips. It was all lace and looked like the dress was eating me. There was no way that I could even walk in the dress.

It hadn't taken us long to figure out that we needed a lighter dress. The next dress had a very similar top style to the one before. It had tight long-sleeves that were covered in lace. The bodice was a sweetheart neckline. I almost wished that it was only that part, but it would have been too revealing. The bottom of the dress was another stupid one. Why were they all so large? It had alternating layers of lace and tulle that expanded, getting larger and larger with each layer, until the dress hit the floor. It was another dress that was far too large for me.

The last one was the real one to catch my eyes. I had never thought that I would like a dress like that, but it was beautiful. The sleeves were lace and tight on my skin. The top of the chest was see through and had a low neckline. It was lower than I was expecting, but it was lovely. The dress only flowed out a little bit, working with my natural movements. The front of the bottom was silk, but the back was the same lace as the sleeves. It trailed back behind me by about two feet, but it only made the dress even prettier. Was this the one?

"How about this one?" Clarissa asked, floating the excess material around my legs.

"Yeah. I really like this one," I whispered.

"Wonderful!" Clarissa chirped, knowing that I thought that it was lovely. "Time to show Peggy, then?"

"Yeah. Let's show her," I said.

Together we walked out and I immediately saw the same light in Peggy's eyes that I'd seen in my own when I had first spotted it. Clarissa helped me onto the pedestal before floating out the skirt again. "That's gorgeous," Peggy said happily.

"I think I really like it," I said.

"He'll love that one," Peggy said.

"You really like it?" I asked, turning away from the mirror and back to Peggy.

Peggy nodded and got to her feet, looking over the dress a little closer up. "I love it, Vicky. And I think you do, too," she said.

"I think so. I think that I really like this one," I said honestly.

"What do you think? Ready to say yes?" Clarissa asked.

It would definitely cement the thought that we were getting married. Peggy sensed my hesitation. "You've already been through the hard part. Getting him to ask you to marry him and getting up the guts to say yes. Come on, you love that dress. I can see it," Peggy goaded.

"What do we think?" Clarissa asked happily.

"Yes. Yeah, I'm gonna take this one," I finally said.

"Wonderful!" Clarissa cheered.

The two of us walked back into the dressing room to get the dress off. Once it was off, back in the bag, and I had gotten changed back into my old clothes, the two of us walked back out and joined up with Peggy. Clarissa had given us each a flute of champagne to drink while we worked out the details of the dress. Clarissa made sure to take all of my measurements for the alterations that would have to be done before I could actually take it with me. It would take a few weeks to shorten the hem of the dress and open up the material in the chest slightly - seeing as it was now too tight.

As we drank the champagne and figured out what we wanted to do with the outfit for the wedding, Clarissa rang up the dress for me. It ended up costing about a thousand dollars. I also let Peggy talk me into helping me pick out some jewelry and shoes for the wedding day. She had even managed to get me to buy a veil that felt a little silly to have. I had forced Peggy not to go too over-the-top with everything. Ultimately Clarissa packaged everything up, handed me a photograph of the dress to show everyone, and let me pay for it with Howard's blank check.

"Best of luck, dear," Clarissa said as we made our way out of the store.

"Thank you," I said.

We both said goodbye to Clarissa and thanked her for all of the help that she had given us. I was convinced that I never would have found a dress without her help. The two of us made our way out of the store together, giggling the entire time. We put the magazine inside of the bag from the store to make sure that the boys couldn't figure out what we had done today. But I did want to show them the dress eventually. Bucky was going to be the only one to not see it. Peggy and I were almost back to the base when I glanced over at her.

"Thanks for making me do that," I said.

Peggy smiled and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "My absolute pleasure. You really do look beautiful in that dress," Peggy said.

"Thank you. It was the only one that I really liked."

"Good. Because it definitely looked the best on you."

"Finally I'm actually getting around to doing bridal things," I teased.

It would definitely make Bucky happy if he figured out what the two of us had been doing all day. He seemed to have thought for so long that I was just never going to get around to doing bridal things. We both laughed as we walked into the entrance hall of the Army base. No one was standing around, which I was grateful for. I wanted to hide the bag before anyone could see. By now I was absolutely exhausted from changing back and forth, but it had been a good day. We walked back towards Peggy's room and I smiled when I saw that Raven was perched on my old bed.

"Did you get the dress?" Raven asked, eyeing the bag.

"I did. Would you like to see it?" I offered.

"Yes, please," Raven said happily.

Dropping the bag, I rummaged through and pulled out the photograph from the magazine. "We only have a picture of it. In the meantime it's at the store, being fitted for me. This is it," I said, showing her the staged photograph.

Raven stared at it for a moment before her lips turned up in a large smile. "That's so pretty."

"That's what I thought, too," I said.

"You'll look beautiful in it."

"Thanks."

"And Bucky will love it," Raven added.

"That's what I'm hoping," I said, blushing softly.

Peggy snorted from the corner of the room and I turned back to her. This had to be going nowhere soon. "It's not the dress he'll like. Trust me, he won't want to wait to take it off," Peggy teased.

There it is. "There are children present!" I barked.

But it ended up not really bothering her. She, like me, had been through a terrible childhood. She had never really gotten the chance to be a child. She was used to hearing crude remarks, just the way that I had been. At least right now it was teasing. Instead of getting embarrassed - like I was - Raven was laughing along with Peggy. After a moment even I started to laugh. Because Peggy was right. All three of us dropped down onto my old bed and chattered back and forth about the upcoming wedding and showing off my new accessories.

We had even spent a long time thinking about a future mutant name for Raven. Peggy and I had suggested Phantom, Exo, Cryptic, and Ruse. But I knew that she would have to pick one for herself. The three of us ended up spending the night having dinner together, not bothering to go out and speak to the men. We could do that alter. It had definitely been a good day for us girls. But eventually I did get up to leave. I told Peggy and Raven goodbye - thanking the girls for a good day - before heading back to my own room with Bucky.

"Hi," I chirped, closing the door behind me.

Bucky glanced up from the bed. He was scribbling something in the journal that he instantly put down. His lips turned up in a smile. "There you are. Starting to think you forgot about me," Bucky teased.

"Had a day with the girls," I explained simply.

Bucky smiled as I walked over to the bed. "That's nice. What did you do today?"

"Went shopping."

"You went shopping?" Bucky asked disbelievingly.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Maybe it was that hard to believe. I never really had gone shopping before. It was always one of my least favorite things to do. "I remember my mother having to drag you to the store once a year because you hated shopping," Bucky teased.

Laughing at the memory, I nodded. "That's right. She did do that." We sat in silence together for a moment before something dawned on me. Out of our families, only Bucky's siblings would be there to see the wedding. "I'm sorry that she can't be here to see it," I mumbled.

"That's okay. She'll be watching," Bucky said.

"Will she be proud?" I asked.

Bucky smiled and nodded at me. I would have loved to see what Mrs. Barnes would have thought of our pairing. "Yes. I think she will be proud. She always wanted me to find a girl that I loved. I found one. The only one," Bucky said, pressing a hand against my throat.

"Good. Because I found someone that I loved too. The only one," I said.

Bucky leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss against my mouth. I smiled, running my nails over his thighs. When we pulled apart I saw that he was smiling at me. "Do I get to see what you bought today?" Bucky asked.

"Eventually," I said.

"But not now?"

"Not yet."

"That's not fair."

"Life's not fair."

"Now that's uncalled for."

Grinning at him, I nodded. "Totally called for." We sat together in silence for a little while before I asked, "What did you boys do today?"

"We took Raven to the tavern," Bucky said.

My jaw almost dropped. "You took a little girl to the tavern?" I asked accusingly.

Even I wouldn't have done that! And I was next to useless when it came to caring for children. "It's the middle of the day!" Bucky snapped, as if that made up for taking a nine-year-old to a tavern. "They weren't doing anything out there. We just sang and danced with her a little bit. She mostly hung back and watched, but I think she had a good time."

At least she had gotten to have some fun and hadn't spent the day inside and by herself. "Good. I'm glad she did." Another brief silence passed before I glared at Bucky again. "You didn't let her drink, did you?" I asked.

Bucky scoffed at my lack of faith. "You think we're so useless."

"Yes, I do."

We didn't say anything for a moment. Then Bucky started to laugh. He knew that I would make fun of him for the rest of his life. It would never stop, no matter how old we got. A moment later, Bucky leaned over and knocked me back onto the bed. I started giggling as I rolled over and went sprawling underneath him. A moment later we started tugging at each other's clothes, slowly disrobing ourselves. Mostly because I wanted to be rid of the scratchy clothes. As I slid on my robe, I leaned forward and pressed a small kiss against Bucky's throat, feeling him rumble deep in his throat.

He had always liked when I had done that. For a while we chattered back and forth. He told me about how Raven had been adjusting and I told him a little bit about my shopping trip. We stayed locked together in a loving kiss for a long time until I finally started drifting to sleep. I ended up falling asleep on Bucky's chest as he laid a hand on my bare back - having slipped off my robe earlier - running his fingers up and down my spine, whispering sweet words in my ear. Many of them were about the wedding. I knew that I was extremely lucky to have found someone like him.

And I knew that I would always be thrilled to have someone like him with me. Because he was so much better than I deserved. For a while he continuously stroked my skin, keeping me pressed right up against him. In the coming days - during the time that I could convince myself to get up out of our bed - I spent a ton of time with Raven. Getting to know her, talking about anything and everything that she wanted, taking her out to get the best kind of food that I knew, taking her on a shopping trip, and even training in mutation with her.

My life was becoming a little strange. Monotonous without the constant trips out to the Hydra bases and constantly preparing for them. But it was nice to be a little different. Although I knew that I would have to get back to my old life soon. No more playing mutant or bride. As more days passed - during which the wedding dress was delivered to me - I found myself in the training room one morning. The men were currently working out the final pieces of the puzzle on how we would defeat the Grecian Hydra base. It would be a tough one, with the Hydra Uber Tank out there.

But we would manage that. I would manage that. I was the person who could figure it out. But for now, it was their problem. I already knew most of the plan and they would keep me updated on it as we got closer to the mission date. Today I was up earlier than almost everyone else. I was planning to see Raven once I was done working out my frustration from having not fought with anyone lately. I wanted to chat with Raven about her schooling and where she wanted to go after everything. The war and whatnot. Suddenly the door burst open and Peggy stumbled in.

"She's gone," Peggy breathed.

"What?"

Peggy took a few deep breaths, coming to stand in front of me. "I'm sorry, Vicky. Raven is gone. She left in the middle of the night. I thought that she might have just been out for the day but she's gone. She left this on your bed," Peggy said.

Raven had left? Without even telling me... Peggy handed me over a folded-up note. "Thanks," I mumbled, unfolding the paper and reading over it.

Victoria,

Thank you for everything that you've done for me. You saved my life out there. But now I'd like to repay the favor. I'm just a little kid, like you said. I've got my entire life to live. I genuinely believe that I'm going to find someone out there. Another friend. Just the way that you have been to me. You showed me that I have the capability to make a real life for myself. And that's what I'm going to do. For you. For myself. For everyone like us. To show them that we deserve a life, just like they do.

But I can't do that with you. And it's not because I don't want to. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. I want to stay with you, and I can tell that you wanted me to stay, and that's exactly why I have to leave. Because I see the way that you change when you're around me. Trying to help me find my own life. Find a place in yours. You already have a life, Victoria. You have a man that's going to be your husband one day. A man that might give you your own family one day soon enough. You have your father and best friends to watch out for.

You have a real job and you've managed to find a purpose in your life. That's something that I can only dream of having right now. I'm going to continue dreaming of it until I have it. I know that I can have it. You've shown me that I deserve that and nothing less. You're the person that taught me that. You also taught me that it's so hard to start your life over. And if I were to stay with you, that's what you'd be doing. You'd be starting over with me in your life. And you can't have that. You deserve the life that you already had when you met me. Let me find a life for myself.

Tell Bucky and everyone else that was kind enough to help me that I said goodbye. Let Peggy know that she was so wonderful to me and I'll always have her in my heart. I wish you and Bucky all of the happiness in the world. I really do. You're both such wonderful people and deserve to have a happy life together. I know that you will. For as long as you can.

I hope that I can make you proud. And I certainly hope that we can meet again one day.

With love,  
Raven (Mystique).

So she had left. She hadn't told me because she knew that it would be too hard. She knew that I would try and stop her. She was right about that. I would have wanted her to build her life here, with us. But she didn't want to do that. She was tough, just the way that I was. She needed to do this all on her own. Just the way that I had felt that I needed to be on my own after my horrible upbringing. At least she had picked out her mutant name... Mystique. It was much better than anything that I could have suggested. And I genuinely wished both Raven and Mystique the best.

"What's it say?" Peggy asked carefully.

She wanted to make sure not to annoy me. She didn't know how I felt right now. Heartbroken, but completely understanding. After all, I had once come close to doing this same thing to Steve and Bucky and their families. "Says that she's grateful, to say goodbye to everyone that helped her, and to tell me that I deserved all of the happiness in the world. She's gonna start over and find her own place to do it," I mumbled.

Peggy gave a soft sigh as I handed her the letter back. "She's only nine," Peggy whispered.

"And where do you think she got the idea? From me. I told her the about how I'd run away after killing my parents, finding Steve and Bucky. She's probably hoping for a similar situation," I said, almost wishing that I hadn't told her about that. "And I was only eight."

"Will you go after her?" Peggy asked after a beat.

"No," I said immediately.

"Why not?"

"Because this is what she wants. And I know what it's like to want to start over."

For a while longer we were both silent. "You liked her," Peggy finally commented.

"Yeah. It was almost like having a little sister," I mumbled.

Peggy walked over to me and pressed a hand on my shoulder. I knew that Raven would be happier like this. That's why I was trying not to be too angry. "Maybe you'll meet her again one day," Peggy offered.

"Maybe," I said slowly.

"Come on. Cheer up!" Peggy chirped, pulling on my arm, trying to get me out of my funk. I knew that Raven would have wanted me to be happy, which was exactly why Peggy was trying to mess with me. "Put on the dress."

"Why?" I asked.

Steve suddenly walked into the room, and judging by the saddened look on his face, he likely already knew that Raven had gone. "Because the two of us want to see it," Steve said. I looked back at him and smiled. Steve walked up and pulled me into a long hug. "Peggy already told us that Raven left. Sorry to hear that she's gone."

"She has to have her own life," I said, knowing that Raven had done the right thing for herself. "Of anyone in the world, I think that I can understand that. I just hope that she's happy, wherever she finds herself."

"She knows where to come if she ever needs anything," Steve said.

He was right about that. Raven always knew that she had a place to come back to if things didn't work out in her new life. "Yeah. She does. I just hoped that she might stay for a while," I said sadly.

Steve wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "It was just like you. She had to get out of here and find a place to make her own life. A life that hasn't been carved out by someone else," Steve reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right. As much as I hate to admit it," I said begrudgingly.

The three of us stood in silence for a little while as we walked back to my old room. I saw that everything had been cleared out. Raven had taken all of her things and left the room in pristine condition. "Put on the dress," Peggy goaded again. "Steve wants to see it, right?"

Steve smiled at her and nodded. "Right."

That meant that I had to try it on. I knew that they wouldn't let me get out of it. "Okay. Fine. Out!" I shouted at Steve, pushing him towards the door. "You can come back once I have it on."

"Alright. I'm leaving, I'm leaving," Steve said, putting his hands up.

Thankfully I had Peggy with me, because I never would have been able to get into the dress without her. She made sure that it was pulled correctly in all of the right areas and confirmed to me that it was fitted properly. As I put on the dress - leaving off the shoes and accessories - I could see Peggy getting more and more excited. Even I was getting excited. And when we let Steve in, I saw that he, too, was excited. Eventually Howard had come burst into the room, teasing me that it was his money and he deserved to see it, also letting me know that he loved it and it was money well spent.

Eventually we heard Bucky knocking at the door. "Are you all in there?" Bucky asked.

No one answered him for a moment. That was enough to signal him that something was wrong. The door started to open when I brought up a gust of wind and slammed it shut. "Private meeting, Bucky!" I called.

"How is that fair?" Bucky shouted.

It was enough to make everyone laugh. For a moment I searched through the minds of everyone around us, looking for her. I knew that Raven wouldn't have gotten far. Despite the fact that I wouldn't go after her - knowing that this was something that she wanted and needed to do on her own - I wanted to let her know that I cared about her. I wanted to let her know that she could always come back and see me. Right now it seemed like she was working on a way to get back to the United States - New York, judging by what the port said.

Good luck, Raven.

She was clearly a little surprised by my voice in her mind, but she didn't jump or scream. She merely smiled, relief flooding into her body. Thank you for everything, Victoria. I hope we meet again one day.

We will. I have faith in that.

I'll see you again, one day.

We would. I genuinely believed that. Knowing that it was time to leave Raven on her own, I pulled back from her mind and returned to my own. In the future we could catch up. Maybe spend some more time together. But for now we had our own lives to live. Just like my departure from Logan. Everyone was still laughing in our room as Bucky and the men stood on one side of the doorway, Steve, Peggy, Howard, and I on the other. I smiled at the sight of them, realizing that I was genuinely happy. I just hoped that one day Raven could find the same happiness in her own life.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

The morning dawned with the soft pink glow that I was used to lighting up the corner of the room that I was laying in, slowly spreading over to the door. Trying to convince myself that it was time to wake up, I very slowly rolled over. Like most mornings, Bucky was already awake and looking down at me. I had noticed a few days ago that Bucky had been keeping a closer eye on me since Raven had left the compound with nothing more than a note. He was clearly concerned for my state of mind after her disappearance.

But I wasn't that bothered about it. I wished that she was still here, but I knew that she was better off where she was, trying to start her life anew. I had only heard from Raven once more since she had left about a week ago. I did miss the young girl, but I was no fool. I knew that she was best off in a different place. She had to have the chance to grow somewhere else, just like I had. Despite missing her, I was happy for her. The only thing that I wished was that I had actually gotten a chance to say goodbye. A few days after she had left, I had slipped into her mind again.

"Raven."

Instead of jumping like most people did, I felt Raven relax slightly. "I wondered if you would contact me," Raven's voice whispered back.

But in the back of her mind, I could hear the worry. The concern that I would follow her. "I won't follow you. I know that you don't want me to. I know that you want to be on your own. I understand that. I wish you all of the luck in the world, Raven. I really do," I said honestly.

"Thank you, Victoria. For everything. All of you."

"Anytime. Come back if you ever need us."

"I will."

Just like I had seen a few days prior, I could see that she was wandering the streets of New York, somewhere upstate, it appeared. "Good luck in New York," I whispered deep into her mind.

Even from here I could see the smile appear on her face. "You always were smart."

"Yes. I was. New York was my home. Maybe it'll be yours, too."

"Be careful out there."

"You, too. I'll see you again one day," I promised.

Just like I would find Logan again one day, I was also going to find Raven again one day. The mutants were a family, no matter what. "Absolutely," Raven said, a smile in her thoughts. "Enjoy your wedding."

"Enjoy your life."

The exchange between the two of us had been surprisingly pleasant. In fact, it was the most pleasant goodbye that I could ever remember having. Perhaps because I knew this time that I would see her again later. I could tell that Raven was excited about starting her new life. Without letting Raven know, I had slipped into her mind again just the other day to see how she was doing. It appeared that Raven had met another mutant in New York. A telepath, just like I was. The young boy's name was Charles Xavier. Perhaps one day I would meet him too.

In the meantime, Bucky was still smiling down at me. I reached up and gently brushed his hair back off of his forehead. His hands were very slowly traveling over my almost-bear form, tickling me ever-so-slightly. I shivered slightly. Bucky's grin widened slightly. As usual, I was laying in the bed in just my underwear. I had gotten used to it. Plus it was warm last night, so I didn't bother wearing the robe. I hadn't worn it in a while actually. Bucky reached down and pulled the blankets up around our chests and in the meantime, wrapping his arm around me.

He was giving me a slight smile as he leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead. His arm wrapped a little bit tighter around me to the point that it was getting slightly difficult to breathe. I didn't bother fighting him on it as he leaned down to press a kiss against my mouth, his hands gripping at my waist, making me giggle slightly. To my surprise, I decided to start moving things along with Bucky, like I had always wanted to do. I rolled him underneath me and planted myself over his hips. Bucky was clearly surprised by my actions.

But I didn't care. Not that he was surprised and not that what I was doing was very much inappropriate. Even more so than just being in bed with him. Either way I was so happy being with Bucky. More than I had ever thought that I could be with anyone. I leaned down onto his chest, keeping his hips in between my thighs. My fingers dug softly into his chest as Bucky's hands wrapped around the bottom of my thighs tightly, enough to indicate that he wasn't letting go of me anytime soon. The way that he was gripping me was definitely possessive.

"Ready to go to Greece?" I asked, breaking the kiss and leaning up slightly.

"Not really," Bucky said, his hands running down the length of my legs. "I'd rather stay here."

"Me too," I said.

"Stay in bed all day."

"Alas, we both have jobs, and that means doing other things," I teased.

"Maybe on a honeymoon one day," Bucky said.

"Honeymoon?"

Honestly, a possible honeymoon was something that I hadn't even bothered thinking about. It seemed that we were too busy to take one. "Yeah. Those typically happen after a wedding," Bucky teased.

"I hadn't even thought about that," I mumbled.

"Might be nice to get away from everything for a little while," Bucky suggested.

"Where would we go?" I asked him.

Bucky thought about it for a moment, rubbing his chin. "I don't know. Where do you want to go?" he asked.

There wasn't anywhere that I really wanted to go. I liked being here just fine. No one stared at me like I was a monster. "Maybe nowhere. Maybe I'll just want to keep you inside our room," I said playfully.

"Hmm... That sounds like the perfect time," Bucky grinned.

"Does it?"

"Mm-hmm," Bucky said, running his hands up and down my legs again. "I think I know where you want to go."

"Where's that?" I asked before realizing what he might have been thinking. "Watch what you say. I'll still kill you."

Bucky laughed softly and shook his head. Maybe that wasn't what he was thinking. "I know. I don't think that it's a place that we can actually go," Bucky said. I raised a brow. Where could we not go? "You told me about it once, a long time ago." I raised a brow. What had I told him about? I couldn't remember. "You used to hear your parents talking about Wakanda. It fascinated you, the idea of going there."

Had I ever told him about that? Apparently. Even though I hadn't thought that it was a story that I had ever repeated to anyone. When I was young, I used to hear my parents talking about the mysterious country, so reclusive and evidently so disadvantaged. But I remembered their explanations to each other and other scientists. It was really one of the most technologically advanced societies due to the abundance of Vibranium in the soil. They used it for everything and didn't sell it to anyone else to avoid getting involved in foreign conflicts. I could only imagine what it looked like there.

Perhaps one day I would get to see it. As for now, it was closed off to the rest of the world. "I forgot that I told you about that," I mumbled.

Bucky smiled. "When you told me about Wakanda, I remember it being the first time that I really wanted to travel," he admitted.

He always had liked Brooklyn and New York in general. I was honestly surprised that he even liked living in England. "With me? Or in general? Or perhaps with someone else?" I teased.

"Only with you," Bucky said.

He definitely couldn't go alone. He would have been sure to get lost. But I didn't bother saying that. Not in the nice and sweet romantic moment. I smiled and pulled Bucky in for a lingering kiss. We stayed together for a few moments before pulling away. We both smiled as we merely laid pressed against each other. It didn't seem like it had ever been so hard to force myself to get out of the bed and get moving for the day. So I decided to cave and give myself a few more minutes of sleep. After all, we still weren't leaving for a while.

It could have been a few minutes or a few hours. I wasn't really sure. All I knew was that the two of us were laying together in the bed and I closed my eyes, wishing that we could have laid here forever. Bucky brushed his lips gently across my temple as I dozed for a few more minutes, somewhere in between being asleep and awake. For what seemed like the millionth time, I dreamed of our wedding day and what it would look like. Perhaps that farm house that Howard really wanted us to have. Or maybe even that beach house that I had wanted for so long.

Bucky could be whatever he wanted. He was still young. He had a long time to figure it out and I would support him no matter what he wanted to do. I could do... I wasn't sure what I could do. I was a mutant. It would be limited. Maybe start with trying to go to school for real this time around. Or try making something on my own. A school for mutants. Or just for women. I even dreamed about the rest of my life with him. Could we really have a family? A white picket fence and two kids running around? Maybe. Complete happiness? Definitely.

"We could do it right now," Bucky's voice called, startling me from my half-asleep trance. I peeked an eye open and glanced at him. "Stay here. Stay in bed all day. Let the men go out on their mission."

For a moment it was incredibly tempting. But I knew that there was something more important for me to be doing right now. "I'm supposed to be out there bossing them around," I said.

"That's Steve's job."

"And he's terrible at it."

"That's true."

In all actuality, he wasn't that terrible. But I was definitely better at it. Perhaps because I was just used to it. "You know what?" I said. Bucky hummed at me. "I think that you're a bad influence. Here we are, an unmarried couple laying together in bed, almost completely unclothed. And you're trying to convince me to stay here all day rather than actually do work."

"You know what? I think that you're the one who started making me a bad influence," Bucky shot back.

Was I a bad influence? Yes, probably. I definitely wasn't a good person. I had murdered people from young children to grown adults, some innocent and some not. I had murdered my own parents. Violent. Cruel. Savage. All perfect words to describe me. But that wasn't what Bucky was talking about. I knew what he was talking about. And I had to be honest, I wasn't a good influence in that way either. He might have been slightly worse than me, but I wasn't helping it along. Especially with the animalistic tendencies that I had.

"Now that's not fair," I said, nudging Bucky.

"What is it that you say? Life's not fair," he shot back.

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. "Should have known that that was going to come back and haunt me one day," I laughed.

The two of us both laughed for a few seconds before Bucky said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

There was something slightly uncomfortable in his voice. I raised a brow, wondering what it was that he wanted. "After the wedding we'll be back in New York. Why don't we spend a week or two and just... be together? Do whatever we want. Go travel or just hole up in a hotel room," he said.

That was why he sounded so awkward. He didn't want to talk about what happened that night. "That sounds nice. We could see your family. Spend some time with them," I suggested.

It would be nice to hang around Jessica, Rebecca, and Justin for longer than just a few minutes. "Will you show me something?" Bucky asked.

"What do you want to see?" I asked.

"Your home."

"My home? Chester's house? That's where we're having the wedding," I pointed out.

If he meant the inside of the house, I would show him that in the days before the wedding. "No. The home that you grew up in," Bucky said suddenly.

My heart sank down into my stomach and even further. He wanted to see the childhood house that I had been in? Not even a home. There was no bit of that place that had been a home. There wasn't even anything left there. I had burned it all to the ground long ago. I didn't know that I wanted to see the remnants of it. I had always been too cowardly to go back and see it. I didn't want to see the ghosts of the people whose lives I had taken. The first ones in a long line of lives, each one meaning less and less. My first time being Savage.

"What?" I finally asked breathlessly.

Bucky seemed to realize that I wasn't fond of the idea of returning to my old home. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to. I've just - I've always been curious to see it," he said weakly, trying to retract his earlier statement.

But I wasn't offended. I supposed that nervous was a better word for it. "Well I doubt that there's anything there anymore. The house burned down. I - I don't think that they ever rebuilt anything there. Not when they thought that the loving family that lived there died tragically in a house fire in the middle of the night," I said honestly, sneering my words slightly.

Loving my ass... "You don't have to show me," Bucky said softly.

There weren't many things that he asked for. I supposed that I could do that one thing. Get over my own fear. "You asked to see it. You wouldn't have asked if you didn't want to see it. I get it, Bucky. You want to see everything that's made me the person that I am," I reasoned. Bucky nodded slowly. "I'll show you my childhood home one day. One day I might even show you Stryker's lab. What's left of it, anyway."

How much was even left of the lab? When I had left, it had been imploding on itself. Howard had later told me that there was very little of it left. Essentially just the shell of the building and some paperwork. Of course, all of that had been taken by Stryker's few remaining workers and later on, Howard. The thought of returning to Stryker's lab after so long was frightening, but perhaps it was something that I needed to do. Just see it one last time. Remember all of the progress that I was making and remember that things could be a lot worse.

"Would you be okay going back?" Bucky asked carefully, knowing that I wasn't totally comfortable with the thought of going back.

"Alone? No," I said honestly. "With you? Maybe."

Bucky seemed to know that talking about my prison chamber was tough for me. "We could go back to that old cafe? Remember the one?" Bucky asked. I raised a brow. Which one was he talking about? There were tons of cafes that we used to go to when we were kids. "It was around the corner from the old apartment. I used to catch you there whenever something upset you."

"Hatlin's…" I mumbled, the memory slowly coming back to me. "Was that it?"

"Yeah. I loved that place," Bucky said, his lips turning up in a smile.

"Gosh I haven't thought of that place in forever," I whispered.

That was the truth. I hadn't thought about the little bar in a long time. It was just a few blocks down from the apartments and had been the tiniest little hole-in-the-wall bar. Not many people had been there, but we always had. There were all sorts of trinkets from the early nineteenth century resting up on the wall with plaques explaining them. I had always thought that it was rather fascinating to read them. Most were sexist, but it was fascinating still. It had always been dark and smoky, the perfect place to hide from all of your problems.

Bucky and I had spent a number of late afternoons and nights there. Hatlin's had been open until well into the morning - it would serve the last round at two o'clock in the morning - so there were some nights that we would eat there and then wander around the park or apartment complex, never even returning home. Definitely not our wisest choices, but sometimes that was easier than having to deal with questions from Steve or his family. Especially when all I wanted was to be alone... or just with him.

It was always one of our favorite places to hide from the world together. It was the one place that neither one of us had ever gone to with Steve. Just that one place. Neither one of us had ever brought anyone else there. No one from our school knew about it. It was on the poor side of town and no one that was anyone would have been caught dead there. Steve didn't even know that it was there. It was just the two of us, whenever we were upset about something. We had gone countless times growing up. There was one time in particular that was currently coming back to me.

During my last year of middle school when I was thirteen, I had spent a lot of time with Bucky in Hatlin's. He had been sixteen - about to turn seventeen - and had been in his third year of high school. That day I had sprinted home from school after Johnathan had made another show out of me at lunch time. He had spilled his juice all over me and made a joke about how I couldn't make it to the bathroom on time. One of his many jokes that were made at my expense. Without Bucky and Steve in the school to stand up for me, Johnathan and his cronies always attacked me.

Even with Steve and Bucky in school with me they were still nasty towards me, but it had only gotten worse now that they were in the sister high school. All I could think was that in one more year I would be with them again, but a year seemed like forever right now. I was still sprinting towards Hatlin's with tears flowing down my face as I heard their laughter echoing in my brain. It wasn't just from the memory of them and the rest of the large school laughing at me. It was because I could actually hear their voices, still making fun of me.

They hated me. They would always hate me. Everyone hated me. The only people who loved me were Bucky and Steve, and one day they, too, would move on from me. I darted into the bar with my hair hanging limply in front of my eyes and dove into a booth in the back corner of the bar. Because of the dark and musty air, no one had ever even noticed that I had yellow eyes. To them, I was just another paying customer who came in whenever I was having a bad day. They were some of the few people who didn't stare at me. Of course, it would change if they saw me in the daylight.

For now, though, it was fine. None of the waiters or waitresses came over to visit me and see what I wanted. They had never asked me what I wanted. They usually just waited until I came and said that I needed something, which was rarely. They merely sat and let me linger, since I caused no problems. For a long time I sat and debated on how long I could sit here. At least for another five or six hours. Until the Barnes' and Rogers' started looking for me. Bucky and Steve, more specifically. As for what to do next, I wasn't sure.

Perhaps one day I would figure it out. But that wasn't right now. Right now I just wanted to sit and pity myself. But I really wished that I wasn't crying. I was sick of crying. That didn't change things though. Mostly because I hated the way that they could all get to me. They were just words... but they weren't. They were more. My life was already so miserable. Why did they have to keep making things worse for me? Perhaps because they had always seen me as an easy target. My hands began to buzz as I debated on showing them just how tough I really was.

All of them could have been dead within seconds if I had really wanted it. I really should have. I could have showed them just how tough I was. But I couldn't do that. I wasn't a monster, no matter what people said about me. I never would be. I was better than that. It wasn't that surprising when Bucky took a seat across from me after I had spent a few hours staring at the wooden table. For a moment he didn't speak. He was trying to see through my curtain of white-blonde hair, but I refused to look at him. I didn't want him to see how easily the other kids could get to me.

Ten minutes later a brunette waitress in her mid-fifties appeared at our side, notepad in hand. "How about a milkshake?" Bucky asked me.

I stayed silent. "What can I get you, sweetie?" the woman asked us.

"A chocolate shake, please," Bucky told her.

The older woman nodded and walked off, smiling at the two of us. Only because she couldn't see what I looked like. And perhaps because she - like everyone else - thought that Bucky was quite the charmer. And he was. Why he was even moderately interested in being my friend was beyond me. As Bucky sat with me in silence, not even asking me to look at him, I knew that I was supposed to open my mouth and say something. Thank him for showing up, at least, but I said nothing.

Being emotional and thankful wasn't something that I was good with. But I supposed that, at this point, Bucky already knew that. He wasn't going to push me to speak until I was ready. For a few minutes the two of us just sat together in a loud silence. Bucky eventually reached over and grabbed my hands that were knitted in front of my chest. That was all that the two of us did. We just sat together with our hands clasped. That was all that either one of us needed. It was more than I deserved.

"One chocolate shake," the waitress said, appearing back at our side. "You want anything else, sweetie?" I could only assume that she was asking me, since Bucky wasn't speaking. I shook my head slowly. "Okay. Let me know."

The woman was speaking slowly, as if trying to comfort an animal at bay. "Thank you," Bucky told the woman. She smiled and walked off. Bucky pushed the milkshake towards me, but I left it alone. "Want to talk?" I shook my head. "How about an order of fries?" That was enough to get me to almost crack a smile. Fries were my absolute favorite snack in the world. "Yeah, I thought so. Miss!"

The woman turned back to face us. "What's up, sweetie?" she asked happily.

"Can we get an order of fries?" Bucky asked.

"Sure thing," she called back.

Perhaps it was good for me to eat something. That was what I really needed right now. Food. Something that Bucky was always good for. So we sat together for a while longer. We still didn't say anything and I was grateful for it. He never pushed me to talk and let me rant and rave like a lunatic when I needed to. Right now, I had nothing to say to him. Nothing that wouldn't make me sound psychotic. I liked the little silences that we had anyways. But I couldn't help but to wonder where his newest girlfriend was for the past few hours. Susan. They had been dating for a few weeks now.

"Fries," the waitress said, placing down a large plate in between the two of us.

"Thanks," Bucky said.

The two of us sat together in silence for another few minutes. I could hear the internal gears of the grandfather clock ticking and chiming and grinding together. The clinking of the silverware. Everyone's chewing. Breathing. Speaking. Their thoughts about the strange little girl sitting in the back booth and that nice-looking boy who seemed such an odd match for her. Desperate to block them out, I grabbed one of the fries on the plate and stuck it in the milkshake, stuffing it in my mouth. Bucky smiled at my actions - something that he had taught me.

Once I had finished my mouthful I asked, "Where's Susan?"

My voice was raspy from the lack of use. "Ah. She speaks!" Bucky cried joyfully, laughing softly. I merely stared blankly at him, waiting for my answer. "Told her to head home. There was something that I needed to take care of tonight."

I couldn't imagine that she had liked that. "She's your girlfriend," I pointed out.

"Yeah. So? You're my best friend. There's no one more important than you," Bucky said.

It was his classic argument. I was his best friend and Steve was his best friend. He loved us and no one would ever stop him. What had either one of us done to deserve him? I sniffled back my tears as Bucky leaned forward and brushed a stray tear from my eyes. As Bucky smiled at me I couldn't help but to wonder if my parents might have been right about me. Maybe I shouldn't have ever come out into the public eye. These people clearly hated me just as much as my own parents did. Maybe even more. Maybe no one would ever love me.

"Your knuckles are bruised," I pointed out, spotting the black and blue marks against his knuckles.

Bucky laughed and wrung his fingers over themselves. "Yeah. Kind of went after Johnathan for what he said about you," Bucky admitted. I let out a deep breath. He would get in trouble for that. "Especially since he was laughing about it." I flinched slightly and Bucky gave me a guilty smile. "Sorry. But he deserved what he had coming. He won't be laughing. Not for a while, at least."

"And what'd you pay for it?" I asked.

"Two days' suspension," Bucky said carelessly.

"Bucky -"

"Worth it," he interrupted.

But it wasn't worth it for him to continuously get in trouble because he was defending me. The two of us stared at each other for a little while as a small frown marred Bucky's face. He knew that I was upset with him. But I hated him got getting himself into trouble again. He was always getting lunch detentions or brief suspensions for fighting back against what everyone else said about me. It drove me insane. He was ruining his own future just because kids were cruel. He couldn't keep standing up for me if it meant getting into trouble himself.

"Why do you hang around me?" I asked suddenly.

If my question had surprised him, he didn't let me see it. "Because I love you. Because you're my best friend," Bucky said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But it can't be worth all of this," I said, motioning flippantly around us.

Bucky raised a brow. "The suspension?" he asked. I nodded. His mother would kill him for getting another one. "Who cares? It's a few days that I don't have to be in school. I don't like school anyways. I know, that's sacrilege for someone like you to hear from me, but it's the truth."

He was grinning at me. "Who taught you that word?" I teased.

Bucky had a terrible grade in English. There was no way that he knew that word. "You did." That sounded more likely. "Vika... don't listen to them, okay? You're so much better than they are. They're just a bunch of dumb kids," Bucky said. Perhaps... but their words still bothered me. I would always be the odd one out. "The day's going to come that we get to leave this place and never look back. You and me and Steve. The three of us against the world, right?"

"What about Susan?" I asked bitterly.

Every few months or weeks Bucky would have a different girl. Susan was just the latest in a long stream of girls. She was his type. Perfectly curled blonde hair, thin and tall, with a sweet attitude. Bright blue eyes and a chipper laugh. Consistently happy. A good cook. The motherly type. Nothing like me. Precisely the reason that the two of us didn't get along very well. Not that I would tell Bucky that I hated her. If he was happy, that was what mattered to me. Even if it meant that I had to put up with snide remarks from her and ignore her dangling him in front of me.

"You know..." Bucky started, breaking my thoughts. "I'm thinking about ending it with her."

Now that was a surprise. "Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because she doesn't like you," Bucky said.

"So?" I asked bitterly. "No one does."

"I do," Bucky snapped back. "I'm not gonna be with anyone who doesn't like you. She doesn't like how much time that I spend with you. She asked me to stop speaking to you and I'm not gonna do that."

It was unsurprising. Many of Bucky's old girlfriends had despised the amount of time that we had spent together. A number hadn't liked that we essentially lived together. Some worried that his friendship with me would damage their reputation since they were linked to him. No matter what it was, I couldn't remember any of Bucky's girlfriends - or even friends, for that matter - being okay with him being close to me. Steve was always the only one who hadn't cared. Bucky, too. If a girlfriend hadn't liked me, he had never cared. He would tell them to get over it or move on.

In a much nicer way, though. "You'll lose your girlfriend," I pointed out, well aware of the many times that it had already happened.

"But I won't lose you. And that's what really matters," Bucky said, grinning.

"Buck?" I asked after a few moments' silence.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for being here."

"Always," he said determinedly.

And so he had proven himself true. He had always been there for me, even in the days that I hadn't been there for him. He had always been the one to be loyal to me. That old bar had been the site of many conversations like that one. When kids made fun of or hurt me, when Bucky was embarrassed by his grades or hurt by a girlfriend, or just when life felt too heavy. It was our place of solace for so many years. Or perhaps it wasn't the bar. We were each other's solace, even back then. We just hadn't realized how far it had gone.

"We used to like that place a lot, didn't we?" I asked, smiling at Bucky.

"It was one of our favorite places to go when we were kids. It was always the place that either one of us could go whenever we were upset. We always knew that we could find each other there," Bucky answered.

"We've always known each other a lot better than either one of us wanted to admit."

"Nah. I know that I know everything about you."

"Everything?" I asked, raising a brow.

Because there had been one very big piece of my life that he had been missing for a long time. Bucky gave me a bashful smile. "Well... even if I'm missing something, I have the rest of my life to figure it out," he said.

And we did. There were still many years left for the two of us. I smiled as Bucky leaned over and pulled me against his chest, practically throwing me over himself. I laughed as I laid my head down against his chest and his chin buried itself in my hair. So many years had passed since we were those kids that hid like ghosts in Hatlin's and I loved the way that we had ended up. Even back then, this wasn't something that I had ever seen coming, but now it was something that I couldn't imagine living without. And I knew that Bucky felt the same way.

"How much longer do we have?" Bucky asked.

Glancing over towards the clock, I said, "About an hour."

"Just enough time," Bucky said, grinning playfully.

My eyes narrowed as he shifted towards me slightly. "You know that I can read your mind, right?" I asked, even though I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking.

Bucky chuckled softly. "I don't have to read your mind to know that you're thinking the same thing," he teased.

He was right about that much. "Fine... An hour it is," I sighed.

We both laughed, knowing that I was just kidding about it being a hassle, being with him. It was one of my favorite things in the world, as a matter of fact. Bucky reached over for my hip and wrapped a hand around it, tugging me to roll underneath his own body. His hands very gently traced my frame and I giggled at the feather-light touches as Bucky brought me into a long kiss. That same kind of kiss that he had given me a thousand times before. That same kiss that still made my heart race. He tilted my head back slightly as I let myself melt into the soft bed.

There was once a time in my life where I wasn't comfortable with anything or anyone. For a long time it was the way that I had thought that I would be forever. But things were different now. For the first time ever, I found myself completely at ease being with Bucky. I had never been so happy with anyone else. I never could be. Not this way. Not considering that he was just in his underwear. My hands very slowly trailed down his body to tease at the waistband of his underwear. He grinned and gently fingered the strap of my bra playfully so that it shifted off of my shoulder.

"You're a tease," Bucky mumbled against my mouth.

My hands pulled his underwear string a little together. "So are you."

"When are you gonna do something about it?"

That time I had to break the kiss, considering that my jaw dropped and I was unable to stop it. He always had and likely always would shock me when he said things like that. I wasn't used to him saying things like that. But every now and again he did. And each time I felt it warm my core slightly. My heartbeat was fluttering slightly as I stared at him. His mouth was tilted up in a playful smile. That was when I realized that he was kidding. But the dark gaze in his eyes told me that it was only slightly joking. So I decided to mess back with him.

"Come on, Buck. You're the man. Aren't you supposed to be the one to make the first move?" I asked.

Bucky grinned and took the bait, just like I was expecting. "Alright."

Bucky reached for me and, for a moment, I thought that he was planning on throwing me onto the floor. I probably would have deserved it. Instead he wrapped an arm around me waist and lifted me up into his lap. I laughed under my breath as he pulled me up against his lap and began pulling at the hook in the back of my bra. He was just inches away from pulling the piece of clothing off of me. One hook was already undone. And then... then what would happen? Would we keep going or manage to restrain ourselves?

The thought that would have once sent me running for the hills now sent a jolt of elation through me. It wasn't just because I needed to take one of the pills. I knew that I wanted it. It was a long time coming that I had so desperately wanted it to keep happening. I was so sick of waiting for this to happen. Waiting a year was never going to work. So as he worked at the hook on the back of my bra, I moved my hands back to the string on his drawers. My thumb was gently pressing against his bare stomach as my fingers gently worked at the knot that he had put in them last night.

His own were a little unsteady. Was he planning on stopping me? No, it didn't seem like it. His hands gently wrapped over mine, helping loosen the knot. It was his way of telling me that he didn't want me to stop. If I was ready, so was he. That was what mattered. I knew that we had enough time. At least, I was hopeful that we had enough time. We both wanted this. We would be married soon enough, after all... I had no real reason for either one of us not to do what we both so desperately wanted. Perhaps it really was time.

The moment that Bucky was about ready to take off my bra - as he had undone the second clasp - and I had managed to undo the knotted string of his boxers, a knock at the door sounded. Typical, really. We both jumped apart slightly but didn't completely pull apart. Our foreheads remained pressed together as Bucky pressed a gentle kiss against my bare shoulder. There was no need for embarrassment. After all, we were going to be married soon enough and we were in love. There was nothing that wrong with what we were doing. But we also didn't want to be discovered.

"Buck! Vic!" Steve's voice drifted in through the hallway. They all knew that we lived together now, but it still wasn't a topic of open discussion at my threat that I would kill them if they mentioned it in front of Chester. He knew that we lived together, but I knew that he didn't want to hear about it. "We're getting ready to leave soon."

"Yeah. We're just finishing up getting ready," I blatantly lied. "Give us five minutes."

"We'll be at the air field," Steve said.

"Okay," Bucky called back blankly.

Since Steve had such wonderful hearing, I waited a few moments until his footsteps had completely receded, ensuring that he was long gone by the time that we spoke again. Slowly my gaze turned back to Bucky. He hadn't once looked away from me. His hands stayed locked on my back as he re-hooked the bra politely. My hands slowly fell from the tie on his underwear. Bucky didn't look ashamed as he smiled at me, brushing the hair back off of my forehead and trailing his hands down my slightly flushed cheeks.

"That was... good timing..." I said breathlessly.

"No, it wasn't," Bucky said.

We both laughed softly. Before I realized it, I had said, "Tell you what."

"What?"

My heart was hammering out of my chest as I realized that I had already spoken. I couldn't just ignore it right now. This was my chance to say something and make sure that we finally took that next step. Once I said this, there was no going back. There would be no way to take it back. But I wanted it. I so desperately wanted it. I had since long before the two of us even started sharing a bed together. Perhaps way back during Bucky's basic training. That wasn't the right time. This was. I wouldn't feel guilty if we did it. I knew that.

"Survive this mission, and we'll finish this," I said lowly.

Bucky stared at me for a moment, probably wondering if I was kidding. His eyebrows raised in surprise when I nodded my consent at him. "If there was ever a good reason to come back home," he said, chuckling and running his hands through his hair.

"Marrying me wasn't good enough?" I teased.

"There will never be anything better than that," Bucky said seriously.

"Nothing?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing. Not a single damn thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Bucky said, not even an ounce of doubt audible in his voice. He really was sure about this. About me. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked dumbly.

"Is there anything better than me?"

Of course not. I don't even know what I'd do without you. But I sensed a perfect opportunity to mess with him, so I said, "I don't know, I really do like Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Bucky's face fell. "You're such an ass," he snapped, laughing anyways,

We both laughed as Bucky went to move from the bed. I reached after him, grabbed his arm, and yanked him back. "I'm kidding. I'm just kidding," I giggled. Bucky smiled as he ran a finger through my hair. "No. There's nothing that will ever mean more to me. You're one of the only people who's ever looked at me like I wasn't a monster. You didn't run when you found out what I was. You forgave me for leaving you. You... You're willing to give up everything for a life with someone like me."

"I'm not giving up anything," Bucky snapped. "I'm getting everything that I ever wanted."

"A wife who doesn't even know how to be one?" I questioned glumly.

"The love of my life," Bucky said, grinning at me. He's too good for you. "Stop saying that you aren't good enough for me. You're better than me. Better than everyone. I'm the one that doesn't deserve you."

How did I ever end up with someone who would say things like that to me? How did I ever end up with someone who literally believed that I could do no wrong? Maybe it was because we had grown up together as kids. Maybe he still remembered me when I was a lot more innocent. Maybe it was because he had never seen me attack someone who was innocent. I didn't know. All I knew was that no one would ever look at me the way that Bucky did and that was what I deserved. Not someone who thought that I was an angel sent from above.

He deserved someone ten times better than me - and someone normal. "That's a lie," I muttered.

"No, it's not. You know what my mother used to tell me about love?" Bucky said.

Mrs. Barnes had talked to me a little bit about love. I didn't know that she gave Bucky the same talks. "No," I said slowly.

Bucky smiled, obviously remembering his mother fondly. "She used to say that you don't need someone to complete you. You only need someone to accept you completely," Bucky said.

Something jolted in me. Maybe he wasn't okay with what I had done. He had just accepted it. He accepted that I was different from him. He accepted that I had done some nightmarish things. He accepted that I wasn't the kind of person to grow old and settle down and have a family. He had accepted that he wouldn't have a normal life with me. How I had never seen those things was beyond me, because I realized it now. He had said it to me, back in the bar, right after Steve and I had rescued the soldiers. I'm not okay with you, I'm in love with you.

And I was in love with him too. "That's something that I've carried with me for my entire life," Bucky continued. "It carried with me when you told me all about yourself and it's still carried with me. It will until the day that I die."

"Sounds like your mother," I said slowly. "I'm glad that she told you that and I'm glad that you accepted it."

"I always had a person to show me exactly what she meant."

Yes, I supposed that I was the prime example. I smiled slightly as Bucky pressed another kiss against my mouth. We stayed locked together for a little while before I broke the kiss. "Do we really have to get up?" I groaned.

"We've got incentive to come back, don't we?" Bucky joked.

"You do, at least," I shot back.

Bucky let out a barking laugh. "Don't get cocky."

"I have every right to be. I'm flexible."

It was the truth. I had always been and training with the men made me even more flexible. Bucky laughed as I kicked him gently away from me and leaned back over the edge of the bed. It probably looked like I was about to fall out of the bed when I hit the ground with my hands, upside down, rolling over myself out of the bed. I briefly let my legs fall into a split before throwing myself over my torso and landing back on my feet, righting myself and flipping my hair out of my face. Bucky had been watching me closely the entire time, sitting up in the bed.

His eyes were darker than normal as he stood from the bed. "I'll remember that," he said, passing me closely and pressing his bare chest against my arm.

"Come on, hotshot," I teased, laughing and shoving him gently away from me. "We're running late."

We both laughed and smiled at each other as we began getting ready for the day. Bucky let me use the bathroom as he changed in the bedroom. I pulled on my uniform and straightened it out. Howard had lately decided to add a new piece to the uniform. Three jagged claw-marks, neon green, sat over my chest, right where my heart was and extended down to my ribcage. I had had to be very quiet about admitting that I had liked it, or else Howard would have never let me forget it. Once I was ready, I turned back to Bucky, who was zipping up his jacket.

"Ready?" I asked.

His eyes traced over the lines of the uniform, skimming over the weapons at my hips and thighs, before tracking back up to my eyes. "Sooner we leave, sooner we get to come back," Bucky said brightly.

"I knew that would get you moving."

We both laughed. "You know the way to my heart."

"I'm not so sure that's your heart that you're thinking with," I shot back.

It definitely wasn't his heart. The two of us laughed again as I gathered my gun, slipping it into my thigh holster, and headed over towards the door. Bucky threw the rifle onto his back as the two of us made our way out into the open hallway. No one was out here anymore and I was grateful for it. I felt like I had shame written all over my face, which would likely get worse as soon as I saw the others. We headed off towards the air field where the rest of the men, Chester, Peggy, and Howard would be waiting for us. Bucky and I clasped hands as we walked.

The two of us walked over towards the back of the air field. The plane that Howard had become so accustomed to flying was usually back towards the rear of the air field to keep it from being accidentally photographed. We couldn't have Hydra knowing who we were. Today we would be heading deep into Greece to find and destroy the Hydra Uber Tank. It would take us just under four hours to get there in the plane. The two of us headed up the ramp to the plane and I grinned at the rest of the men, who were already standing around a table.

"Morning, everyone," I chirped.

"Morning," they all replied.

As we headed over to the table, I turned towards Bucky. "Go ahead and get ready for the mission. We'll talk about everything soon," I said.

Bucky nodded and walked off towards Dum Dum and Gabe as I headed over towards Steve, who was loading his handgun. The two of us smiled at each other. "You two were late this morning," Steve commented.

"What?" I growled, gritting the word out between my teeth. "Are we really going to have this conversation?"

"Just..." Steve began.

His voice quickly dropped off as he stared down at the ground. Of course. He wasn't going to say anything about his two best friends getting potentially intimate with each other. I crossed my arms over my chest. "You can't even say it. You think that it's too awkward," I said slowly.

"Well, it is. You're like my sister and Bucky might as well be my brother," Steve said.

Now that wasn't a picture that I needed in my head. "Oh, don't say it like that. Because I think of you as my brother and I really don't want to have to start thinking about Bucky as my brother, too," I groaned.

"If it keeps the two of you from -"

"So, how are things going with Peggy?" I interrupted.

"Vic -"

"Tell me."

We were not talking about my relationship with Bucky and we definitely weren't talking about my relationship. Steve stared at me for a moment before letting out a breath. "Nothing's happening. Peggy is really nice. She's... She's tough. Not like you, but she's tough for someone without any mutations. She's one of the few people that was nice to me before Captain America," he explained.

"Yeah, I know how that feels," I breathed out. Very few people had been nice to me before I had revealed the truth about myself. "She really likes you."

"Vic -"

"Come on!"

"Come on with what?"

Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrowed my eyes irritably at him. "You know what, Steve. It's important to Bucky and me, for you to be happy with someone," I snapped.

"I'm happy without someone," Steve pointed out.

"You might be happy with someone too," I half-sang.

He was going to be wonderful with Peggy. I believed that. "Maybe. But it really doesn't matter to me," Steve said, shrugging.

But he could have been so good with her! If only he would listen to me... "Oh, come on. I can see how much you like her. I see it every time that you look at her," I said. Steve let out a soft breath as he stared at me. Perhaps I really would have to recruit the men to help me out here. "It's not just me. Everyone does. Just ask her dancing. I bet you that she'd say yes."

Steve stared at me for a moment. "You really think that she'd say yes?" he asked slowly.

"I'm absolutely positive that she'd say yes."

"What do I say?"

"How about something along the lines of, 'Peggy, would you like to go dancing with me?'" I teased.

"But -"

"Oh, I've got it!" I interrupted loudly.

"Got what?" Steve asked.

"The perfect time for you to ask Peggy out on a date!"

"But -"

"My wedding!" I interrupted again.

"Wedding?"

"Yes, Steve, I'm getting married, in case you forgot. Come on, you were there when Bucky proposed to me," I teased.

"Shut up. I know that," Steve snapped. "Wouldn't that be a little awkward?"

It wouldn't be the slightest bit awkward and it would make the happiest day of my life just the slightest bit happier. "Of course not. Think a little bit. You're both going to be at the wedding anyways and you'll already be expected to dance together. You're the best man and Peggy's the maid of honor. You'll be each other's escorts anyways, but it would be sweet of you to ask Peggy separately. No pressure. A good first date, since everyone will be focused on Bucky and me," I reasoned brightly. "Eh?"

Steve thought about my suggestion for a few moments. "That's... actually not a terrible idea," he said slowly.

"See?" I chirped happily.

If I had it my way, Steve and Peggy would be together before the New Year. "Victoria!" Chester barked.

"Oh... He doesn't sound happy with me," I muttered.

"What's that about?" Steve asked curiously.

"Who knows? Something that I did that either wasn't appropriate or wasn't nice," I huffed.

That was usually why he was yelling at me. "It's like he doesn't know you at all," Steve teased.

"Exactly!" I called, stepping back towards Chester. "I'll be back."

"Enjoy that," Steve said.

It was sure to be fun, getting called out by Chester for some type of behavior that he didn't like from me. I walked over towards Chester, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. His normal frown was marring his face. I stopped in front of him with a small smile. "What's up, old man?" I teased.

He didn't even give the slightest twitch of a smile. "What took so long this morning?" Chester asked.

My face flushed. "Oh my - Not you, too," I groaned.

"Victoria," Chester growled.

"Let it go," I interrupted snappily. "You know that we sleep in the same room and the same bed together."

Chester gave the slightest flinch. What was his problem? Everyone knew that the two of us slept in his room. "Please don't say that. You're my daughter. He might be your fiancé, but you aren't married yet. Not for almost another year. I don't want to have to hear about that," Chester sighed.

Of course. He didn't want to know about any potentially non-innocent activities that we were partaking in. "We're just sleeping together. Promise," I said, grabbing his hands comfortingly. Liar. You know that's about to change.

"Is that so?" Chester asked disbelievingly.

"Yes!" I hissed, shoving him away from the rest of the team. "Don't make it more awkward."

"You're my daughter," Chester pointed out.

"And he's my fiancé," I shot back, grateful that Bucky wasn't looking at us. I felt like everyone knew what was happening. Probably because they did. "You knew that we were going to start living together at some point anyways."

Chester nodded, rubbing a hand over his chin. "I was hoping that it would be after the wedding."

"Knock it off."

The two of us stared at each other for a little while and said nothing. We were going to be together at some point before the wedding. I already knew that. There was no way that either one of us could make it for just under a year. It might happen that night. Or perhaps it would be a little while later. But I had a good feeling that it would be tonight. The thought made my pulse race but I tried to push it back. Chester could read me like a book, no matter how much I wished that he couldn't, and that wasn't a conversation that I wanted to have right now.

"Planned any more of the wedding?" Chester finally asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"Actually, we did. We found a place that we wanted to have it," I said.

"Where's that?" Chester asked curiously.

"Back on the farm. Your house," I said halfway sheepishly. Chester looked slightly surprise, but gave me one of his rare smiles. "It was the place where I finally got to restart my life. It was the place that saved me and eventually brought the two of us back together again. If you don't mind having it back there, I would love to use that open field."

"The place I almost shot you?" Chester asked.

"That exact one," I said, grinning at the memory.

"It's not my home, Victoria. It's yours, too."

"Thanks, old man."

The one home that I had really had. Not my parents, who had hated me. Not Bucky or Steve's parents' houses. I was more of a guest there. That farm was home. "We'll go home. Have it there," Chester said. I smiled. It had been a long time since we had been back home. Since before I had even met back up with Bucky. "There'll be a lot of land. We can have it out in the backyard. We can all help set it up."

"You know what I like probably better than I do," I laughed.

"That's true. Still having it in January?" Chester asked.

"Yes. The end of the month."

"You're going to look beautiful."

"Thank you." Chester had seen me try on the dress a little later than everyone else on the day that I had bought it. "You liked the dress?" I asked.

"The dress is lovely. I think that it's the first time that I've ever seen you in one."

"And it will likely be the last."

Which was completely true. My wedding dress was the only dress that I owned. Chester grinned. "Got a plan for the base?" Chester asked, changing the subject again.

"Been working on one. The guys have everything set," I said.

"Good," Chester said.

"Victoria!" Howard shouted from the front of the plane. "Let's chat."

"Let's not," I shot back.

"Come up here. Just for a second," Howard goaded.

If it meant that he would leave me along for a little while. I slowly strode up to Howard, promising that I would talk to Chester and everyone else about the plan soon. "What's up?" I asked Howard.

"What took you and Barnes so long to get out here this morning?" Howard asked curiously.

Now why hadn't I seen that one coming? That was stupid of me. "What the hell is it with all of you?" I snapped, whacking Howard over the back of the head with one of the files that he had sitting in the open seat next to him. He grunted in pain. "Don't you all have something better to be talking about? Like the mission! We just weren't watching the clocks. We overslept."

"Oh, is that so?" Howard asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, Howard," I deadpanned.

"I'm not sure that I completely believe you," Howard chirped.

"I'm not completely sure that I care," I snapped.

"Don't be rude," Howard said. I glared at him as I plopped myself down into the copilot's seat. "Come on, you can tell me the truth."

He was goading me into saying something. I knew that he was. "Oh? How many people are going to know once I tell you?" I asked.

"You know that what I tell you stays between us."

"I'm sure."

"Come on. Tell me."

He really wasn't going to leave this one alone. "Nothing's happened, Howard. Nothing's going to happen until we actually get married," I said as convincingly as possible.

"Almost a year from now?" Howard pointed out.

"I'm not you. I know something called self-control," I shot back.

Howard gave me another nasty glare. "Somehow I doubt that," he scoffed as the plane reached altitude. I glared at him again. "Are you aware that your eyes are still red?"

"They are not!" I shouted.

"Are too," Howard sang. Were they really? "Are you that angry?"

His voice held a teasing lilt to it as I leaned into him, flames tingling at the tips of my fingers. "You keep your mouth shut, you hear me?" I growled. Howard nodded, grinning, thinking that he had gotten me to admit something. "Chester's already getting suspicious about the fact that Bucky and I sleep in the same bed. If he hears you saying anything, he'll automatically think the worst."

"So there is something happening?" Howard asked excitedly.

"No!" I shouted.

"Will you tell me when it does?"

"No, you cow! Fly the damn plane."

"You can trust me, Victoria."

Despite the smile on his face, there was something sincere behind his words. Howard was the last person to judge me for this. "I can't trust you to not say anything about... that..." I muttered awkwardly.

Like Steve, I didn't want to actually go into detail with it. "Oh, Victoria, you're too precious," Howard laughed. I rolled my eyes. I should have known that he would laugh at me. "Embarrassed to say something like that. You two are about to be a married couple."

"Would you shut up?" I snapped.

"No, I don't think that I will," Howard said, throwing back in my face what I had told so many people before. "Come on, tell me what's been happening between the two of you. I'm sure that there are some fascinating stories."

"Don't you have a relationship to focus on?" I groaned.

"No."

No way. I knew that he was seeing someone. "What happened to that nurse?"

"The nurse?" Howard asked confusedly.

What life must have been like for Howard Stark, who didn't even remember all of his lovers. "You were dating some woman. She was a nurse, I think. Howard, you took her on a few dates a couple of weeks ago," I explained. Howard looked no less confused about her existence. "I saw you kiss her just the other day!"

That finally triggered something. "Oh, Dorothy!" Howard said. I nodded, but Howard's face fell into a confused line again. "Diana? Dot?" My face fell. Was he kidding? He waved the thoughts off. "Something like that."

"You're quite the romantic," I scoffed.

"Comes from being a billionaire, darling. I could have anyone I want."

"So you do?" I questioned.

"Pretty much."

It must be quite something. To win the affections from Howard Stark for even just a night."

Howard gave me a prideful grin. One of these days I would have to force him to shave his head or something. Just to knock him down a peg or two. But knowing Howard, he would manage to make being bald the 'in' look. Oh well. I would have fun watching Howard as he grew older. Watching the wrinkles settle over his face. Laughing as his hair began to turn gray and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. Perhaps I would like to laugh at him as I remained young and reasonably pretty and he became old and defiled. A wicked grin spread over my face.

"It will always be something for them to compare to," Howard said haughtily.

"Doubtful," I scoffed. "I didn't."

Howard's face fell. "Don't be an ass," he snapped.

"That's rich, coming from you," I pointed out.

The two of us scowled at each other for a few seconds. It was just the way that we were. Constantly bickering. Eventually Howard grinned, going back to our original topic of discussion. "Would you like some advice about -?"

"No!" I shouted over Howard, drawing the attention of some of the others. Howard grinned, knowing that he had gotten me flustered, as he so often did. "No, I don't want any advice like that. I'll figure it out - when the time comes - for myself."

"And that time will be?" Howard asked.

"Fly the damn plane!" I shouted.

As I hopped up from my chair, I whacked Howard over the back of his head, ignored his grunt of pain, and headed off. "Why do I keep hearing you shouting at everyone?" Peggy asked, falling into step with me.

"Because everyone keeps asking me about why Bucky and I were late to the air field," I grumbled.

"Oh," Peggy said, nodding understandingly. "So why were you late?"

She was giving me a playful grin as I turned my scowl on her. "I love you, Peggy, but if you ask me that again, I'm going to throw you from the plane," I barked.

"So you were -"

"No!" I interrupted loudly. "Would anyone like to talk about the actual mission?"

"No," they all called back.

Running my hand over my very red face, I turned back to Peggy and sighed. "You know, I think I'm going to sit at the back of the plane. Come find me when we're in Greece," I mumbled.

"I'll go with you," she said.

The two of us immediately headed off towards the back of the plane, where no one else was. It was fine with me. I didn't really want to deal with them right now. As I walked past the table in the center of the plane, I saw that the rest of the men seemed to be harassing Bucky about what took the two of us so long to get ready this morning. Chester was standing in the background, trying to ignore them, his eyes boring holes into the back of Bucky's head. My face burned with embarrassment as I hurried past. Would they actually know when it happened?

Peggy and I darted into the back of the plane and placed ourselves in the jump seats. Thankfully it was so loud back here that I couldn't hear them harassing Bucky up front. "So nothing happened?" Peggy asked curiously.

"Well -"

"What?" Peggy interrupted excitedly.

"Let me talk!" I shouted over her. She merely smiled, bouncing in her seat like an excitable child. "No... Nothing really happened. Bucky and I were in bed and... fooling around... and that's when Steve knocked on the door to get us. That's it."

Peggy nodded thoughtfully. "But something almost happened?"

"Something... might happen... afterwards..." I said awkwardly.

"Really?" Peggy gasped.

"You look more excited for it than I am," I teased.

Peggy rolled her eyes. "Somehow I really doubt that." We both snorted. "No matter whether or not it happens tonight, are you ready for it?" Peggy asked. I remained silent. She was always good for real advice. "Think about it right now. Away from your bed, away from him, not doing anything right now. Are you ready?"

A few seconds passed that the two of us just stared at each other. I started thinking on her words. Was I ready? My answer was instant. "Yes," I said. Peggy smiled. "We're going to be married soon. But... I really want this. It's not just a physical thing. It's about being completely with someone."

"You're right. And you found someone that you wanted to be with. In every way."

"Plus we only have a set number of years to be with each other."

"Everyone does, Victoria."

"But at least they get to hope that they can be with each other in the end, after the both of them die. There's none of that for me," I said sadly.

"You know that he would wait for you anyways," she said.

That didn't really make me feel any better, even though I knew that she was trying to help me out. "I hate talking about this. It makes me dread the future, even though I know that it's years away," I groaned, waving her off.

"That's a good thing to remember. You two have plenty of happy years together," Peggy said, smiling.

"You're right," I said. The two of us sat together as I turned a playful grin on her. "Any advice for tonight?"

"Remember that you have a tendency to burst into flames when you're excited."

She wasn't exactly wrong. I did burst into flames sometimes and let out little bursts of lightning at others. Neither one of those would be good to have happen. At least, not for him. The two of us were staring at each other for a long time before we both burst out into fits of laughter. It didn't take long for me to have a hard time breathing through the choking laughs. I leaned up against Peggy as tears began to run down my face. Peggy did make a good point. I would have to remember that I did tend to do somewhat violent things when I got too excited.

"Maybe I should take one of those pills beforehand," I said thoughtfully.

There probably weren't supposed to be any homicidal tendencies in bed. "Probably a good idea. You know that you can talk to me if you need to," Peggy offered sweetly.

"I know. Thanks, Pegs," I said happily.

"You're welcome, love."

"So no judgement if I do?" I asked sheepishly.

Peggy shook her head comfortingly. "Not at all. I want you to be happy. And you'll be married soon enough," she pointed out.

"Did I tell you that we decided where to have it?"

"No!" Peggy gasped, her face turning up in a wide grin. "Where?"

"Back on Chester's farm. It's the place that gave me a new chance at life. The life where I finally got to have what I wanted. Real friends, a man who loves me, and a family," I explained.

Peggy smiled, pressing a hand against my knee. "That'll be beautiful."

It would definitely be a lovely night. The best one of my life. It would be a night that I would remember for all of eternity. "We were thinking about having someone cater. Bring in our favorite foods, hang up some lights the way that he did to propose to me, and set up some tables. It'll be a relatively small guest list anyways. Since most of our friends are his and we only have one side of the family coming," I told her.

Suddenly Peggy looked a little sheepish. "I always meant to ask..." she trailed off.

"No. I don't have any other family. My mother and father were both only children. When they died, that was it. My grandparents had died years before I was born," I explained numbly.

"I'm sorry for asking," Peggy said quickly.

"You were curious. That's okay."

"Your real family will be there."

"That's true."

My own family had long since left my life. My grandparents had never even known who I was. They died before my parents even married. They never knew that they had a grandchild and it was probably better that way. There were no aunts and uncles or cousins. My entire family had been very small. Would my parents even believe that I was getting married? No. They didn't love me and didn't believe that anyone ever would. What I wouldn't give to throw back my success in life in their faces. But they were gone. I supposed that, in the end, I was alive and they weren't. I had won.

"Have you thought about anything else?" Peggy asked, breaking my reasonably depressing thoughts.

"Like?" I asked dumbly.

Peggy stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Like everything, Vicky!"

"I got the place and dress. What else is there?"

Peggy rolled her eyes halfway back into her head. "You're hopeless," she groaned. I scowled at her. She was getting as bad as Howard. "I thought that Bucky would at least tell you everything else that needs to go into planning a wedding. Do you have a guest list?"

For a night that was supposed to be relaxing, planning it was quite a nightmare. "Yeah. Most of it's Bucky's, but we've got that figured," I said.

"The wedding party?"

The party after the ceremony? "Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"The bridesmaids and groomsmen, you monkey!" Peggy shouted.

Oh... That made much more sense. "Don't be rude," I hissed. Peggy merely stared at me. "I don't know. Bucky's having his brother, Steve as the best man, and the rest of the guys. They saved his life, after all."

"What about Howard?"

"Oh, yeah. Him too," I added.

It had been a few nights ago when neither one of us could sleep that we had decided on who was going to be up at the altar with us. I had told Bucky that I really didn't care. He was the one who wanted the traditional wedding. It was what his parents would have wanted to see. I would have rather just gone to the courthouse and gotten the paper and be done with it, but I wanted him to be happy. So I had decided to let him have it. I merely smiled and went along with his plans for whatever he wanted.

"That's nice. That's it?" Peggy asked.

"Yeah."

"And you?"

"I've got you," I said.

"Who else?" Peggy asked.

Maybe it would look a little weird to have eight men up there and only one woman. "Honestly I don't really know any other women that I care enough about having in the wedding party. Maybe Bucky's sisters. Jessica and Rebecca," I said.

At least it would balance out a little more. "Are those the only girls that you know?" Peggy asked disbelievingly.

"Yes."

"Of course they are," Peggy scoffed.

Perhaps if a girl had ever shown any interest in being friends with me... "Oh, shut up," I snapped. Having no female friends wasn't my fault. I had tried. "When I was growing up no one knew me and the people who did hated me. I never got along with anyone, but I always did get along with guys a little bit better than girls. At least we had the same general attitudes."

Peggy seemed to know that I wasn't fond of talking about my failed relationships with other girls. "Do you have an actual date?" Peggy asked, going back to the wedding conversation.

"January 31st," I said.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm so excited for you!" she chirped. I smiled at her. "Are you having an officiant?"

"No. We were planning on having Chester do it," I said.

That had been another one of Bucky's ideas. I had a feeling that he was trying to get Chester to like him even the slightest bit. "Might want to make sure that he cuts out the 'does anyone object' part," Peggy suggested. We both laughed again. "Have you sent out invitations?"

"I left that up to Bucky. Everyone that I want to invite is here," I answered.

"What about the marriage license?"

There seemed to be more and more things to do every day. "We're waiting to get that for a while. I think it only takes a week or so to get it. You're giving me a headache, Pegs," I said, pressing my fingers to my temples, blasting a shot of lightning into my synapses to calm them.

Peggy watching me with mild fascination. "Are you reciting vows?"

"Writing our own, I think."

"Have you written yours?"

Finally my head sprang up from the seat. "No! We're not getting married for almost another year. I'll write the vows when we get a little bit closer to the actual wedding," I said shortly.

"You're going to get up there and wing it, aren't you?" Peggy groaned.

"Yep!" I chirped.

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you have to have some time to think about exactly what you want to say to him."

If I started thinking about it, I was sure to end up nervous about it. "I love you to death, Peggy, but I'm not really in the mood to talk about the wedding today," I told her.

"When are you in the mood?" Peggy asked.

Never. That was the whole point. I rolled my eyes. "Help me out with the planning, will you?"

"For tonight?" Peggy asked, waggling her eyebrows.

We both laughed loudly. Maybe it was a good idea if I thought about tonight. Planned... something. Just so that it wasn't a total surprise. "If you mention that to any of the boys, I'll kill you. Best friend or not," I snapped.

"Oh, please. I doubt that they've heard the term, don't shoot the messenger," Peggy scoffed.

"You're right. They'd take it out on you."

"Absolutely. If you need to talk about it, seriously, I'm here."

"Thanks."

The two of us smiled at each other. I was sure that I would need to chat with Peggy in the morning, no matter what happened tonight. "Peggy," Bucky called, stepping up behind us. "Can I borrow her for a second?"

"Sure," Peggy said immediately.

She patted me on the knee and I grinned at her. Bucky likely knew exactly what the two of us were talking about but I knew that he wouldn't say anything about it. He knew that there were some things that I needed to talk to her about. This was one of them. Plus, Peggy was my only female friend. She was the only one who I could bounce things off of. As Peggy walked back into the main area of the plane, Bucky took a seat in the one that she had been in before. As I turned to him, Bucky grabbed me under the thighs and pulled me into his lap.

"Got bored up there?" I teased.

"Wanted to talk," Bucky said.

"We live together. This wasn't something that can wait?" I asked playfully.

Bucky merely continued to stare at me. He didn't want to joke around, which I wanted to do. I didn't like the serious talks. I wasn't good at them. It was something that I wanted to talk about before we get back to the base later," Bucky said. I nodded slowly. Here it goes... "I wanted to talk about what you said this morning."

"Yeah, I figured," I said.

"I just want to make sure that it's not something that I'm rushing you into," Bucky said quickly.

That definitely wasn't what I had been expecting. I had thought that he knew that I wanted it as badly as he did. "It's not. It's really not. I promise. We've been together a long time. We're getting married in under a year. We sleep in the same bed together anyways," I pointed out. We both laughed as Bucky pressed a kiss against my forehead. "Do you want this?"

"Do you honestly have to ask?" Bucky shot back.

I laughed softly. "No. I know you do," I said. I didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that he did.

"Just don't feel like you have to do it."

"I don't. And the same goes for you."

"I don't. I want to have all the time that I can with you."

That horrible shot of guilt seared through my chest again. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Having to put an expiration date on our relationship."

"There would have been one anyways. One of the two of us would have died first," Bucky said.

But there was something different about the way that our relationship would eventually end. "It just would have felt different. We both would have been mortal. And we would have at least had the faith that once one of us died, the other would follow relatively soon afterwards, and then maybe we could have been reunited in the afterlife," I said hopefully. "Now... once you die, we're over."

Bucky let out a soft breath as he pulled me up right against his lap. "We're never gonna be over. Not really. Even when you manage to move on - even if it's decades after I die - no one can ever live up to this," Bucky said.

It didn't escape my notice that he had said when I moved on. He didn't seem to understand that I would never move on. Perhaps many years after he died, I would end up having a crush on someone else. Maybe having some minor feelings or a flutter in my chest. But nothing would ever compare to the love that Bucky and I had for each other. No one could ever truly help me move on. He would always be with me, but just as a memory. There was no reuniting for us. I wasn't religious anyways, but I couldn't even pretend to think that it was a possibility now.

"You're right," I whispered, wanting to avoid the fight.

"I didn't know that you were religious," Bucky said curiously.

The last thing that I believed in was a powerful god. "I'm not. There's no way that there can be a god out there that creates someone like me. That lets what happened to me happen not just to me, but to hundreds of other people just like me. It's not just us, it's all of the bad in the world. I don't know... if I created all of this, I wouldn't just abandon it or doom it. I'd help," I said.

Who would create someone like me? No one with any sense of right and wrong. "That's why I love you," Bucky said with a grin.

"Hmm?"

"Because you never abandon someone, no matter how hard things get."

One of the things that Stryker had gifted me with. "Giving up isn't in me, I guess," I said.

"Good," Bucky said happily.

Perhaps because he knew that it meant that I wouldn't give up on him either. "You are religious, aren't you?" I asked curiously.

The Barnes' used to always pray at dinnertime. I remembered not ever doing it with them. "Yes," Bucky said slowly, sounding like he was trying not to offend me. "But we haven't had the same lives or the same experiences. You have every right to not believe in something - or believe in it."

"That's a nice sentiment," I said.

"It's the truth."

"You're quite positive."

"One of us has to be," Bucky teased.

There was a bright smile on his face. He looked like he always did - happy and playful. It seemed so strange that he was attracted to someone like me. I always saw the worst in people. It was hard for me to start joking around and lose my hardened exterior. He was so open and warm. Me? I was cold. Bucky was still grinning at my joke but I realized that he was right. I had always been the downer. That didn't seem to be changing anytime soon. He had always been the one to see the light in everything. He was always the nice one. Not me. Never me.

"You still have a chance to back out of this, you know," I said slowly. Bucky raised a brow. "You don't have to marry me."

The smile finally fell from his face. "Would you stop?" Bucky snapped irritably. I jumped slightly. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. "I want this, Vika. No matter what it means. I've still got a long life ahead of me. And I intend to spend all of it with you."

"You don't want someone cheerier than me?" I asked carefully.

The last thing that I wanted to do was annoy him, but I really did want to know why he didn't want someone more like me. "I think that it would start to grind on my nerves. I don't love you because you've always got something positive to say. I love you because you tell the truth, no matter what that truth is," Bucky said. Was that really a good thing? In his mind it seemed to be. "And you might not always laugh or smile, but I know how to get you to. It's one of the things that I'm the most proud of."

"Liar," I said.

Bucky shook his head, grabbing my shin tightly. "Am not. You are the single best person that I've ever met. One day I hope that you see it," Bucky said softly, brushing the hair back off of my forehead. My chest began to glow a gentle red, the same red that it did every time that he said something like that to me. Bucky glanced down and smiled. "I love that."

"I hate that," I scoffed.

"Nah, you can't pretend that you think that I'm a twit," Bucky teased.

"You are a twit."

"Yeah, but I'm a twit that loves a brilliant woman." I laughed softly. The two of us sat in silence for a few moments before Bucky said, "The men are talking about going back to the bar tonight."

"Oh?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"What if I was making other plans?" I asked teasingly.

"I'll cancel them all," Bucky said brightly.

Hopefully that got across what I wanted to tell him without actually having to say it. I wanted him to see that I wanted it too. Bucky pressed a small kiss against my mouth as Peggy walked back in. He jumped from her chair and headed off. I smiled at him as he headed back towards the rest of the men. I was glad that he was leaving me to think for a while, but I also wanted to still talk to him. Maybe planning for it was wrong, though. Maybe it was something that needed to happen in the heat of the moment. That seemed a little more romantic.

"What was that about?" Peggy asked curiously.

"Umm..." I muttered.

"Vic! Peggy! We're ready to talk about the mission," Steve called from up front.

"Finally," I gasped, lunging off of the seat and to my feet. "Something other than my relationship with Bucky." Peggy opened her mouth to say something, but I quickly cut her off. "Look, Pegs, you're basically my wedding planner and therapist. I'll talk to you about everything later, okay? In the meantime, I'm getting the hankering to kill someone."

Sparks began crackling off of my fingertips. "You astound me, how fast you can change gears," Peggy said, staring at me blankly.

"It's a gift," I teased.

We both laughed as we got up off of the bench that we had been seated on before. I smiled at Peggy as we walked off, my arm looped up over her shoulder. Even though she was a few inches taller than me, I always had my arm over hers. The two of us walked out of the back storage area and up towards the front of the plane. The two of us headed up to the table, where everyone else was waiting for us. I positioned myself in between Steve and Chester, with Bucky across from me.

"How we doing, Howard?" I called up to the cockpit.

"Got about an hour to go!" Howard called back.

"Perfect. Steve?" I said, giving the floor to him.

He nodded and threw out a map of Greece over the table. "When we were at the Hydra base a few weeks ago, Vic found out about something called the Hydra Uber Tank," Steve explained to the others. They all nodded. They had all been there. "It's in pre-production right now. Test phases. There's a functioning one in the Grecian base. It's the same one that attacked you in Azzano. Our job today is to destroy the base with all of the plans for the mass-production of the tanks and to take out the currently operational one."

"Which is what they'll likely send once they realize that we're here," I cut in.

"What's the plan, boss?" Dum Dum asked.

"It's a very simple one," I said, interrupting Steve before he got the chance to speak. He gave me a small nod to keep talking. "Falsworth."

"Ma'am?" James asked.

"Recognize these?" I offered, holding up a belt of explosives.

His mouth turned up in a smile. "Of course," James said happily.

Handing the bombs off to James, with a barked warning to be careful, I turned to everyone else. "The rest of us have one job. Draw the soldiers and Hydra Uber Tank out of the base. James, you're going to stay as close to the Uber Tank as possible. Toss those explosives up to Steve and me. We'll take it from there," I explained.

The others nodded their consent. "It that simple?" Dum Dum asked curiously.

"Just don't get shot," I said.

The others laughed. "Good advice, boss," Jim said.

As we all smiled at each other, I pointed down to the district that we knew the Uber Tank was being stored near. "That Uber Tank will inflict maximum damage. It's what it's designed for, so we can assume that they'll release it on the streets. Your job is to keep the soldiers in the buildings that surround the main road," I said, motioning to the outskirts of the town.

"Bucky, you're taking out any strays on our tail," Steve instructed.

"Got it," Bucky said.

"They made that Uber Tank thicker than any other that's around," I said, pulling out the paperwork that I had taken from Willem a few weeks ago. "Damaging the outside of the tank will take too long to disable it. Our only option is to go inside and blow apart the systems, make them start back from scratch."

"We're entering from the woods," Steve added.

"You'll all go in first," I said, pointing to the others, excluding Bucky. "Steve and I will be at a distance, watching over you. I'll step in if need be. Please don't need me."

"How long are we in there for?" Dum Dum asked.

"Jacques, you'll be setting off charges in the surrounding buildings. Draw in the soldiers, take them out in mass chunks. You'll have five minutes to draw them in before Steve and I come to attack the Uber Tank," I told the men. They all nodded their consent to the plan. "We'll assist Bucky in keeping the strays engaged in the fight. We're good?"

"Absolutely," Jacques confirmed.

"We've got a few maps of the streets. Take a look," Steve said, spreading out the maps.

"Get used to them," I instructed.

As we spread out the maps that were closer towards the streets, the men closed in around the table. They began marking off everything that they were planning on attacking - some stores, other abandoned homes, and plenty of already decrepit buildings well on their way to collapsing. Chester and Peggy were marking up the maps, showing the others where we would run into the least amount of Hydra soldiers. A man had already mapped out for us where the Hydra soldiers would be observing in bulk.

Our large group took a long time talking about the best way for us all to attack the base. The men needed to go in a light it up first. They could distract all of the Hydra soldiers from what Steve and I were planning to do. And Bucky could keep Steve safe so that I didn't have to worry about keeping an eye on him. The men took some time to decide which one of them would be going where and who would be protecting each side of the block.

"Remember, you don't want to be caught until you're already well into the block," I said.

"Count to one hundred. That's when you'll light it up," Steve added.

"You got it," Gabe said.

"We almost there?" I called up to Howard.

"Sixty seconds out."

We all began to nod as the plane made its descent. "Get everything together. We'll be landing at the airstrip. Town is barely a two minute drive. Take a truck, get to the edge of town, head to your respective areas," I told the men.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Dum Dum teased, tilting his hat to me.

"We'll wait here," I said.

"See you soon," Bucky said, pressing a quick kiss against my mouth.

As he turned to leave, I shouted back, "Hey! Be careful."

Bucky grinned, sloppily saluting me. "Always. You too."

"Always," I said.

The two of us gave each other another quick kiss as Bucky walked back up to me. He patted Steve on the back before turning and leaving with the others, his rifle slung over his back. As the men turned and left the plane with their weapons, I watched through Bucky's eyes - without telling him - as they hijacked a car that sat at the edge of the road. Bucky went with them, hopping out up in the hills to lay on his stomach and take out the stragglers. We would have about four minutes before Steve and I could attack the Hydra Uber Tank.

In the meantime, we were going to handle any strays that Bucky couldn't handle. "Ready?" Steve asked, shifting around slightly.

"Let's go, soldier," I teased, patting him on the back.

As we walked down the ramp, Steve turned to me. "You okay?" he asked.

"He's at a distance. He's good. I've got my eye on you. I'm fine," I said, nervously wringing my hands together.

"Vic?" Steve interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Relax. You don't have to baby either one of us."

He had to have been joking. There was no way that I was ever going to stop babying them. I would always do that. "Are you kidding? You're both complete morons. I'll always have to baby the two of you," I teased.

Steve laughed, whacking me over the back of the head. "Love you, Vic."

As we walked, I stomped on his foot. "Love you too, Steve."

"Always glad to have you around."

"Always glad to not be alone." The two of us grinned at each other. I glanced off towards the further hills and spotted a few Hydra soldiers. "Got a couple of strays over there," I warned, motioning to the group of soldiers entering our range.

"Bank left?" Steve asked.

"You got it," I said.

As Steve ran after a few Hydra soldiers off to his right, I darted after a number on the left. Instantly I went into a front flip, kicking into one of their heads so hard that their skull dented. As they fell, I spun on my hands and over my butt, getting back to my knees, and flipping over a kick meant to break my ankles. I spun onto my back and flipped back up to my feet. I spun into myself and lashed out, denting their skull with the side of my fist as it made contact with their temple. As another Hydra soldier ran after me, I kicked them in the stomach and flipped over myself, kicking them in the ribs.

They went flying backwards as I stared at them. As another ran after me, I ducked down into a split before spinning up onto my back, throwing my legs over each other, and then kicking him in the shins, making him collapse to the ground. The bones had definitely snapped. Once I had gotten back to my feet, I saw another Hydra soldier approaching Steve. Darting over to him at full speed, I jumped up into the air, wrapped my legs around his throat, and leaned back to the ground, rolling him underneath me. Steve jammed his shield into his windpipe, cutting off his oxygen.

The two of us grinned at each other as I released my hold on the dead man. I leaped back to my feet, spotting a Hydra soldier, and caught his arm across as he tried to punch me. With my spare arm, I lashed out across his face with a closed fist. The man leaned back in pain and as he straightened up, I grabbed him across the throat, leaping over his back and straightening back, wrenching his arm back. It cracked out of place as I stepped down on his skull, denting and eventually cracking it open.

As another man ran at me, I had no time to think to do anything other than grab onto him and use his momentum to flip the two of us backwards and over ourselves. He looked rather surprised when I hopped up to my feet and kneed his companion in the stomach, forcing him to lean over and throw up the food in his stomach. As the two got back to their feet - and a third approached - I grabbed the first around the arms and threw them into a tree, threw the second over my back, crushing their body against the ground, and roundhouse kicked the third in the sternum.

When a new man approached, I dropped to my knees, thrust upwards with a knife from my utility belt, cut out his knee, and spun around on my knees. I stabbed the second man in the stomach before reaching up and slashing his throat. As a man raised his rifle to shoot at me, I leaped up onto his shoulders, stabbing him in the throat before jumping to his companion. I threw the two of us into a sprawl before straightening up and slicing through his throat. As I ran towards town, I dropped onto my knees and slid in between the legs of another man, cutting out his thigh muscle.

As I darted back up and after Steve, someone caught me around the throat. Without thinking, I kicked out their knee, jumped up, wrapped a leg around their shoulders and threw us. As we spun against the ground I landed over him and burned a hole straight through his sternum. A spear shot through my chest and I turned towards the culprit as Steve called my name. I really like this shirt. I turned towards the man with a deep glare, bending the bones in his body further inwards, watching as they punctured his organs, slowly and painfully killing him.

Steve yelled my name to draw my attention back to the fight and away from the dying man. I ripped the spear out of my chest and jumped up in time to avoid a body check from a Hydra soldier. When I jumped, I landed with my legs wrapped around their throat. As the soldier began to panic, I threw two heavy fists down into their eyes before flipping back off of them, landing on my feet again. As I sprinted after them, I wrapped my legs over their throat, spun myself around upside down against their chest before straightening out, throwing them against the stone.

The man looked like he was trying to get back up, but one kick to the temple took him out. Another Hydra soldier ran after me as I sent two consecutive kicks to his sternum, throwing him backwards. As he tried to run after me again, I rolled underneath his legs and straightened up again. I ducked underneath another punch and blocked two more before stepping back and running to build up momentum, throwing myself over his back and spinning over his front, throwing him as I landed back on my feet. He grunted as I flipped over myself and jammed my heel into his throat.

Grinning at my work, I straightened up and saw another man running at me. I ducked under his kick and grabbed onto his planted leg. I rolled over my back, spinning and tripping him. He grunted as I briefly stepped upwards to spin over his leg and drop again onto my back, pinning his leg under me and subsequently breaking it. He shouted in howling pain as I hopped up, ran to a pillar, bounced off of it and punched one of his friends. He looked rather surprised as I swung a leg underneath me, tripped him, and spun backwards to kick him in the head.

Both men passed out as I rolled back to straighten myself up and kick back up to my feet again. There was a man advancing on me and I met him in a run. As we reached each other, I jumped up and jammed my knees straight into his ribs. They snapped under the strain, pressing back into his lungs and heart. I hit the ground in a sideways roll, straightening up and blocking a punch from another man. I sent two consecutive punches to his face before kicking out his knee, reaching my arms around his neck, and pulling him down to crush his skull against the dirt.

As a man pulled a gun on me, I ducked underneath the bullet and reached up, throwing a knife by the blade, lodging it in his arm. I spun on my knee, kicking his leg out, before ripping the knife out of his arm and shoving it in between his jaws. Another Hydra soldier using a whip came after me, slashing out at my stomach. I grabbed onto the end of it, rolled it around my hand, and yanked it out of his hold. I spun it around and lashed out at him, leaving a nasty mark on his cheek, blood rushing into his eyes.

The men were fighting hard in the streets as I heard the engine of the Uber Tank roar to life. Steve and I rushed into the streets and though the buildings, darting in between the men and Hydra soldiers. As a man darted towards Gabe, I threw myself up and over a railing that separated me from the street. I flipped over myself, wrapping a leg back around his throat, kicking his gun out of his hands. The two of us fell into a forward roll as I left him on the ground, moving up onto a knee and spinning a kick straight into his temple.

"Thanks," Gabe said breathlessly.

"Not a problem," I said, jumping back to my feet. At that same moment, I saw the Uber Tank moving into the center of the street. They were ready to detonate the street to try and kill us. "Steve! We gotta get to the men! The tank is out there!"

"Alright. Come on!" Steve yelled.

The street was still full of civilians who were trying to get away from the fight. I pushed the thought into their head to evacuate the area. In the meantime, the men were trying to get them away and fight off the remaining Hydra soldiers. They knew that Steve, James, and I had it handled. Steve and I made a mad dash towards the center of the town, where Hydra had unleashed the Uber Tank on the small city. They were trying to draw us in to save the citizens, thinking that they would kill us in the meantime.

"James! Follow us!" I shouted.

"Straight up," Steve instructed.

We had to get almost sixty feet in the air to the top of the tank. "Hurry up. They're preparing to fire," I grunted.

"Can you pull the barrel away?" Steve asked me.

The barrel was facing towards the civilian evacuation route the men had created. "No worries," I said.

Everyone was already on their way out, but that tank could fire way further. Steve and I dashed towards the tank as fast as we could. I let off a blast of fire, keeping the Hydra soldiers out. As Steve jumped up towards the hatch on the top of the tank, I jumped up onto the front of the tank. I could see Steve using his shield to break the lock on the hatch. I reached around the barrel and used my own strength with a gust of wind to force it towards the crumbling buildings on the far end of the street, just in case they managed to fire.

The Hydra soldiers were running towards us as I slammed my fist down onto the metal, using my force field to protect Steve. The electrical blast fried all of the soldiers inside the tank, dying almost on the spot. The electrical blast shot through the streets and killed all of the soldiers. Their bodies blackened into crisps as they hit the ground. I could see the rest of the men laughing, continuing to shuttle the refugees away and towards the Grecian army members, who had come to help, even though it was too little too late. At least they could held the people. I certainly didn't want to.

James came running up to the side of the tank, carrying the bombs. "Captain!" James shouted.

"Over here!" I yelled, drawing his attention.

After all, I was closer. James jumped up and threw the belt of explosives to me. I caught them and hit the trigger to start the ten second countdown before turning and throwing it to Steve. He caught them easily and threw them down into the tank. He closed the hatch as Steve and I ran to the edge of the tank and jumped off, hitting the ground in a tuck and roll as a massive explosion behind us set off. The tank blew into a thousand pieces as Steve and I hit the ground, turning back to look at the smoldering remains of the Uber Tank.

There was a large crater in the ground from the explosion. "Not bad for a day's work," I sighed, brushing the dirt and blood off of my uniform.

"Nice," Steve complimented, looking back to the ashes of what had once been the Uber Tank. They definitely weren't salvaging anything from that. "Should we do anything with that?"

"No. It'll be ashes by the time that the Hydra reinforcements get here. I wouldn't worry about it," I said.

As we walked back to the base, James smiled at us. "Good catch," he said.

"Good throw," Steve responded.

We all smiled as we headed back towards the plane. "That was one of the easier missions that we had," Bucky said.

The other men nodded their consent. "Says the one who laid on his stomach on a hill the entire time. Not down here doing the hard stuff with the rest of us," I said teasingly, grinning at him.

Everyone began laughing as Bucky hissed, "Excuse you!"

"What are you gonna do about it, you big baby?" I teased.

"I'll -"

Ignoring whatever clever insult I was sure that he was going to come up with, I brought up a pile of rocks from the rubble of the Hydra Uber Tank and cemented them in a circle around Bucky's feet as he tried to launch after me. Probably to try and playfully tackle me, just to prove that he could one-up me. But he never could. Unable to keep his balance or break free of the rocks, clearly surprised, he collapsed in front of me, sprawling out on the ground. The rest of the men howled with laughter as I released my hold on the rocks.

They fell around his feet as Bucky rolled onto his back, Steve helping him back to his feet. "You're an ass," Bucky groaned.

"Yes, I am," I said proudly.

Dum Dum laughed happily, patting me on the back. "Victoria... I'll never get sick of watching you," he said.

"Thanks. Come on, big guy. Get up," I barked at Bucky, who was still laying on the ground.

He merely stared at me irritably as I brought up a large gust of wind and lifted him back to his feet while blowing him forward so hard that he nearly went sprawling into the dirt all over again. As Bucky stumbled into a steady walk, Steve and the others laughed again. "Just remember, you were stupid enough to ask to spend the rest of your life with her," Steve teased him.

"What was I thinking?" Bucky groaned, rubbing his back.

"Now that was uncalled for," I snapped.

There was no need to be that much of a jerk. Of course, I had definitely asked for it this time. The men all continued to laugh as we headed back towards where the airplane was waiting. We had all warned Howard, Chester, and Peggy that this mission wasn't going to take long. After all, this wasn't heavily occupied territory because of the Uber Tank. It had barely taken us ten minutes to clear everything. It was Hydra's mistake. They were now down a tank and had lost their control of another city. As we walked back up the ramp for the plane, I smiled at Chester.

"No issues?" Chester asked.

"None," I confirmed.

"We have to talk."

"About?"

Not even a thank you... We were done with one problem and on to the next. "Our next plan of action. We need your team away for a few weeks, at least. However long it takes," Chester said.

We had never done an away mission. That would be interesting. "What's the newest plan?" I asked curiously.

"Gather everyone," Chester ordered.

"Guys!" I shouted, drawing the attention of the laughing and celebrating team. "Get over here!"

"What's going on, Colonel?" Steve asked, reaching us first.

Chester brought everyone out to the table and laid out a map of Europe with a few cities marked. "There are just a few bases that you haven't attacked yet. Of the ones that we still know about," Chester began.

"What are those?" I asked, my eyes scanning the page.

Chester began motioning around the map. "We know of two Hydra bases in Switzerland and two in Northern Italy. We haven't cleared those out yet. That's where we're planning on heading next. You'll have a few weeks to plan the next attack."

Easy enough. We would be able to handle those. The problem was that there were so many and attacking one would immediately alert the others that we were in the vicinity to give them time to prepare. "We could do a back-to-back attack on the four bases. Head to Switzerland first. Attack both of theirs and quickly move along to Northern Italy to clear those out," I suggested.

"We could even break up the team," Steve put in.

"Send half of us one place and half of us to the other," Bucky added.

The thought of sending half of them to a place where I couldn't watch over them sent a painful jolt through my stomach. "No. We're a team. We don't separate. We can do it together," I said determinedly.

Steve obviously knew my concern. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Vic's right."

"No offense, Cap, but I don't really like the idea of going to a Hydra base where Victoria isn't with us," Gabe said, making the others laugh.

"I'm not leaving you morons unattended," I huffed.

Chester shrugged. "It's up to you. Make a plan and bring it to us."

"What else do we have?" Steve asked.

Chester motioned over towards Denmark and I followed his hand in between the Baltic and North Sea. "There's a castle up in the Danish Straights that we believe is under Hydra rule." Not easy, but doable. "We know of a heavily Hydra-occupied area deep in the forests of Poland. At some point we're anticipating an attack on France," Chester added.

"Is that everything?" I asked.

"That we know of. We're still missing the main Hydra base," Chester said.

"Do you have any idea where it is?" I asked the others.

The men who had been prisoners of Hydra exchanged a look but all shook their heads. "They never mentioned anything about it," Gabe explained.

"But there's one person who would know," Dum Dum said thoughtfully.

My eyebrow raised. "That little doctor that was always hanging around," Jim said.

"Doctor Zola?" I questioned.

Bucky clicked his tongue. "That's the one. He was always around and was the one to bring me to isolation instead of letting one of the soldiers kill me when I got sick," Bucky said. I guessed there was one thing that I owed to Zola. "If anyone would know where it was, who might give up the location, it'll be him."

"Run with that. Find out where Zola is," Chester ordered.

If he was the one person who would give up where the base was and how we got to that, finding Zola would become our main priority. I was sick of hunting Hydra. There had to be something else that we could do. Our group gathered around the table and began planning for the upcoming attacks. They would definitely be more intensive than the ones that we had already made. Ultimately we made the decision to stay away from the base for a few days or weeks at a time when we started going on our next few missions instead of just leaving for the day.

It was easy to see that it was a decision that the others didn't really like. No one wanted to be away from the place that they called home for an extended period of time. Especially not in a war. But being away would make things easier for us. We would have time to plan rather than just making an attack. We would also have a base to stay at while we remained overseas. The other Allies were more than willing to host Captain America and his crew. We would see how they would react to Savage. I just wished that we didn't have to leave Chester, Howard, and Peggy while we were away.

The only good thing about it was that we would at least have a phone at the other bases we would be staying at, just like the one that we currently had. Every now and again I would see Bucky chatting with his siblings on it. When we were out in the woods we would have the radios to communicate with. Plus we always had me. We would also be working with hundreds of other Allied soldiers. It would all work out just fine for us. We just had to get used to working with a bigger team. At least I would have Bucky with me while we were overseas this time. I missed him - and worried - too much while we were separated.

Eventually Howard warned us that we were finally approaching the base, nearly ten hours after we had left this morning. The sun was already beginning to sink. We all quickly disembarked the plane and headed back to our respective rooms to change from our uniforms. I headed back to the room that Peggy and I still technically shared. Mostly since any formal things that I (Peggy) owned were still there. We all had an agreement to go the bar a little later. Mostly since it was still early evening and heading to bed right away would have looked strange to the others.

Regardless of what was going to happen tonight, I made a deal with the others that I wouldn't stay long. I still got strange stares that I wasn't comfortable with when I went there. It would definitely be interesting living on a base with people who weren't used to me. Either way, I made an agreement that I would stay for one song and dance before leaving for bed - one way or another. Once I had slipped on one of Peggy's pretty white dresses, letting her quickly do my hair and makeup, the two of us left the room to meet up with everyone else.

All of the men were standing outside of the bar, waiting for us. They grinned and walked inside. Bucky: met me halfway, pressing a kiss against my cheek. "You look lovely," he said.

"Thank you. So do you," I said honestly.

He did. He had always looked wonderful in a uniform. "Care for a dance?" Bucky asked, walking us into the bar.

"Not really, but I have a feeling that you're going to make me dance even if I don't want to."

"Very true," Bucky grinned.

As we stepped out onto the dance floor, Bucky raised one arm up for the band to begin playing. The chipper piano music slowed to something a little different. It was an upbeat but sweet song that Bucky had showed me before. It was called 'Taking a Chance on Love.' Appropriate for the moment. I smiled knowingly at Bucky as we clasped hands and begin to slowly drift around the dance floor. Bucky gave me a brief kiss as the rest of the men, Peggy, Howard, and even Chester watched us with a small smiles. I gazed up at Bucky lovingly.

"Good choice," I said, referring to the song.

"I've got a good eye," Bucky teased, staring pointedly at me.

"Yes, you do," I teased.

The two of us spun around as the song played softly in the background. Even though I wanted to only dance for one song, the two of us ended up dancing for a number of them. Mostly Bing Crosby songs - Bucky's favorite artist. I danced with each of the men at their insistence. Jacques was definitely the best dancer. Dum Dum was definitely the worst. Steve had gotten much lighter on his feet lately. I even took a whirl with Howard - who was a near perfect dancer - and a fatherly dance with Chester.

We took some time to hang around the bar and chat with each other, laughing and giggling. I knew that I had to stay for a while before heading back. If Bucky and I left for bed at eight o'clock the men would know that something was going on. So we waited for Chester to head back to his own room before getting ready to leave ourselves. Bucky and I were lingering at the bar with the rest of the men as I finished up a game of darts with Steve. I won, of course. I was the only one who could beat Steve, who always beat everyone else.

"Are you ready to head back?" Bucky whispered in my ear.

"You know me. I'm always looking for a way out of dancing," I teased.

Bucky smiled, pressing a kiss against my hairline. "We don't have to do anything, Vika. I mean that. I'm just ready to spend some time with you," Bucky said softly.

Ever the perfect gentleman. "Like we don't spend enough time together?" I teased.

"No amount of time will ever be enough," Bucky said.

My cheeks warmed. "That's true. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Should we say goodbye to the rest of them?"

"It's the polite thing to do."

The two of us smiled at each other again. It was pushing eleven o'clock and a lot of people were filing out of the bar. But the men would be here until last call. Wanting some time alone with Bucky - one way or another - the two of us went to say goodbye to everyone else. I hugged all of the men and exchanged quick kisses on the cheeks as I wandered up to Peggy, giving her a quick hug. She had previously been chatting with Steve. The two of them seemed to be on much better terms these days. I grabbed Steve and pulled him into a tight hug.

"See you tomorrow. We'll get around to planning the attacks on the rest of the Hydra bases like Chester wanted," I told Steve.

"Works for me. Have a good night," Steve said.

Before we could leave, I shouted after Steve, "Ask Peggy to go dancing!"

He groaned. "Vic -"

"Oh, come on, Steve. I'm sure that if you asked Peggy to go dancing, she would say yes," I huffed.

"Vic!" Steve barked.

The moment that I opened my mouth to speak, someone else spoke over me. "As sweet as that gesture is, I was just planning on heading to bed. Perhaps the next time that you all come out I'll take you up on that offer of a dance. If it's still on the table," Peggy said slowly, grinning at Steve.

His face went bright red. "Well - I - I mean -"

"He means, yes," I put in.

Peggy grinned down at the ground as Steve went red again. Bucky walked up behind me, pressing a hand against my lower back. "Why don't we leave these two be for a while?" Bucky suggested.

"I'm just trying to help," I said.

"Goodnight, Victoria," Peggy said, smiling.

"We'll see," I teased, winking at her. Peggy laughed. "Night, Peggy."

"Shall we?" Bucky asked, motioning out onto the street.

"We shall."

The two of us waved off the men one last time before heading out into the open air. I drank in the slightly chilly air as we walked back towards the barracks together. Bucky and I clasped hands as he led us back towards our room. On our way back to the barracks Bucky and I chatted about the mission that we had gone on, laughing about how angry Schmidt likely was, and we chatted about the dances that we had shared tonight. Bucky had led me into a conversation about what kind of songs that we were hoping would play at our wedding.

As we wandered into the hallway, making our way towards our room, I stopped Bucky for a moment. "Give me a minute. I'm going to get changed," I said, motioning to my old room.

"Okay," Bucky said.

He squeezed my hand tightly for a second before releasing me. I turned and headed into the room that Peggy and I still technically shared. As I wandered into the bathroom, I felt my heart begin to race. At least, for me. It was a normal heart rate for a regular person. It was a good thing that I hadn't moved all of my things into Bucky's room yet. I needed just a moment to be by myself. I quickly changed into my silk pajamas and washed my face clean of the makeup that Peggy had put on me, rinsing out my curled hair so that it was straight again.

The entire time I was thinking about what was destined to happen tonight. Eventually I finished getting ready and wandered out of the room, heading back towards Bucky's. The second that I opened the door, my feet halted themselves. There were candles set out all throughout the room with lights strung up; the main light was off. It was the same way that the gardens had been decorated the night that he had proposed to me. Bucky was standing with two glasses of wine in his hands, smiling at me.

Slowly I wandered into the room and closed the door behind me. "This is..." I trailed off breathlessly.

"Not just for what you think," Bucky picked up my thought, handing me the extra glass of wine. "No matter what happens tonight, just know that I love you. For the last time, I know what a life with you means. There isn't a thing that you can say or do that'll change my mind."

A small grin moved over my face as I kissed Bucky. "It's beautiful," I whispered.

"It pales in comparison to you," Bucky said sweetly. My lips turned up in a disbelieving smile. How did I ever end up with someone like him? He would always love me, no matter what. "I mean it. If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are to me."

He clinked our glasses together. "You know, I don't think that I'll ever be able to see myself the way that you do. But that's okay. Because I'll always have you to remind me," I said, pressing a hand against his cheek.

"I'll do it every day for the rest of my life," Bucky promised.

"I'm sorry that I don't know how to say those things back to you."

"That's not why I'm with you. I'm with you because I love you just the way that you are. I don't need you any other way."

We stared at each other for a moment. "What did I do to deserve you?" I asked softly.

"You just happen to be very lucky," Bucky teased.

Usually it was me saying things like that. I liked hearing him say something like that. We both laughed, myself a little bit louder. Bucky pressed a small kiss against my mouth. I melted into him, letting his arms wrap tightly around my waist. It was moments like these that I realized just how much I loved him. As he released me, I simply stared at him. I was always so amazed when I looked at him. Not just because of the way that he looked, and he was quite handsome, but because of the fact that everything I had ever wanted was right in front of me.

"Come here," Bucky whispered.

We both smiled at each other as Bucky gently sat me back in the bed. For a while the two of us sat and drank our glasses of wine as we spoke in soft tones about the upcoming wedding and out eventual lives together. From the simple teasing of who would cook to what our home would look like. It was nice talking about our lives - because we would have a long time together. I just had to remember that. Once we had finished off our wine, we spent a long time just kissing each other. Laughing and teasing each other.

It had always been one of our favorite pass-times. Making fun of each other. A long time passed as the clock on the bedside table counted down the minutes, eventually passing midnight. Sometimes the two of us talked in hushed tones and other times we just kissed each other. I pulled my robe a little bit tighter around me as Bucky leaned us back and rolled me underneath him, running his hands through my hair, loosening the knot on the robe. My heart was now pounding, but I didn't want him to stop. This was what I had wanted for so long.

His hands continued loosening the knot on my robe as I reached my hands down to work at the knot on his boxer strings. "Vika..." Bucky said, breathing heavily, stopping my hands. "If you're not ready... it's okay..."

My hands were shaking desperately. "I want to," I whispered.

"Are you sure?" Bucky asked.

"Yes."

And I absolutely was. All of the nerves had left me. This was what I wanted. I knew that undoubtedly. So the two of us reached towards each other and began removing the last few bits of clothes that we were wearing. Bucky gently slipped the robe off of my shoulders and tossed it to the ground. My hands undid the knot at his boxers before stilling. His stopped at the hook of my bra. It took reassuring nods from the both of us to remove the last bits of our clothing, dropping them to the floor, showing ourselves fully to each other for the first time.

For a few seconds, I averted my gaze from him, unsure if I was supposed to look or not. But Bucky pressed a hand underneath my chin, pushing my face to meet his own. It was a little tough to look at him, and I could see in the back of his eyes that he felt the same, but I tried to ignore it. I knew that it would be tough. It was the first time that either one of us had ever seen the other completely bare. But this was something that I had wanted for a long time. In fact, I had never wanted something this much.

Eventually my eyes followed the lines of Bucky's body as he did the same. My heart was racing as Bucky pressed a small kiss against my mouth. He was shaking just the slightest bit. We were both very obviously nervous. I could feel his hands shaking slightly as he placed them at my waist. But I could also hear his thoughts, which were a little more confident. I knew that he wanted this just as much, if not even more, than I did. He gently shifted me so that I was directly underneath him. The heat was radiating off of us both.

"I love you," Bucky whispered.

"I love you too. Always," I whispered back.

The two of us smiled at each other as I waved a hand, putting out all but one of the candles on the bedside table. Bucky grabbed underneath my waist and tugged me gently so that I was completely underneath him. Suddenly a wave of calmness came over me. Something that I never felt. But I felt it right now. Perhaps it was because of the way that he was staring at me. It was calming, the look in his eyes. It was a look that took me a moment to place. It was a look that told me that he would never leave me. Especially not now.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

Bucky's P.O.V.

When Bucky woke up in the morning, he instantly turned to look at Vika. Much to his surprise, she was still fast asleep. She normally would have already been awake. Her hair was knotted and she was sleeping on her stomach - a rarity. Her face was buried in the pillow. But her legs were still tangled with his. She looked perhaps the most relaxed he had ever seen her. As she began shifting, Bucky placed his hand on her back, tracing his fingertips over her bare spine. Her eyelids began fluttering as she woke up.

Bucky's free hand went up and began running through his hair. He could tell that it was standing straight up and likely mussed all over the place. To his surprise, there was a slight strain in his legs. But even in spite of that, he felt more relaxed than he ever had before. This was a night that he had looked forward to for months and it had been everything he'd wanted. Bucky tightened the sheet around his waist slightly as Vika began to roll over. He had never bothered to put on his clothes last night. Neither had she.

Last night had easily been one of the best nights of his life. The only one that could have compared to it was the night that he asked her to marry him. Just being with her was everything to him. It reminded him of the reason that he had waited for her for so long. Simply because he loved her. He had always loved her and he would always love her. Because there was never going to be anyone who could compare to her. He had always known that. He just hated that it had taken him so long to realize it.

At least he was finally getting the chance to make up for all of those years. Bucky realized something when he looked down at her. Something that surprised him. Her skin seemed to be... moving? There was a soft golden glow underneath her skin. It appeared to be down in her veins, almost like blood rushing through them. As Bucky put his hands on her back again, he noticed that she was extremely warm to the touch. Almost burning. There was something about her that seemed different. Could something have happened when they were together last night?

Vika shifted over in her sleep again and Bucky's hand fell off of her back, plopping back down against the bed. When she finally managed to turn back to Bucky, she went and ran a hand over her face. It took her a few moments to drop it. She finally peeled her eyes open and met Bucky's eyes, smiling lovingly at him. He immediately responded to it, leaning down and pressing a kiss against her lips. When he finally pulled away and looked her in the eyes again, he realized something rather startling.

"Your eyes aren't yellow," Bucky said.

Her eyes widened. "What?" she gasped.

"They're not yellow anymore," Bucky repeated. "They're... gold."

Her blonde eyebrow arched. "Gold?"

"Yeah. They're beautiful," Bucky said honestly.

And they really were. There was something fascinating about them. Her old yellow eyes were dark enough that, in the darkness, it was rather difficult to tell that she had yellow eyes. Right now her eyes were so brilliantly golden, they were practically glowing. He could see something in her eyes shifting. Almost like there was a light constantly flashing through them. Vika raised her hands to the side of her face and ran them underneath her eyes. He could see the concern in her eyes.

"Hopefully they go away," she mumbled.

"Why's that?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Because I'll have to explain why they turned golden. Do you really want Chester knowing what the two of us did last night?" Vika teased.

Bucky's face paled slightly. The last thing he wanted was for Colonel Phillips to know what the two of them had done. "Think he'd believe me if I told him that you used your mind control on me?" Bucky asked.

"I think you better practice your sprinting," she shot back.

Bucky laughed loudly. He glanced down at her and smiled. "God, I love you." The corners of her lips turned up as she stared at him with a funny look in her eyes. He couldn't read it. "What is it?" Bucky asked worriedly.

"That look in your eyes. I never thought that I'd see it," she whispered.

Love... That was what she meant. Bucky's heart gave a slight twinge. She deserved so much better. "You'll always see it. For as long as I live," Bucky promised her. Vika smiled, pressing a kiss against his shoulder. "You know, there's a look in your eyes that I never thought that I would see."

"What's that?" Vika asked.

"You look happy. Really, truly, happy," Bucky explained.

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about it. "As pathetic as that might be, for the first time ever I think that I really am happy. The missions make me feel like I'm doing something good with my life. Chester has really become a parent. I finally have a real girlfriend and Steve is finally the man that we always knew he was. The men are actually my friends. They're not afraid of me. Kind of," Vika corrected herself. Bucky laughed. "I've got a man who loves me far more than I deserve. I'm getting married to the love of my life. For once... I'm happy."

"Good. I want to keep you that way forever," Bucky said honestly.

He just wished that he could stay with her for the rest of eternity. "Just be here," Vika whispered.

"Always," Bucky said fiercely.

For as long as he possibly could, he would always be there for her. And he hoped that he would stay with her long after he died. Bucky leaned down, placing a hand behind her neck, and pulled her into him. Vika giggled softly as he pressed a kiss against her mouth. Her hands wound around his waist as she pressed them into the small of his back. The two of them shared a long and very passionate kiss as Vika finally rolled over to lay on top of Bucky. He laughed, placing his hands against her thighs to steady her.

"Bucky?" Vika asked against his lips. He hummed in response. She leaned up and looked into his eyes. "You want kids, don't you?"

Bucky stiffened slightly. "We've already talked about this. Vika, I'm okay with whatever you want. I'm happy either way," Bucky said truthfully.

He knew that this conversation would come back around eventually. He knew that Vika would want to know about kids and his feelings in regards to them. He had always thought that he would want and have kids. But he knew that she wasn't willing to bring a mutant into the world. Not after the way that she had been treated. He was hoping to be able to change her mind about them eventually, but he was fine either way. He could see that Vika was thinking about dropping the conversation, but he knew that she wouldn't. She was too stubborn.

Vika tightened the sheet around her chest and sat up. Bucky followed her a moment later. "Tell me the truth, Bucky. I don't want to have to drag it from you. Please, just tell me the truth," Vika begged.

Bucky sat up with her and grabbed her legs, pulling her to sit against him, legs crossed, knee-to-knee. He looked her dead in the eye. "Okay..." Bucky breathed out, hoping that he wasn't about to ruin things. "Yeah. Yes, I'd like them. But -"

"Tell me what you thought," Vika cut him off. "Tell me that picture that you had of your life before you found out what I am."

Bucky let out a breath. "Why are we playing this game?" he asked.

"Please, Bucky," Vika begged.

She could read his mind. He had to tell her the truth. She would know if he was lying. "All right. Well... I always thought that I would have kids growing up. I thought that I might be a good father. It was something that I looked forward to at some point in my life. I wanted to get to teach my son how to play baseball and get dragged into a tea party with my daughter," Bucky chuckled.

It was the picture of his life that he used to have. But things were different now. "That's a nice life you're thinking about," Vika whispered.

"But it's not the life that I need," Bucky promised her.

"You want them," she commented.

Bucky hesitated. She was right, as always. "Yes. I would really like kids," Bucky finally admitted. Vika merely stared at him. "Why are you asking me about them? Are you concerned about -?"

"No. No, I'm not," she interrupted, waving him off. "I'm not concerned about last night. I'm not concerned about anyone finding out, even if it did happen. I don't care what they think. I care about us."

"Okay, so what's this about?"

"With Raven around here, I thought that it was kind of like having a sister. But maybe I wasn't looking at her like she was a sister. Maybe I was looking at her like a daughter. Someone to be protected."

"Now that's got you thinking about having kids?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Vika, I told you... we have time to think about it. We have time to talk about it and make our choice. Whether or not we ever want to have kids. Our life is ours. And we don't have to make every choice right now," Bucky told her honestly.

He grabbed her hands. "But this is an important conversation. Whether or not we're on the same page about kids. I don't want to take something from you that you want," Vika said.

"For once, let's ask you the question. Are you okay with having kids?" Bucky asked her.

She sat in silence for a moment. "What if they were like me?"

Bucky shifted again, yanking her into him. "Listen to me. I would be the proudest father in the world to have a child like you. It's part of why I love you, Vika. Those mutations make you so special. You already are, but that makes it even more so. I would be so thrilled to have a child like you. Absolutely perfect in every way," Bucky said. Something in her eyes lit up. "Someone so strong. So different. I love that. Whether they were completely normal or a mutant, the only thing that would matter was that they were happy and healthy."

"Really?" Vika asked breathlessly.

"Really. I would be so proud to have a mutant for a child," Bucky said honestly.

"But..." Vika trailed off.

To have a child just like her. His life would be fascinating. He felt like he would never stop laughing if he had a child like her. A wife who was one of the most powerful mutants in the world. A child who likely wouldn't be able to control their powers. It would be hysterical. Bucky met her eyes again. He noticed that she had a far-off look in her eyes. He knew immediately what she was thinking. She was thinking about her own parents. The people who had been so miserable toward her. They had hated her. He knew that she was questioning the same thing. What if he became scared of their child?

"Are you afraid of ending up like your parents?" Bucky asked curiously.

Her eyes were hard. She had never liked talking about them. "Yes. They were horrible, Bucky. I remember the day that I was born. I remember them looking down on me and loving me, right up until someone told them what I was."

"Guess what? We are not your parents. I am not either one of them. You deserve all of the love in the world and even more. Something to make up for all of the love that you lost as a child. If we have a baby... I'll tell you what will happen. I'll be there through every stage. Waking up at two in the morning to put them back to sleep. Going with them to their first day of school. Trying to do math homework with them to prove to my brilliant wife that I'm not a complete moron. Helping them through their first heartbreak. Cheering them on at graduation."

Her eyes were slightly misty. "And if -?"

"If they're a mutant?" Bucky interrupted. She nodded carefully. "Laughing as they set fire to the curtains. Watching them learn to fly and panicking that they might fall. Putting them into wrestling or track and watching them beat everyone. Letting them practice their telepathy on me. Hoping they don't hear what I really think of their mother."

"Bucky!" she gasped.

Bucky grinned, having known that his comment would get to her. "If we have kids, I don't care what they're like. I just want them to be happy. Just like we are," he promised her.

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

"I know. Whenever you need to hear something, I'll be there to tell you."

And he meant it. He would always love her. He would always be there for her. The two of them smiled at each other. Bucky grinned madly as she leaned down and pressed a kiss against his mouth. He instantly reached out and grabbed her underneath the thighs, rolling her over. She laughed softly as he threw the sheets over the two of them. He genuinely did want a child one day, but he didn't mind whatever it was that she wanted. Whether they had one or not. Because, in the end, the only thing he wanted was her.

Victoria's P.O.V.

Half an hour after the two of us had woken up, we laid in bed together. It was one of the laziest mornings that I'd had in a long time, but I was grateful for it. Especially after we had bonded a little more. Thankfully there was no mission today and nothing that either one of us needed to do. For now, we were free to do as we pleased. We would likely end up going to the base soon enough, but there was no rush today. We would have to leave just to make sure that no one got suspicious of what the two of us were doing.

Especially considering that Chester would be waiting for the two of us. But that was a conversation for another day. For right now, I was grateful for the conversation that the two of us had had about children. It was one of the few things that I had needed to talk to him about for a long time. It had been one of the few things that had scared me to say. But it was such a serious thing that mattered so deeply to me. To ensure that Bucky wasn't going to make a mistake by getting married to me.

Bucky's hands gently wound through my hair as I ran my hands over his back. I was about to offer him to either go take a shower or head to breakfast when I noticed something. Something even stranger than I had ever seen with myself before. My hands appeared to be flickering in and out of reality. What the hell was happening to me? I'd never seen something like that happen to me before. I shot upright, almost knocking into Bucky, desperately trying to stop the phasing. It appeared that I was now able to move my hands through solid objects.

"Vika?" Bucky asked, noticing my hands. "What is that?"

"I - I don't know," I stuttered.

"Have you ever been able to do that before?"

"No."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Not really," I said, holding my hands up in front of my face. They continued flickering. "I've never seen something like this before. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that it's something along the lines of intangibility."

"What's that?" Bucky asked.

"Not common. If this is what I think it is, I can phase through solid objects and living beings at will. It seems that the effects are accompanied by flickering, prismatic afterimages of my body as my body shifts through space. It means that I can shift back and forth between solid and intangible," I explained.

"And you've never been able to do this before?"

"No."

"Can mutants develop new powers?"

"Yes. Or they can be old powers that have laid dormant. Something awakens them," I said.

But I hadn't found out about a new power since I had escaped from Stryker's lap a few years ago. "Could it be something that we did last night?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Perhaps. I don't know, Bucky. I don't know what's going on right now. But I know that I need to talk to someone about this," I said worriedly.

"Okay. Come on. Let's go," Bucky said, trying to pull me out of the bed. My hands went straight through his. "Who will know?"

"Howard, maybe," I said.

Howard was the only person who could help me right now and I needed someone to help me. I couldn't do this alone. Someone had to figure out what was wrong with me. The two of us instantly jumped up and tried to get ready. I managed to get ready in a state of panic. My hands were shifting through solid objects as I shifted in and out of reality. My clothes and actual objects. I had to force myself to calm down and solidify. It vaguely worked. I was still shifting slightly but I was able to grab my things now. It helped things just slightly.

"Can we go?" I asked breathlessly, once I was clothed.

"Come on," Bucky said, trying to wrap an arm around my shoulder. His arm went straight through me. I began breathing heavily. "Calm down. It's okay. It's all going to be okay."

"What the hell is happening to me?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. Come on. We're going to get you to Howard and he'll help," Bucky said.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that this was one of the scariest things I had ever experienced. At least in Stryker's lab I had known what was coming. But this was something new and I didn't know anyone who could help me. Howard was my one hope. Bucky staggered out onto the street with me tucked underneath his arm. We walked down the street together as I continued phasing in and out of reality. Not even trying to calm down was helping. Then something worse happened. Flashes of other parts of the world began flooding through my vision.

I panicked at the sight, unable to see what was happening in my own world, jumping back in horror. "Vika?" Bucky's voice called. I felt his hands trying to reach out for my arms. "What's wrong?"

"I'm... I'm seeing things," I gasped.

"What? What are you seeing?" Bucky asked desperately.

"Other parts of the world. The universe. I don't know. I've never seen half of these things before," I breathed. "Ah!"

There was some horrible feeling that shot through me. I wasn't completely sure what it was. It wasn't quite a pain, considering that I couldn't feel pain anymore, but it was something very similar to it. It was a nasty feeling. Something that I had never felt before. Suddenly things began to form in front of my vision, even clearer than they had been before. What the hell was I seeing? It took me a moment to place it. They were other parts of the world and the universe. At least, that was what it seemed like.

They all flashed through my mind in quick lapses. There was a shot of something that appeared to be an underground bunker. I caught the briefest glimpse of the Red Skull. I was forced away before I could figure out where he was. Then I moved to a dark orbiting rock that appeared to be in the shape of a throne. No one was on it. In a black pit, I could see a deep red glowing light. In a large room filled with carvings on the wall, there was a purplish glow in the background. In what appeared to be a library, I saw a green eye. On a beautiful alien planet, I sensed a huge danger.

Suddenly, without warning, I was thrown back to reality. I was no longer on my way to the base. Instead, I was lying on a bed in what seemed to be one of the medical rooms. "Vika!" Bucky's voice echoed. I slowly turned to face him. "Vika! Are you alright?"

"Vic?" Steve's voice called. My head rolled back against my shoulders. "Hey, look at us. You're alright."

My eyes opened wide enough to see Chester, Steve, Bucky, Peggy, and the men standing around me. "What happened?" I groaned.

"We saw the two of you staggering over here," Chester said. He glanced down and I noticed that my body was still phasing. "What the hell's happening to you?"

"Nothing good. I - I don't know what's happening to me. But something's changing. In my molecular structure, my brain, my entire body; I can feel it. I need help," I gasped, feeling my breath shorten. Someone needed to help me. "I need... Howard... bring Howard to me."

Chester turned back and snapped at one of his men. "Stark. Go get Stark. Now!"

"You're alright, Vicky. You're going to be alright," Peggy said.

She reached out to touch me when I threw myself back against the wall. "Don't. Don't touch me!" I snapped. She instantly drew back. "Not until I know what's going on."

They listened. No one tried to touch me, although they all crowded around me in fear as the sergeant went to find Howard. The men looked concerned about me but they did attempt to joke around - something that I greatly appreciated. Peggy, Steve, and Bucky were perched around the bed, as close as possible, but they didn't actually touch me. Chester watched the hall for Howard. I continued having flashes of the other worlds as my body continued to phase. I wasn't sure what was happening, but there was definitely an unknown power surging within me.

There was something radiating off of me. It was so hot that it was causing everyone to sweat profusely. "Move. Move!" Howard's voice echoed through the hall. He sprinted into the room and hesitated slightly when he saw me. "Victoria..."

"Took you long enough," I moaned.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Howard said, placing himself on the edge of the bed. "The hell is happening to you?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Do a test. Something."

"Come on," Howard said, motioning me up.

The last thing that I could handle right now was having someone touch me. They could end up seriously hurting themselves. Howard and the others backed away as I slowly pushed myself back to my feet. It was hard, considering that my hands kept going through the mattress. My head was also spinning, making it almost impossible to stand. But I had to. I had to find out why I was feeling the way that I was. We staggered down the hallway for a while when Howard finally pushed me inside of his medical room. He asked the men to stay outside.

Everyone else gathered around. "We're not sure how powerful she is right now. We're not sure what will happen if someone gets too close to her," Howard said, motioning everyone backward.

"What tests are you running?" I breathed.

"Anything that I can," Howard said. He turned to the others, who all looked quite concerned. "That containment chamber should be enough to hold her."

"Do you have any idea what's going on with her?" Bucky asked worriedly.

Howard stared down at the monitor that was reading the energy levels coming from the containment chamber. "It's interesting. She appears to have gone through some type of massive change. If I'm looking at these levels correctly, she's latching onto some type of energy and draining it from the source. It's coursing through her and she doesn't know how to control it. It's taking over her body," Howard explained to the others.

"What could trigger it?" Peggy asked.

"Anything, really. Not necessarily one little thing. She's also getting older. She's hitting the age of maturity. That could affect her mutant powers differently. They could mutate again," Howard said.

"Is she dangerous?" Gabe's voice floated from outside of the room over the microphones.

"Right now? Probably," Howard said.

"How strong is this chamber, Howard?" I asked desperately.

"Should be strong enough to hold anything that you can throw at it," Howard said, pretty much unconvincingly.

"Shit..." I gasped.

The worlds began to flash through my vision again. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I jumped up from the medical table, banging through the crowd of my friends, and collapsed to the other side, pressing my hands up against the walls. I closed my eyes, desperate to block everything out. It was too overwhelming right now. I could hear the voices of everyone else in the room. I could see the splits in reality through my vision of what I had been seeing before. Now there was the overwhelming sound of screams in every corner of the realm.

My eyes remained tightly closed. I was desperate to try and block everything out. The sounds grew louder and louder as I drove my head into the wall. Everyone voices faded. When I finally managed to open my eyes again, everything had fallen silent. I straightened up nervously. Because now I saw something that horrified me. I was in some type of plain, bathed in an orange light and submerged in a few inches of water. By now I had clearly tapped into something I didn't understand. There was only one thing I understood right now. My mother was standing mere feet from me.

"You don't have long. You have no true access to the Soul Stone," my mother called to me. She stood, merely staring at me. My eyes narrowed. The Soul Stone? I didn't have the Soul Stone at all. "Your passage here is weak."

My heart nearly stopped. "You're dead," I commented.

"Not here. Not in the realm of sacrifices."

"I didn't sacrifice you. I accidentally killed you to keep myself alive after you tried to kill me!"

"To stop this," my mother said.

"Stop what?" I asked.

"You don't feel it? The shift?"

The shift? What the hell was she talking about? I stared at my mother for a long time. She looked... almost bored. She looked so different than I had ever seen him before. Not angry or scared. Merely content. I stared at her for a long time. I didn't know what she meant about a shift. The only shift that I'd felt recently was the one within myself. But it was different now. Now that I was in this foreign world, I felt normal again. My body was no longer phasing and I didn't feel quite as weak as I had before.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her slowly.

"You grow more and more powerful by the moment. There is a danger that comes with something as powerful as you are. A danger to those near you. A danger to all on the planet."

"What is happening to me?"

"Your power continues to grow."

"How?" I asked. She merely continued to stare at me. "Tell me!"

"Go find your answers," she warned.

"Useless when you were alive and useless dead," I snarled.

All I wanted was some damn answers. But she couldn't even give me those. This was exactly the reason that I'd never even thought about my mother. There was a sudden horrible feeling in my stomach when I was thrown back against the floor in the chamber that Howard had locked me in. I realized that I was alone now. The others were standing outside of the containment chamber, watching me, as my powers grew. I pulled myself back to my feet, shaking the horrible fuzziness in my head, as the others' voices called to me.

"Vika!" Bucky shouted, banging against the glass. "You okay?"

"It's fine. I'm fine," I said, waving him off. "What's going on, Howard?"

Howard was reading a screen that seemed to be beeping loudly. "You have a massive surge of energy traveling through you right now. I can't even risk calculating it. Any machine I could hook you up to would be instantly overwhelmed," he explained.

"We can't just do nothing!" Bucky shouted, clearly frustrated.

"We're not doing nothing. We're not. We're going to run some tests. Anything that we can," Howard told Bucky reassuringly.

"I don't give a damn how machines you break. Find out what the hell's wrong with her," Chester snapped.

"Of course. Hang tight, Victoria," Howard said.

"Hurry up," I moaned.

"You're going to be alright, Victoria," Chester promised.

"We'll be right here," Peggy added.

"No one's leaving," Steve said.

The other room was quiet for a moment - where the men had come back in - until Bucky turned to Howard. "Can I go in there with her?" Bucky asked.

Howard shifted guiltily. "Honestly, I wouldn't risk it right now. I'd give her some time for the powers to subside. Let's see what exactly is wrong with her. Let's see if we can calm down whatever is going through her," Howard advised him.

Bucky definitely looked defeated. He merely shifted and placed his hands up against the glass. I wanted to try and say something to him - anything to reassure him that I would be alright - but I couldn't. I was too overwhelmed. As everyone came to stand against the glass, I collapsed and planted myself against the floor. More echoes of other worlds were flashing through my mind. I couldn't stop seeing figures and other parts of what I was sure was the universe. There was a monstrous figure hulking above me. Their body was too blurry in my vision for me to place them.

"Hello, little one," the man's deep voice rumbled.

Before I got the chance to ask who he was, Bucky's voice drifted into my mind again. "Vika," Bucky called. I glanced up and stared at him. He looked terrified. "Hey, you're okay. Look at us."

"C'mon, girl. Smile," Dum Dum goaded.

My eyes began scanning the room, desperate to try and remain in this realm. It took a few deep breaths for me to get back into my normal mindset. As my eyes moved across the room, I realized that it was actually melting. I gasped slightly. What the hell had happened? Was this all from the new power I was emitting? Black char marks now spanned the walls. They were warped from whatever power was coming off of me. I was just grateful that they had left the room in time. That would have killed them.

"Did I do that?" I asked breathlessly.

"It's okay, Vic. We've got Howard looking into it," Steve said.

Howard would never be able to figure out what was wrong with me... I didn't even know what was wrong with me... I wanted to release the energy that was building up in me, but I was sure that I would destroy everything - including those I loved - if I did. My eyes began rolling back in my head again as I dropped limply against the floor. From some far off place, I could hear the others calling my name, but it was too late. It felt like I was being transported back to the Soul World. Once I was there, much to my surprise, I saw my father.

"Now you?" I asked sharply.

Out of the two of them, I could remember my father always being nicer to me than my mother. Not that it meant much. He still hadn't tried to save me when she'd wanted to kill me. But at least he had fed me. At least he had allowed me to run outside without letting my mother know. At least he had provided me some books to read. But he had still wanted to kill me. He had still feared me. I strolled up to him slowly. He looked slightly afraid of me - just as he always had been.

"Come here," my father ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"We never got to explain what research we were doing."

"You never wanted to explain. You tried to kill me!"

My father continued as if he hadn't even heard me. "The research we were doing before you were born. The hope that we might be able to have a child as smart as we were," he said.

"You got one who was smarter," I sneered.

"You don't know the truth. You don't know just where you draw your power from."

"I'm a mutant. I draw my power from the X-Gene."

My father shook his head. "You are so much more than that. We learned too late."

Why was this what had happened between the three of us? I had deserved more than this. I deserved to have a normal life. I deserved to be loved by my parents growing up. I deserved to be allowed outside and have friends over. I deserved to get to go to school. But that hadn't happened. Instead, I had been kept in my bedroom and locked indoors for years. They had been ready to kill me until I had done the same to them. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at my father. I deserved so much more than this...

"Why couldn't you two have just loved me?" I asked shakily.

"Because we know who you are. Because we know what you will do in time. You are too powerful for this world. You belong not in the realm of mortal men," my father explained coldly.

"You didn't know that when you had me. You were just afraid."

"Yes," he agreed. "You should be too."

No, I wasn't supposed to be afraid of myself. I couldn't be afraid of what I might do in the world. I had to try and enjoy my life. I had to enjoy my friends and my eventual husband. I stared at my father blankly, willing myself to say something, but instead found myself wondering exactly what he meant. In the meantime, I was losing my connection to the Soul World. I felt myself beginning to phase again as images of a beautiful planet filled my head. Something was calling me there. Something there felt like home. I passed out mere moments later.

Bucky's P.O.V.

"What's happening to her?" Bucky asked desperately.

She was unconscious against the floor. Making noises did nothing. "Couldn't even begin to tell you," Howard said regretfully. "If I was going to take my best guess, I'd say that some type of energy or power is using Victoria's body as a channel. I don't recognize any of the signatures that it's giving off and it would have to be something rare for me not to know. Powerful too, considering it's done this to her in such a short period of time."

"Is she alright?" Bucky asked.

Howard looked at Bucky, an extremely guilty look on his face. "I don't know," Howard admitted.

"What the hell brought this on?" Steve asked.

Steve walked over to Bucky and threw an arm over his shoulders. Bucky needed the support right now. He'd never seen Vika like this before. She was clearly incredibly sick. She looked like she was about to die. Bucky had never even seen her get hurt before. She'd never broken a bone. But this was something so much more. She looked like she was falling apart at the seams. The entire building creaked and groaned as the energy coming off of Vika continued to warp the building. It sounded like it was about to come down on them.

"Was she doing anything before the phasing started?" Peggy asked.

Bucky thought about telling the truth, but Colonel Phillips was in here. He couldn't admit it. "No. We were just sitting and talking..." Bucky said quietly.

Was this really from something that they had done? If so, he wished that they had just gone to bed last night. A few of the others in the room gave him doubtful looks. They knew that he was lying to them but Bucky couldn't say it out loud. He knew that he should have come clean and told the truth, but he also knew that it was something that would embarrass her greatly. She didn't want anyone to know. But he promised himself that if she continued getting worse, he would tell them the truth over what had happened.

"She's gonna be alright. She's been through worse," Steve said hopefully.

But Bucky couldn't believe that. "People have put her through worse. I've never seen her deal with something like this. I've never seen her have to fight something that came from her own body this hard," Bucky said, swallowing thickly.

"It'll be okay," Steve promised.

Bucky was thrilled to see that she was shifting slightly. "Vika?" Bucky called loudly. She shifted toward his voice. "Vika! Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

"Tell me a story," she breathed.

It felt like she'd just thrown cold water on him. "What?" Bucky asked.

"Tell me something to distract me."

Bucky walked over to the glass separating the two of them and smiled at her. She could barely open her eyes to look at him. "Okay. Uh... Want to know the time that I knew that I'd marry you?" Bucky asked. Vika nodded.

This was a story that he'd always wanted to tell her anyway. They were little children when he'd known. He had told her the truth when he'd said that he almost always knew. It was one of the times that they had really connected as children. One of the first times that he had known for a fact that they were ultimately supposed to be together. They had been sitting on the bleachers outside of the school. She was helping him with his math homework - seeing as she had always been wonderful with it - to ensure that he didn't fail.

She looked completely entranced with her own work. She had finished her work hours ago. She was now working on it for fun. Bucky threw down his pencil in frustration. "I don't get how you understand all of this," Bucky told her.

"Yeah, well, I don't understand how you have so many friends. We all have things that we're good at and not so good at," she said huffily.

"You don't need friends. You've got Steve and me," Bucky teased.

She glanced up and shook her head. "That's pathetic, Bucky. It's your way of making me feel better for not having any friends," she said.

"I could always introduce you to some of my friends," Bucky offered.

She snorted under her breath. "No, thank you. I must say that I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"What?" Bucky asked confusedly.

Vika glanced up, her eyes flashing yellow playfully. "Means no."

She was only twelve! How did she know that? "How the hell do you do that? How do you know things like that?" Bucky asked her.

"I've got no friends," Vika deadpanned.

"You've got us!" Bucky said brightly.

Vika rolled her eyes but turned back to him with a smile. "It's called a pleonasm. It's the use of more words than those necessary to denote mere sense," she explained.

"See? I don't understand how you know things like that," Bucky said.

A slight flash of hurt shot through her eyes. "There was never anything to do at my old house. My parents rarely spoke to me. I didn't know anyone. I barely ever left the house," Vika explained. Bucky let out a breath. He hated hearing about her monstrous parents. "The only thing that I had to occupy my time was read all of the textbooks in the library. I memorized the dictionary. I read a letter before bed every day for weeks. Some of my favorite books were Mechanics and Special Relativity, Abstract Algebra, and Statistical Thermodynamics."

Bucky stared at her blankly. "You might as well be speaking Latin to me."

"I liked Latin, too," Vika said.

"That wasn't the point, Vika."

"You don't speak Latin, anyway. It's a dead language. You can read and write it."

"Still not the point."

"Just saying."

They both laughed softly. Bucky stared at her curiously as she continued to work. "Must be nice, Vika." She looked up at him. "To have your entire life together. To know exactly what you want to do. I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. What I'll even be able to do. My grades are terrible. I've got almost no chance at getting into college. I think my parents know that," Bucky told her.

She looked back at him and clasped his hands in hers. "They don't. They have faith in you and I have faith in you. I know that you can do anything that you put your mind to. So, you don't like school. It's not for everyone. But that doesn't mean that you're not brilliant in your own way," she said sweetly.

"Thanks, Vika. You mean that?" Bucky asked.

"I don't lie," she said.

"What happens when you're some super successful scientist? You going to remember about Steve and me?" Bucky teased.

"I could never forget the two of you," she said. The two of them smiled at each other as she finally looked back down at their work. Her eyes scanned over to his paper. "Your essay is wrong."

"What?" Bucky asked.

She'd barely even looked at it. What could have been wrong already? "Norse Mythology. Those facts. Most of them are wrong," Vika pointed out. Bucky stared at her. "You shouldn't be using time references. At least, not the way that you are. Units of time and elements of the Norse cosmology are personified as gods or beings. They don't use time. It's not just the Vanir. They also worshiped the Æsir. You've incorrectly described the layout of Norse mythology. There are nine worlds within the three realms of the Norse universe that flank a central cosmological tree, Yggdrasil.

"They're Asgard (the land of the warriors and gods), Vanaheim (the land of the fertility gods), Alfheim (the land of the Light Elves), Midgard (our mortal world), Jotunheim (land of the giants), Nidavellir (land of the Dwarfs), Svartalfheim (land of the Dark Elves), Hel (the realm of the dead), and Niflheim (another world of the dead).

"Odin didn't lose his eye in battle. It's because he traded his other eye for a drink from the well of wisdom and gained immense knowledge. The gods didn't travel by teleporting. Supposedly there was a bridge separating Midgard from Asgard called the Bifrost; it was made of three colors and was the only way to enter Asgard," Vika explained.

For a long time, Bucky merely stared at her. She was looking back at him as if she'd merely been discussing the weather with him. Nothing more. But eventually his lips broke into a smile and he grinned at her. He had always liked when she had gone off on her little rants. They always fascinated him. She knew more about everything than anyone he had ever met before. She was much smarter than anyone else - particularly himself - and that was just one of the many things that he adored about her.

"I'm sorry... I'm rambling," Vika mumbled, looking quite embarrassed.

Bucky shook his head, smiling at her. "No, I like it. You look at peace. You look comfortable talking about it."

"It's like when you talk about sports or music. I understand anything... logical. That's why I'm so desperate to make it into Harvard. People who might understand the kind of person I am," Vika said hopefully. He wanted that for her too. But he'd miss her desperately. "I don't like people. I don't like crowds. I'm not always the best at talking or making sense of normal things. But that's okay. That's not the person that I want to be. I want to be the kind of person who can make a difference. I don't want to be just a housewife. I think that I can be more than that."

"You will be more than that. You are more than that. Trust me," Bucky promised.

"So are you," Vika said.

He might have believed her, but she didn't believe him. He knew that. "Maybe one day you'll believe me," Bucky said quietly.

She gave a slightly bitter smile. "You know that I don't think as highly of myself as you do. I don't think it's possible for me too."

"Like always, you're right."

Vika smiled slightly. "Bucky -"

"Hey, Bucky!" Olivia's voice echoed. Bucky let out a breath, wishing desperately that he had heard what she had been waiting to say. Bucky turned back to see Olivia waiting with some of their friends. "You coming?"

Bucky turned back to Vika. She gave him a bitter smile. "You should go ahead. I'll see you at home," she said.

"Come with us," Bucky told her.

"We only have the one extra ticket," Olivia said. She turned to Vika. "Sorry, Victoria."

Vika gave a tense smile. "Go," she told Bucky. "I wouldn't want to make you miss your plans. I'll help you on the essay when you get home."

"Thanks, Vika," Bucky said.

"You're welcome," Vika said.

But Bucky didn't want to leave her anymore. Much to his own surprise, he would have rather sat there and listened to her ramble on about school. As they walked off, Bucky regretfully wrapped an arm around Olivia. He had been out on a few dates with her over the past few weeks. She had been relatively sweet but there was something missing there. Something he knew he wanted. And talking to Vika... he had finally realized what it was. He missed that spark. That hint of life that he had only ever seen in Vika.

"Why do you talk to her?" Olivia finally asked, distracting him from his thoughts.

"What?" Bucky asked.

"Yellow Eyes," Olivia said.

"Don't call her that," Bucky snapped.

Olivia jumped slightly and Bucky felt momentarily guilty for having startled her. But he hated that damned nickname. "I'm sorry, Bucky. I know that she's Steve's sister, but it's pathetic the way that she follows you around like a lost puppy. Just look at her. It's like she doesn't even know how to be a teenager. She's weird!" Olivia gasped.

"I've always liked weird," Bucky said.

Clearly, that didn't satisfy Olivia. She huffed at Bucky as the two of them headed to the theater with the rest of their friends to some movie that Bucky really didn't want to see. Before they walked off, Bucky turned back to see Vika already immersed in her books. She glanced up, almost as if she knew he was watching her, and met his eyes. Bucky sent her a little wink. He noticed that her cheeks colored slightly before she rolled her eyes and looked back at her books. Bucky grinned. That was it. That moment, right there. He was going to marry her.

Back in reality, Bucky watched Vika just barely manage a smile. "I knew. That was when," Bucky told her.

"Even back then?" Vika asked breathlessly.

"Even back then," Bucky confirmed.

They were quiet for a little while. Vika suddenly opened her eyes and stared at him. "The assignment on Norse mythology. I almost forgot about that one," she whispered.

"It wasn't very memorable," Bucky teased.

"How are you doing, Vic?" Steve asked from over Bucky's shoulder.

"Alive," she answered.

Peggy fell beside Bucky. "Don't worry, love. Howard's running tests right now. He should be back any moment with something to tell us. You're going to be all right. We promise. We'll be right here. We're not moving," she reassured Vika.

"We love you, Vika. We're right here. All of us," Bucky told her.

"C'mon, girl. Smile," Gabe teased.

Vika barely managed to pull herself off of the ground. She limped weakly over to the bed and collapsed on top of it. Bucky moved over to the glass and pressed one of his hands up against it, wishing that she would do the same. But she didn't. Instead, Bucky felt a terrible heat warming through the glass. It was definitely almost painful to touch. He had to pull his hand away. Something terrible was happening to her and Bucky so desperately wanted to be able to help her. But he couldn't. Not with this one. Not right now.

"Bucky..." Vika moaned.

"I'm right here," Bucky promised her, placing his hands back up against the glass. He ignored the searing pain in them. "I'm not leaving."

"Stay."

"Always. I promise."

Was she about to die? Was this really how bad things had gotten? It killed Bucky to think about. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. At that thought, Vika rolled slightly and collapsed back against the ground. It didn't quite look like she was going to pass out but it did look like she was going to have either a stroke or heart attack. Bucky so desperately wanted to touch her, but right now he had to settle for just promising her that he wasn't going to move. And he wouldn't. He would be right there, for as long as possible.

Victoria's P.O.V.

My head was still rolling around against my shoulders. I tried to press my head down against the metal, but it was boiling hot, just like the rest of the room. Howard had tried to lower the air conditioning, but that wasn't working. At least Bucky was sitting with me as Howard was elsewhere, trying to run his tests. Everyone was staring at me through the glass like I was some kind of animal. I felt absolutely miserable, about as close to being sick as I possibly could be. Suddenly Howard came barging back into the room. He looked shocked at the heat.

"What have you found?" I asked breathlessly.

Howard walked over to me, seating himself in a chair just behind the glass. "Victoria... I just don't think that you're designed to be a sedentary creature," Howard explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"This energy that you're emitting," Howard waved around us, "it's off the charts. I've never seen something quite as strong as the energy that you're putting off. Simply put, I think whatever this is has remained dormant for years. Something has brought it forward right now and you have no idea how to contain it. You have to find some outlet for the energy before it consumes you. Before you completely lose control. Honestly, you shouldn't have as much control as you do right now."

"How does she release the energy?" Bucky asked.

It was the question that was on my mind. "Without hurting someone? I'm not sure," Howard admitted.

"Is there no way for her to contain the energy?" Chester asked.

"Maybe. But we're running out time. She's going to melt these walls in a few hours and... I don't think any of us can stand up to whatever that is coming from her," Howard explained.

Something finally dawned on me. "That story that you just told me... about the assignment that we did on Norse mythology..." I breathed to Bucky.

"When we were kids?" Steve asked.

"That gave me an idea. Bring me the piece of the Space Stone," I ordered them.

"What?" Howard asked blankly.

"There's someone that I need to talk to. Someone who knows exactly how these Stones work. I know that's what I'm connecting to. It's what I'm seeing. If anyone knows how to help me, it'll be Loki," I explained.

"The Trickster God?" Howard asked skeptically.

Loki knew more about these Stones than anyone else did. I needed his help. "Please, Howard. Bring me the Stone. I have to talk to him," I said desperately.

"Okay," Howard said.

He jumped up to his feet without another question and darted off. Once he had gone, Bucky turned back to me. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked me.

Was it a good idea? Probably not. But it was something that I needed to do. "I've gotta get out there. If I can get to Loki or even Eternity, I can figure out what's going on with me. Buck... I don't know what this is but it feels like it's going to kill me. I've gotta figure something out," I told him.

"What do you think is happening to you?" Steve asked.

"I'm drawing some type of power from something far stronger than I'm used to," I said, the only thing I knew for sure.

"Can someone go with you?" Peggy offered.

They would likely die if they came with me. "No. No one is strong enough to touch a piece of the Space Stone. They're not even strong enough to grab onto me with it. I'm not risking any of you," I said stubbornly.

"Vika -"

"It's okay, Bucky. I have to do this. The containment chamber can only hold me for so long. If I can't get this thing out of me, I'm going to end up killing everyone in here. I've gotta do this."

He looked like he wanted to argue with me, but it wasn't going to work. This was something that I needed to do. I wasn't one hundred percent positive if it would work, but I had to try. I had to know if I could get to Asgard. From there, I had to try and get Loki to help me. He loved the Infinity Stones and wanted their power. He would likely help me. At least help me figure out what was going on with me. Bucky didn't look thrilled - nor did anyone else - but eventually he nodded his consent.

"We're not going anywhere. We're right here," Bucky promised.

"As long as you need us," Steve added.

"Thank you," I told them.

"We'll slide it through the slot," Howard told me.

"Okay," I said.

"You're going to be alright, kid," Chester promised.

There wasn't a choice. I was going to have to be alright. I hadn't suffered this much to die right now. Howard brought out a black case and slid it through the slot in the containment chamber. I opened it and took a weak spot on the ground, feeling my head continue to spin. I gave a somewhat nervous smile to the others as I reached out and grabbed the piece of the Space Stone. My hand instantly clenched around it as it had done the first time. My head threw back as the world went completely dark.

Then I saw the lights again. My eyes very slowly peeled open as I found myself getting thrown across the cosmos as I had the first time I'd touched the Space Stone. It was almost impossible to control, but I finally managed to drop myself into Asgard. It was quite difficult to try and pull myself out of all of the worlds flashing past me. But somehow I managed to throw myself right into the center of Asgard. I flung myself past the outer cities and collapsed into what appeared to be the throne room.

As I barely managed to push myself back to my feet, I glanced around. I had definitely just interrupted something. But I didn't care right now. Thor and the rest of his friends were all sitting at a table a few feet away. So was Loki. He was the only one grinning instead of staring at me in fear and curiosity. The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and Thor all jumped to their feet, likely getting ready to try and kill me. I merely held up my hand in response. All of their weapons dropped from their hands as they stared at me blankly.

"Get out. Now," I growled.

Without a choice as to whether or not they wanted to leave, they all sheathed their weapons and walked off. None of them even spared me a glance or hesitated. Loki was watching from the corner of the room in mild amusement. I waited for the group of five to pass before walking up to Loki. He was still watching me curiously. Knowing that I was very likely about to hurt him, I grabbed him around the throat and lifted him up, slamming him back against the wall. He grunted in pain as my grip tightened.

"You've grown stronger in the months since we last met," Loki said curiously.

"Things have changed," I answered.

My phasing was still happening slightly. It passed through Loki's throat and I was forced to drop him. Loki glanced down at me. "Interesting... What is happening to you?" he asked.

"I don't know. That's why I need your help. You're the only person I can think of that might be able to give me an answer. Why am I phasing in and out of reality?" I asked him.

"What a curious situation," Loki said bemusedly.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked.

"You don’t look well," Loki commented.

He wanted me to beg. I growled at him as my legs threatened to cave out from underneath me again. "Just - help - me. Please," I begged.

Begging was something that I had never wanted to do, but I had to do it right now. I needed someone to help me. I needed something to stop this power before either I died or I killed everyone I cared about. Loki clearly understood the desperation that I was feeling right now. He grabbed me underneath the arm and pulled me back toward a seat near the back of the hall that we were standing in. I continued to phase in and out of reality as we stumbled along. Much to his dismay, I began to burn a hole through his armor.

"Sorry about that. It looks expensive," I muttered dumbly.

Loki scowled at me. "It is."

"Well - it was."

Loki scowled at me again. "When did this begin?" he asked.

"This morning when I woke up. Everything was fine for a while and then… this started," I explained.

"You appear to have awakened a dormant power lying in wait," Loki said.

"What is it?" I asked.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was falling apart at the seams. My body couldn't handle whatever this was. I couldn't. And clearly, no one else could either. This had to be stopped. I had to get rid of this power. If I didn't, there was a good chance that I would end up killing everyone back at the base. And I couldn't do that. Not to all of the men. Not to Chester, my own father. Not to my best friends and, most certainly, not to my fiance.

Loki stared at me for a while before arching a brow curiously. "If I am correct, the Soul Stone," he finally explained.

My jaw dropped. There was no way that I was drawing power from the Soul Stone... Absolutely not. "How would I have the ability to draw power from the Soul Stone? We don’t even have it. We have just a tiny piece of the Space Stone," I said.

"No. The Soul Stone has been lost for generations. Few know where it is," Loki said.

"So… how could I be drawing power from it?" I asked curiously.

"I know not," Loki admitted. I sighed. "But I know of someone who can."

That was all I needed. "What are you -?" I interrupted myself when I realized exactly what he was talking about. "Eternity," I said. Loki nodded. "How do I get to him?"

"Eternity does not make his presence known to just anyone," Loki said. But I needed him... I couldn't wait for him to come and find me... "Call out to him. If he has shown himself to you once, he may do so again."

"Eternity! Please! Help me!" I screamed. I turned to Loki after a long silence had passed. He motioned for me to continue. "Come on! I know that you’re out there!"

There was no answer. My heart was pounding in my chest. If I couldn't find Eternity, I wasn't sure what I could possibly do to stop everything. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to go back to the base. Not if I was going to risk potentially killing everyone there. Another long silence passed where I waited to see if Eternity would come to me. Even Loki seemed curious to see if he would show himself. But minutes passed and Eternity never showed up. I let out a terrified breath. What was I going to do if he didn't come to me?

That was when I remembered something else. I was clearly drawing power from something incredibly strong. Not me. There was no way that I was drawing power from just the X-Gene. I had never heard of it potentially being this powerful. And it didn't seem to be coming from something that I was directly putting off. If this was the Soul Stone... could I use it to try and find him? Try and control the powers? Or, at least, use them? I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, trying to tap into the power of the Soul Stone.

Without warning, the power suddenly faded from my body. What the hell had just happened to me? It felt like I had returned to normal. I slowly opened my eyes to see where I was. Loki was still with me. At least that was something. But we had been transported to the same beautiful planet that I had seen earlier when I was phasing. Just as I was about to ask Loki what had happened, I spotted Eternity standing off in the distance, saying nothing, merely waiting for me.

A spark of anger shot through me. "Thanks for your help, asshole!" I shouted.

Loki ran after me, grabbing me around the forearm to stop me from advancing any further. "Enough," Loki hissed.

Eternity acted as if he hadn't even heard me. "Do you know where you are?" Eternity asked.

"No," I said breathlessly.

"This is the home of the Soul Stone," Eternity explained. Loki's interest had clearly been piqued. But it didn't matter. Eternity began speaking in my mind. "Voromir."

"Why are we here?" I growled.

"Come," Eternity told me. He then turned to Loki. "You are to stay."

A glaze formed over Loki's eyes. It was similar to the way people looked when I controlled their mind. I watched him in mild fascination for a few moments. I figured that he would be furious once he realized that Eternity wasn't going to allow him to overhear this conversation. I didn't care. I'd gotten what I needed. Although I still felt like I was going to explode. Here I was, about to die, and Eternity was treating it as if we were out for a walk in the park. I snarled and backed away as Eternity reached out for me.

"What did you do to him?" I snapped.

"Nothing that you, yourself, cannot do," Eternity responded.

I was sick of this game. "Help me," I panted. "What's happening to me?"

"You have awakened an ancient force in yourself. One that very few beings are capable of possessing. You have grown to possess the power of the Soul Stone," Eternity explained.

"So… I have the mutated powers on top of the Soul Stone?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes."

"Why am I connected to the Soul Stone?"

"You will know in time."

Another answer that wasn't really an answer. I was sick of having to try and figure this out for my own. I needed him to give me a real answer. "Bullshit. Why?" I barked.

Eternity was silent for a moment before saying, "The day will come that you need to be."

Was this how it ended? Grabbing the Soul Stone and learning to control it? If that was how I ended everything that was happening with me right now, maybe that was what I needed to do. I didn't like the idea of having this much power, but I knew that this needed to stop. I stared at Eternity for a long while, wondering what he meant. What did he mean about the day coming that I would need to have the Soul Stone? That didn't bode well for anyone. I was tempted to ask, but I knew that he wouldn't answer.

"How do I get it?" I asked curiously.

Eternity glared at me for a moment before saying, "You must make a sacrifice. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul."

My head took a long time to wrap around what he had just said. Sacrifice... It was the same thing that my mother had told me in the Soul World. They were saying that I had sacrificed them for something. But I hadn't sacrificed them. I had killed them to keep myself alive. Perhaps it was the same thing. But right now it didn't make sense. I would have to lose the thing that I loved. But there were a lot of things I loved. That was when it dawned on me. I knew exactly what Eternity was asking me to lose.

"You mean to sacrifice the thing that you love most? My fiancé?" I snapped.

"Yes," Eternity said as if he was asking me to take his dog for a walk.

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. There was no goddamn way I was doing that. "You're out of your damn mind! I’m not killing him for this. I don’t even want the Soul Stone. I just want to block it off from me!" I shouted.

"The Soul Stone contains information that you could only dream to know," Eternity explained.

There was absolutely no way that I was killing Bucky. I loved him. "Let me keep dreaming about it, then. I’m not killing him for this. For anything. I’d sooner let it kill me," I said honestly.

Eternity gave me a stern look. "You do not understand that of which you are sacrificing."

"Nothing. I'm sacrificing nothing. I will not kill him to gain the Soul Stone," I said stubbornly.

"You must obtain the Soul Stone to channel your power correctly. You are drawing your power from the Soul Stone."

"That doesn't make sense! I'm a mutant. I draw my energy from the X-Gene."

"Not at all times."

"Why would I be drawing my power from the Soul Stone?"

"Take it and find out."

There was a disturbing part of me that wanted to take the Soul Stone. I wanted to know what was happening to me. I wanted to know what the stone was even doing as a part of me. But I couldn't believe that I had considered that for even a moment. There was no way that I could do that. No way that I could ever even think about killing Bucky just to learn a little bit about myself. The only thing that I wanted was a normal life. There was no way that I could have that with the Soul Stone. No... It wasn't worth it.

"I can't, Eternity. I love him. I can't sacrifice him," I whispered.

If it would kill me, so be it. I wouldn't kill him. "You owe it to yourself to discover your connection to the Soul Stone. It is rare for a creature to draw their power from an Infinity Stone. The Celestial that granted you the mutated powers has chosen you for a different destiny," Eternity explained. But I hadn't wanted a different destiny. All I wanted was to go to college. "You draw your powers from the Soul Stone. The Stone has awakened. It feeds into you. Come with us. We will teach you."

Us? Did he mean the other Cosmic Entities? It didn't matter. I wasn't going to kill him. Never. Perhaps I would die for my choices; either the Soul Stone would kill me or Eternity might. But it didn't matter. I wasn't going to let him die for something I had caused. He hadn't asked for any of this. He might have loved me, but he hadn't signed up for life with a mutant. Not all of this, anyway. Knowing that it might have meant my own doom, I began shaking my head. Eternity let out a deep breath.

"No... I have a life on Earth. I don't want to leave it. There has to be another way. And... maybe you just can't understand. I love him more than anything. The Stone isn't worth it. I will not kill him," I said.

"You are powerful enough to access most of the power on your own. Without holding the Stone," Eternity explained. So... I didn't even have to take the Soul Stone? Could he live and I could gain the Soul Stone? "Allow your mind to connect."

"If I do?" I asked carefully.

"You will garner a power unlike any known to any mutant before you," Eternity explained.

But I didn't want even more power than I currently had. What I had was already far too much. "What happens if I say no?" I asked carefully. Eternity merely stared at me. "I don't want the Soul Stone. I don’t want the power. Eternity, I mean no disrespect, but I don't want this much power. No one needs this much. Perhaps in the future, but as for right now, I just want to live a normal life."

"You understand what it is to refuse an offer such as this," Eternity said.

"I understand," I said honestly. "Can we say that I'm not refusing it? Simply asking to put it off."

"Life does not always wait," Eternity said.

"Understood."

"You wish to return to your life?"

"Yes."

All I wanted was to go back home. Back to Bucky, Steve, and everyone else. "The Soul Stone will continue to use your body as a tunnel to channel its power," Eternity explained.

That meant that I would be right back where I started. I couldn't handle that. "Can you stop it?" I asked desperately.

"To a certain degree. The Soul Stone has found its home in you. But I can redact most of the strength that it will attempt to feed into you," Eternity explained.

"How?" I asked.

"A barrier in your mind."

"A barrier?"

If it could stop the Soul Stone, I was willing to do - or let Eternity do - anything. "I can block the powers of the Soul Stone to a certain degree. Allow you to return to your normal life. You will still gain some of the power from the Soul Stone, but you will be able to go about your regular activities," Eternity explained.

The hope that built in my chest quickly deflated. "If it comes down?" I asked.

"You have seen what will happen. If the barrier ever does come down, you will know what has to be done," Eternity explained.

Lose what I love most to keep myself alive... "Yes," I answered.

"Last chance," Eternity warned me.

After a brief hesitation, I said, "Do it."

We would cross the bridge of me potentially having to kill Bucky - or whatever I loved the most - if and when that day ever came. Eternity was clearly disappointed with my choice, but I could tell that he understood the simple fact that I had to do this. Eternity raised his hand and pressed it against my chest. There was a rippling chill that shot through me as I staggered backward. I collapsed onto my hands and knees as Eternity showed me a brilliant orange light in his hands. Very slowly, I pushed myself back to my feet.

"What is that?" I asked, already well aware of the answer.

"A remnant of a time long passed," Eternity answered.

"That's the Soul Stone, isn't it?" I asked.

"A mere piece of its immeasurable power," Eternity said.

"Why is it in me?" I asked curiously.

There had to be a reason that the Soul Stone was in me. This wasn't some kind of coincidence. "It always has been. You have merely awoken the connection," Eternity explained.

"It's beautiful," I said, watching the light flicker.

"It will wait for you," Eternity said.

Would the day ever come that I would actually want the Soul Stone? I wasn't sure. No matter what, I would have to sacrifice that which I loved the most to gain it. What if I waited until Bucky and Steve were gone? It would be hundreds of years in the future, but one day I would be able to take the Soul Stone and find out everything that it had to offer. I hated to admit that I was even moderately interested in it. Eternity waved his hand and the remnant of the Soul Stone vanished into thin air.

"Thank you for everything," I said awkwardly.

"If the day ever comes that you find you may have made a mistake, use this," Eternity said.

Clearly, he wasn't happy with my choice. In a way, I supposed that I wasn't completely happy with it either. I would have liked to learn about the complete power that I could have had. But I would never sacrifice Bucky. I watched as Eternity waved his hand and produced something that looked the slightest bit like a necklace. There was a swirling galaxy in the center of the gem, similar to the way that my eyes looked whenever I read someone's mind for an extended period of time. I took it carefully.

"What do I do with it?" I asked him dumbly.

"You will know," Eternity said unhelpfully.

"Okay." I took the necklace from him and tossed it over my neck. "Thank you, Eternity. For everything. I mean it."

Eternity merely stared at me. "I will return you to your friend."

"Oh, he's not really my friend," I began to explain. I stopped talking when I realized that Eternity was an all-powerful entity who had much bigger things to deal with than my friendships. "You don't care…"

It was very obvious that Eternity really didn't care about my quasi-friendship with Loki. Not that it was one. He merely helped me every now and again when I didn't know what else to do. Eternity snapped his fingers and I was thrown back without a chance to thank Eternity again. I was thrown back into the center of Voromir with Eternity, where I grabbed Loki. Before I got the chance to say anything, Eternity snapped his hands again. The two of us collapsed as we fell into Asgard's palace. Eternity was nowhere to be found.

"What happened?" Loki grunted.

The two of us barely managed to pry ourselves back to our feet. I was exhausted but felt much better than I had before. "Believe it not, you've really helped me," I told Loki.

"Tell me," Loki commanded.

It probably wasn't a wise choice - considering how much Loki really wanted to get his hands on one of the Infinity Stones - but I knew that he deserved to know. Mostly because he was the only reason that I had even managed to find Eternity in the first place. So, I decided to explain everything that had happened with Eternity to Loki, leaving out just a few details of what had happened - including my necklace to call Eternity back one day. Mostly because I didn't completely trust Loki.

Once I had finished speaking, Loki stared at me blankly. "Why would you give up the chance to know everything about the universe? Ultimate power. The ability to control the dead," he said.

"Because I'm not you. I don't want that. Loki, I just want to go home, be with my fiancé and friends, and live as normal of a life as possible. That's what I want," I explained. Loki merely nodded blankly. Clearly, he didn't understand. That was just how different we were. "And I hope that you get what you want. Thank you for everything."

"You are welcome," Loki said, walking me back to the center of the room. "What is his name?"

"Excuse me?" I said blankly.

"Your fiancé."

Right... I had mentioned that. "Bucky. Why?" I asked.

"Curiosity," Loki said.

Perhaps I shouldn't have told him Bucky's name... "If you hurt him, whether or not you just helped me, I'll kill you," I snapped angrily. Loki merely grinned. A flash of his desires shot through my mind. I narrowed my eyes. "Also, if you ever invade Earth, I’ll kick your ass."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I will learn to block you."

"We'll see. Goodbye, Loki."

"I still do not know your name."

"It's Victoria," I admitted.

"We will meet again, Victoria."

"We'll see."

Things hadn't changed since the last time that I saw Loki. I was still hoping that this would be the last time that I ever saw him. I never needed to see him again. I smiled to myself, moderately amused by the Norse God, as Loki walked toward me. He gave me a long look as he slowly raised his hands and pressed his fingers against my temples. Just like the last time he had done so, I was thrown back to my old world. Much to my surprise, back to myself. It felt like I was completely back to normal.

"Vika!" Bucky shouted. I slowly opened my eyes. "Vika! Are you okay?"

"Give me the case," I said.

Very slowly I uncurled my fingers from around the Space Stone. The others entered the containment chamber. They must have realized that I was back to normal by now. Perhaps the monitors were reading normal levels. Howard slid over the black box that he had originally given me. I placed the piece of the Space Stones down into the case and shut it. Howard handed it off to the scientists, who immediately took it back to containment. Once they were gone, I slowly looked up at my friends, who all looked terrified for me.

"How are you feeling, kid?" Chester asked, pressing a hand up against my forehead.

"Better. Much better," I breathed.

The collective sigh of relief was definitely audible. I smiled at them. I looked down at myself and realized that my skin was still glowing golden very slightly. I attempted to phase very briefly and grinned when I realized that I still could - I could just control it now. That could definitely be a neat new trick. I took Bucky and Steve's hands and let them help me back to my feet. I walked out of the containment chamber and saw, in the reflection, that my eyes were still golden. But I appeared to be mostly back to normal. I let out a deep breath of relief.

"Come here," Bucky said. I stared at him for a moment before throwing my arms over his shoulders and letting him wrap me in a tight hug. The others smiled at us. "You're okay. It's okay."

"Am I hurting you?" I asked worriedly.

"No. Never. You're wonderful," Bucky whispered in my ear.

As we pulled apart, Peggy grabbed my arms. "What happened?" she asked.

Despite wanting to keep it to myself - not wanting to freak them out - I told them everything. Everything from what had happened this morning (leaving out one key detail), to everything I had seen in the Soul World, to what had happened with Loki in Asgard and what had happened with Eternity on Voromir. It was easy to see that they were all quite nervous about what I had told them. I kept a close eye on Bucky as I spoke. I hadn't explicitly mentioned that I would have to kill Bucky to get it, but he was no fool. He would figure it out.

Once I had stopped speaking, Steve stared at me. "So... to get this Soul Stone thing..." he trailed off.

"It extracts a terrible price. Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. It has a certain wisdom. To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice. You must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul," I explained.

"You would have had to kill me?" Bucky asked, obviously getting the point.

He looked terrified. I shifted toward him and shook my head. "I wasn't doing that, Bucky. I would have died before letting that happen," I said honestly.

"What happens now that you haven't taken it? That barrier holds strong?" Bucky asked.

"The Soul Stone will never completely leave my body. It's always going to channel through me. But the barrier that Eternity placed in my mind keeps the stone from overwhelming me," I explained.

"What does it do?" Dum Dum asked.

Far more than I would like to be able to do... "The Soul Stone has the ability to manipulate the soul, the essence that makes up an individual, and has the ability to resurrect and conjure the spiritual representation of the people who are dead. When I was in the pocket dimension from the Soul Stone, I saw both of my birth parents. If I connected to it, I could alter and manipulate all souls," I explained.

They looked shocked to know that was what had happened. Bucky and Steve both looked like they might have wanted to ask me what had happened when I'd spoken to my parents, but I was sure that they both realized that I didn't want to talk about it. I would prefer to keep those conversations to myself. Bucky walked back over to me and threw his arms around my waist. I pressed a hand against his stomach and tightened my grip on his stomach. His arm tightened against my back.

"You gonna be okay?" Gabe asked.

"Yes. As long as the barrier holds, you'll all be safe," I explained.

"What can we do for you?" Steve asked.

"Nothing. It's back to normal for me for now," I said.

"Do you need something to eat?" Howard asked.

"No. But I'm tired. I think I should go to bed. I'm sorry about today," I muttered awkwardly.

Right now, I just wanted to get away from everyone. I was embarrassed and tired. "Don't be sorry. We're just glad that you're alright," Chester said, grabbing my hand for a moment.

"Come on. I'll take you back," Bucky said, tugging me along.

"It's all gonna be okay," Steve whispered.

And I knew that he was telling the truth. Everything would be okay. We would all be fine. I moved forward and gave everyone a hug, being extremely careful. But no one wanted me to be careful. As soon as I touched them, they wrapped me in bear hugs. I was hesitant to actually hug them. I was terrified to touch them and potentially really hurt them. I couldn't handle that. As they pulled away, everyone gave me kisses on the cheeks. They were quite clearly scared of me, but more than anything, they wanted me to be okay.

Bucky slowly walked the two of us back to our bedroom. We didn't speak at all on our way there. It was probably for the best. There was nothing that I had to say to him right now. I could tell that he wanted to speak to me by the way he kept glancing down. But I refused to say anything. I felt terrible about everything that had happened today. I could have ended up accidentally killing them all. I could have killed Bucky. It was honestly mostly luck that I ended up not hurting any of them - save what appeared to be some burns on their hands.

It took the two of us a few minutes to get back to our room. Which was fine by me. I was trying to avoid having to face him about what had happened for as long as possible. Once we had arrived, we walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Neither one of us said anything. We sat in silence for a long while. I pulled my knees up to my chest as Bucky sat on the edge of the bed a few feet away from me. I noticed that he didn't dare try and touch me or speak, even as the minutes ticked by.

Finally, Bucky was the first to speak. "Do you want to talk about it or should we sit in a stony silence for a little longer?"

"Don't you see?" I shouted suddenly, the lights flickering at my shout. Bucky didn't make any move. "Don't you see how fast it can happen? It could be an accident, Bucky, but if I ever lose control again... if that wall in my mind ever comes down..."

"You'll what? Kill me?" Bucky asked, filling in the blanks. I merely stared at him. "What if that's a risk I'm willing to take?"

"What if it's not a risk I'm willing to take?" I asked quietly.

As much as I loved him, I couldn't stand the thought of potentially killing or hurting him. I didn't want to leave him or give up our relationship, but I also couldn't stand possibly hurting him. The two of us stared at each other for a long time before I realized that I was crying. I didn't bother wiping the tears out of my eyes. This entire thing broke my heart. I loved Bucky more than life itself, but as I had just demonstrated today, I could easily end his life. It wasn't something that I was willing to let happen.

"I love you. But I could never live with myself if I hurt you," I said weakly.

Bucky stared at me for a moment. "So, what do you want to do? Call off the wedding?" he asked quietly.

"No. I want to be normal," I said.

"You're not," Bucky said. And I knew that. But I didn't want to be that way. "You're far from it. I trust you, Vika."

"Why?" I asked tearfully.

Bucky gave me a bitter smile. "Because I love you. Because you have never given me a reason not to trust you. Because I know what I mean to you. Because I know everything that you can do terrifies you. But I trust you. I always have. I always will. Look at me," Bucky commanded, pushing my head to meet his eyes. "You know the traditional vows? For better or worse. As long as you'll let me, and even when you don't want me, I'll always be there."

"Promise?" I sobbed.

"I promise. With all my heart and soul," Bucky said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Anything it takes to be with you, whatever risk there ever might be, it'll be worth it," Bucky said. I smiled at him. His eyebrows quirked teasingly. I arched a brow. "With that wall up in your mind..."

Of course. I should have known that it would come back to this. But I managed to smile, amused by where his mind automatically went. "The Soul Stone has no way of tapping into me. It's blocked from causing any further problems. As long as Eternity's wall holds, the Soul Stone will have no way to pour its energy into my body. Back to normal. For me, at least," I explained.

"Then I can... do this," Bucky said teasingly, pushing me back.

"Yeah. You can do that," I agreed.

Bucky's arms wrapped around my waist and tightened slightly. I merely grinned at him. He was insane. After all of this, he was still with me. I didn't quite understand, but I supposed that it didn't matter. As Bucky pressed me back in the bed, I thought back on the day. Did I somehow make a mistake sealing the Soul Stone off of myself? What had I stopped by cutting off its access? Like Eternity had said, was there a chance that I would live to regret this day? Had I doomed someone else by saving all of my friends?

In the end, I supposed that it didn't matter. We would cross that bridge when we came to it. Maybe there was a chance that the day would never come. That was what I was hoping for. After all, there was no way that I could risk it with Bucky and everyone else. I wasn't planning on killing them, and who knew? If I had taken over the Soul Stone, maybe I would have ended up killing the rest of them anyway. I loved them too much for that to happen. This was the safest thing that I could have possibly done.

But today had been rather interesting. Besides all of the horror that I had faced today, I had also managed to learn the true extent of my powers. It seemed that they were almost limitless. And somehow I had managed to tap into the Soul Stone. It would have been rather fascinating to learn about why my parents had really wanted to kill me. But I couldn't learn that right now. Not without hurting them. Maybe one day I would go to Eternity and began him to teach me, once they had all died, at least. Maybe he would take mercy on me.

In the meantime, the best thing was to have Bucky properly distracting me. That was what I needed right now. I giggled slightly as he rolled me over and pressed me back into the bed. These were the moments that I lived for. These were the moments that I loved more than anything else. The moments where I could forget about everything else that was happening. I might have been powerful enough to level an entire continent and control the dead, but all I wanted at this moment was to be in bed with the love of my life.


End file.
